Committee Chair: Susan Twombly, Professor Emerita, University of Kansas, stwombly@ku.edu 

Committee Members:
Sarah L. Rodriguez, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Jerlando Jackson, Michigan State University
Anna Ortiz, California State University, Long Beach
Frankie Santos Laanan, University of Utah

Call for Award Nominations

This award is a special honor our division bestows on one of our most esteemed colleagues. The primary purpose of the award is to recognize and reward an individual who demonstrates an outstanding record of scholarly research in our field. While not intended as a “retirement award”, the focus is on experienced faculty, both associate and full professors, who demonstrate an unusually high level of accomplishment. They are recognized scholars whose published research has made an outstanding contribution to knowledge and understanding in the field of higher education. 

Nominations should provide a detailed description and explanation of the nature and quality of the contribution, a current CV,  as well as two noteworthy publications that typify the impact the nominated scholar has made both in terms of contribution to the literature and its impact on the field and practice.

2025 Award Nomination Deadline: January 20, 2025

Please address questions and send nominations to Susan Twombly, Awards Committee Chair, at stwombly@ku.edu. 

The Division J Exemplary Award Committee is always considering new members. For more information, please contact Susan Twombly.

Previous award winners:

2024: Adrianna Kezar, University of Southern California

2023: Shaun Harper, University of Southern California

2022: Laura W. Perna, University of Pennsylvania

2021: Patricia M. McDonough, University of California-Los Angeles

2020: Patricia M. King, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

2019: John S. Levin, University of California, Riverside

2018: Estela Bensimon, University of Southern California

2015: Sylvia Hurtado, University of California, Los Angeles

2014: Ann Austin, Michigan State University

2013: Daryl G. Smith, Claremont Graduate University

2012: Tom Bailey, Teachers College

2011: William Tierney, University of Southern California

2010: Anna Neumann, Teachers College

2009: Barbara K. Townsend, University of Missouri

2008: George Kuh, Indiana University and Jack Schuster, Claremont Graduate University 

2007:­ John Thelin, Professor, University of Kentucky

2006: Patricia Gumport, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Professor, Stanford University

2004: James Fairweather, Professor, Michigan State University