ASHE Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award will be presented in recognition of engagement and extension of the mission and vision of the association, enrichment of the experience of members, and, in general, exceptional commitment and significant contribution to the success of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.   

Nominations for 2024 are now closed.  2025 Nominations will open in early May and closes approximately late June.

Nomination Evaluation Criteria | Awards Timeline | Nomination Requirements | Awards Committee | Past Recipients

Nomination Evaluation Criteria

When reviewing nominations, the awards committee will make decisions based on the following preferred and demonstrated attributes:

  1. Serving in a council leadership role
  2. Developing community within the association
  3. Serving on the board
  4. Other involvement within the association
  5. Served the association for at least five years

 This award is usually presented to a member who has served the association for at least five years.

2024 Awards Timeline

  • Nominations are now closed. 
    Due to the number of submissions and the review process, no late submissions will be accepted; as such, nominators are encouraged to submit their nominations well in advance of this deadline.
  • Nominators and nominees will be informed of decisions in mid-September.
  • An announcement of recipients will be sent to the ASHE membership in late September.
  • The recipient(s) will be recognized during the ASHE Awards Ceremony during the Annual Conference.

Nomination Requirements

Each submission will need:

  • Name, Title, Position, Institution, Email, and Phone Number of Coordinating Nominator
  • Name, Title, Position, Institution, Email, and Phone Number of Nominee
  • A nomination statement up to 750 words that demonstrates the nominee's match to the award evaluation criteria. This should not be a nomination or support letter, but a summary of the nominee's qualifications for this specific award.
  • 2-3 letters of support. For upload into the nomination form, these should be combined into one document, preferably a pdf.
  • The nominee's CV.

Due to the increased number of nominations received in recent years, each nominee will be limited to one nomination. In the event multiple nominations are submitted, the committee chair will notify the coordinating nominators requesting they consolidate their nominations.

The coordinating nominator, as well as the award nominee(s) (and subsequently recipient(s)), must be current members of ASHE.

Questions about the 2024 award process can be sent to awards@ashe.ws.

Nominations for 2024 are now closed.

Awards Committee

The ASHE Awards Committee is a standing committee of the Board of Directors. Committee members are recommended by the President to the Board of Directors and service 1-3 year terms.

2024 Committee Members:

  • Raquel Rall (Chair), University of California, Riverside
  • Jennifer Johnson (Board Rep), Temple University
  • Emily VanZoest (Grad Rep), North Carolina State University
  • Matthew Witenstein, University of Dayton
  • Julie Park, University of Maryland, College Park
  • Sylvia Martinez, Indiana University

Past Recipients

2023: Noah D. Drezner

Additional Recipients

  • 2021: Karen Miksch (YouTube Link)
  • 2020: Michelle M. Espino (YouTube Link)
  • 2019: Jeffrey C. Sun (YouTube Link)
  • 2018: Kim Nehls (YouTube Link)
  • 2017: Kelly Ward & Lisa Wolf-Wendel (YouTube Link)
  • 2015: Marilyn J. Amey
  • 2012: Lester F. Goodchild
  • 2011: Leonard Baird
  • 2010: J. Douglas Toma
  • 2009: Amaury Nora
  • 2007: Estela Mara Bensimon
  • 2006: Laura Rendon
  • 2005: Carol Everly Floyd
  • 2004: Wynetta Lee
  • 2003: Ann E. Austin
  • 2002: Barbara K. Townsend
  • 2001: Robert O. Berdahl
  • 2000: Mildred Garcia
  • 1999: Philip G. Altbach
  • 1998: Joan S. Stark
  • 1996: Stan Carpenter & Patricia Hyer
  • 1995: Daryl Smith
  • 1993: John Smart
  • 1990: L. Jackson Newell
  • 1987: Jonathan Fife