Meet the Pillars: Maureen Keefe and John Wesley Lowery
Supporting the Profession
May 5, 2020
Each year, the NASPA Foundation recognizes a series of distinguished individuals who have served as leaders, teachers, and scholars in student affairs and higher education. The Pillar of the Profession Award honors members of the profession who have provided significant service to NASPA through regional and/or national leadership role, created a lasting impact on the institutions and organizations at which they have worked, leaving a legacy of extraordinary service recognized by a cross-section of stakeholders, and demonstrated sustained, lifetime professional distinction in the field of student affairs and/or higher education. Each individual is nominated and supported for designation as a Pillar by colleagues, students, friends, or others who find them deserving of this honor.
Maureen Keefe
Vice President of Student Development, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
“Maureen is a maker of the highest order, committed to building a climate of learning on her campus that first and foremost, respects differences, and to executing institutional change. She constructs strong partnerships with her academic colleagues. She is open to sharing the struggles of leadership, the anxieties that come with difficult decision-making, and the pressures of doing the right thing. For that, as her collaborators, we are most grateful.”
– Felice Dublon, Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs, School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Helen Matusow-Ayres, Vice President for Student Affairs, Pratt Institute
John Wesley Lowery
Professor and Department Chair, SAHE, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
“John’s national reputation as an expert in the area of legal and legislative issues and student affairs is indisputable, and he is regarded as one of the leading authorities on these topics. His scholarship relates to some of the most pressing issues and challenges found in working with college students and government policy makers.”
– Mimi Benjamin, Associate Professor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
If selected as a Pillar, the nominator and an assigned Foundation Board member will raise $3,500 in the name of the individual being nominated to further research and scholarship in student affairs. If you are in a position to consider, a gift to the NASPA Foundation in honor of a 2020 Pillar of the Profession will empower new outreach and expanded opportunities to support the field as we navigate unprecedented times in higher ed.