Recognition and Awards

The Howard Davis Sr. Award recognizes outstanding service rendered to SACSA by a member of the Association. Recognition will be for achievements in one or more of the following areas:

• Performance of duty above the expected.
• Completion of a service to the Association that reflected faithful and competent achievement.
• Development of new programs or concepts with a positive impact upon the Association.

Previous award recipients:

The Bobby E. Leach Award recognizes a student affairs professional or graduate student who has contributed significantly to developing multicultural relations on a college or university campus. Criteria are as follows:

• Currently active in SACSA (one-year minimum membership).
• Must have been significantly involved for at least two years in efforts that have contributed to improving multicultural relations on his/her campus.

Previous award recipients: 

The Mid-Level Professional Award recognizes a mid-level professional who has provided exemplary service to SACSA and on a college or university campus. Criteria are as follows:

• Minimum of six years of full-time professional experience supervising, maintaining budgets, and/or programming in a higher education setting.
• Current membership for at least three full years and active involvement in SACSA.
• Demonstrated service to the profession and his/her institution (e.g., presented a paper or workshop locally or at a state, regional, or national conference, conducted research, mentored graduate students and new professionals, campus committee involvement, and professional association involvement)
• Attended at least three SACSA-affiliated professional development conferences, workshops, or activities.
• Possess outstanding character and potential role model stature for new and mid-level professionals.

Previous award recipients:

The New Professional Award recognizes a new professional who has provided exemplary service to SACSA. Criteria are as follows:

• No more than five years of full-time experience in student affairs.
• Current membership for at least one full year and active involvement in SACSA.
• Demonstrated service to the profession (e.g., presented a paper, held a workshop, conducted research, demonstrated leadership) and showed promise to become a leader in the field.
• Attended at least two SACSA-affiliated professional development conferences, workshops, or activities.
• Possess outstanding character and potential role model stature for other new professionals.

Previous award recipients: 

The Outstanding Graduate Student Award recognizes graduate students for their academic achievement, campus involvement, and potential for significant contributions to the student affairs profession. Criteria are as follows:

• Enrolled as a full-time student pursuing master's or doctoral work in a Student Affairs-related degree program, to pursue a career within Student Affairs.
• Demonstrated academic achievement.
• Active involvement and leadership roles in campus activities and organizations.
• Possess a paraprofessional or intern-related position within the Student Affairs Division.

Previous award recipients:

The Joe Buck Service Award recognizes the long-term membership and service of Dr. Joseph A. Buck, Vice President for Student Affairs at Armstrong Atlantic State University to the Southern Association for College Student Affairs. Dr. Buck currently serves as SACSA's inaugural Executive Director, a position for which he has volunteered since 2001. Before this role, Dr. Joe Buck has served SACSA with distinction since 1973. His accomplishments include:

• SACSA Scholar, 2003, 2002
• Local Arrangements Chair, 2000, 1990, 1980
• SACSA Foundation participant.
• H. Howard Davis, Sr. Award Recipient, 1988
• SACSA President, 1984-1985
• SACSA Historian, 1976, 1975
• Chair, By-Laws Committee, 1987, 1986
• Chair, State of Georgia, Sexual Harassment Task Force. 1988, 1987
• Chair, Consultative Services Program, 1977, 1976

The Joe Buck Service Award shall be presented to a dependable and dedicated SACSA member who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the Association. Criteria are as follows:

• Minimum of five years of SACSA membership.
• Demonstrated record of committee service and/or leadership.
• Has not served as an elected officer.
• Has not received prior award recognition from SACSA.
• Viewed by SACSA colleagues as a role model, mentor, and unsung hero of the Association.

Previous award recipients: 

CAS established the Ted K. Miller Award for Excellence to recognize outstanding accomplishments in advancing standards of practice and quality assurance in educational programs and services in higher education. The enhancement of student learning and development remains at the very core of the mission of the Council for the Advancement of Standards. CAS presents the Ted K. Miller Award to an individual based on the following criteria:

• Outstanding leadership or creative initiative are exhibited in promoting standards in higher education and/or in the field of student learning and development.
• Significant publications and/or other professional activities have been accomplished in the field of standards, their application, and relevant assessment of student learning and development.

CAS standards are reflected, and the goals of CAS are promoted in publications and in facilitated assessment activities. They are also significantly included in their work and/or through professional activities.

Previous award recipients:

The Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) annually presents a Dissertation of the Year Award (DOY) to recognize high-quality research by doctoral students in student affairs in the SACSA region. The Dissertation of the Year Award is presented to an individual who meets the following qualifications:

• Dissertations must be completed and signed between July 1 and June 30 of the past year.
• Applicants must self-nominate with a supporting letter from his/her/their dissertation chair.
• Applicants are required to be SACSA members at the time of submitting the application.
• The applicant’s doctoral-granting institution or institution of employment as of last Fall and must be located in the SACSA region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia).
• The dissertation must advance inquiry related to student affairs. 

The strongest applications will demonstrate evidence of one or more of the following attributes:

• A timely, trending, or cutting-edge topic that advances discourse about student affairs.
• A topic that addresses issues particularly seminal to institutions, faculty, administrators, and/or students representative of the SACSA region.
• A significant, unique, or innovative theoretical contribution to student affairs.
• A cohesive, well-reasoned, and rigorous methodological approach to empirically examining the question.
• Implications that guide strong, improved, and/or innovative practice in student affairs.
• Alignment with at least one of SACSA’s core values: inclusiveness, professionalism, collegiality. 

The Dissertation of the Year nomination and award process is separate from all other awards. Please visit the Dissertation of the Year page to learn more about the nomination and award processes.

Previous award recipients:

SACSA encourages scholarly inquiry among its members by annually awarding small grants to advance proposed research projects. Any individual or research team may apply for these competitive grants. The typical award granted to a single project is $500. However, the selection committee may choose to award funds over this amount to grant proposals they feel are exceptional. Multiple research grants may be awarded in a given year, depending on the funding availability and the selection committee's discretion.

Research grants will be awarded to an individual(s) who meets the following qualifications:

• The individual submitting the proposal must be a SACSA member at the time of the application.
• At least one applicant on the proposal must be affiliated with an institution located in the SACSA region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia) while actively engaged in the proposed research.
• The proposed research must advance inquiries related to student affairs and be relevant to SACSA membership. 

Proposals will be evaluated by a committee, ranked, and selected based on the following criteria: 

• Significance of Research: Timeliness of the topic, the magnitude of the issue, and the extent to which the research provides new information or strategies related to student affairs theory/practice.
• Alignment with SACSA’s Mission: Relevance of research to the SACSA region and/or SACSA’s membership. Alignment with at least one of SACSA’s core values: inclusiveness, professionalism, collegiality.
• Quality of Scholarly Evidence: Strength of the scholarly evidence used to support a need for the research and explain key concepts related to the research.
• Quality of Research Design: Strength of proposed data selection, collection, organization, and analysis strategies to answer the proposed research question(s). Appropriate use of quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods to conduct the research.
• Timeline & Resources: Feasibility that the outlined timeline and resources will be sufficient to carry out the proposed research.
• Overall Proposal Presentation: Strength of writing technique (e.g., grammar, clarity, organization) and APA style citations/references.

The Research Grant proposal and award process is separate from all other awards. Please visit the Research and Grants page to learn more about the nomination and award processes.

Previous award receipients:

Lifetime Honorary Memberships shall be presented to long-term members of SACSA who have made notable contributions to SACSA and the College Student Affairs Profession. Criteria are as follows:

• Should no longer be eligible for regular membership.
• Should have been a regular member for at least seven years.
• Should have been actively involved in SACSA by serving in some leadership capacity, either as a committee chair and/or participating in at least one of the SACSA-sponsored professional development activities (i.e., the annual conference, Mid-Managers’ Institute or New Professionals’ Institute) as a coordinator or presenter.