Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional*

Supporting the Profession Mid-Level Senior Level
Award Type: national

Named for a former Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Hawaii and the first woman of color and first Asian Pacific Islander to be elected Chair of the NASPA Board of Directors (1999-2000) and Chair of the NASPA Foundation Board (2002-2004), this award honors a student affairs professional at the mid-level whose outstanding commitment to the profession includes development of programs that address the needs of students, creation of a campus environment that promotes student learning and development, and support of and active engagement in NASPA.

*Previous to 2015, this award was formerly named the Mid-Level Student Affairs Professional Award.

Nominations have closed for the 2025 Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional. The application for 2026 will open in August 2025.

NOMINATE

2025 Current Recipient

2025 | Andrew Hua

Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional

Interim Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs
University of California-San Diego

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Award Criteria

  • Professional responsibility for the direction, oversight, and/or supervision of one or more student affairs functional areas, and/or one or more professional staff members. Evaluated by number of professional staff or functional areas supervised by nominee.

  • Record of innovative programming that has had an impact on the home campus environment in one or more functional areas of student affairs. Evaluated by illustrations of multiple programs or services in the home campus environment in one or more functional areas.

  • Engagement with NASPA. Evaluated by breadth and depth of engagement across multiple opportunities within NASPA.

  • At least five years of service to the student affairs profession or relevant functional area. All nominees must meet this requirement.

Past Recipients

Jennifer Māhealani Quirk Headshot

2024 | Jennifer Mahealani Ah Sing Quirk

Graduate Professional Access Program Director - Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity
University of Hawaii at Manoa

Headshot photo of Jennifer Alanis

2023 | Jennifer Alanis

Associate Dean of Students & Title IX Coordinator
Claremont Graduate University

2022 | Scott Friedman Headshot

2022 | Scott Friedman

Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional

Dean of Student Engagement
Moraine Valley Community College

2021 | Nicholas Hudson

2021 | Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional Recipient

Director of Student Orientation, Leadership & Engagement
Texas A&M International University

Jeffries Headshot

2020 | Matthew Jeffries

2020 Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional

Director, Gender Identity/Expression and Sexual Orientation Resource Center
Washington State University

2019 | Niki Fjeldal

Director of New Student Transition Programs & University Testing
Indiana State University

2018 | Naddia Cherre Palacios

Director & Care Advocate; Campus Advocacy Resources & Education
University of California - Riverside

2017 | David E. Jones

Director, Paul Robeson Cultural Center
Rutgers University - New Brunswick

2016 | Danielle Kleist

Director of Student Life
Washington State University Tri-Cities

2015 | Michelle Van-Ess Grant

Director - Department of Student Life
SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology

2014 | Stacey Ackerlind

Vice President of Student Affairs
University of Utah

 

2013 | Juan R. Guardia
2012 | Wendy Endress
2011 | Bobby Kunstman
2010 | Jesse Ketterman
2009 | Christine A. Quemuel
2008 | Cedric D. Hackett

2007 | Marlene Kowalski-Braun
2006 | Mimi Benjamin
2005 | Mari Kruger
2004 | Jill Kloppenburg Carr; Wayne Young, Jr
2003 | Les Cook; Kristen Swan
2002 | Daniel H. Stallings