Awards and Scholarships

Awards and Past Recipients // Award Nomination Information

All nomination and application materials must be submitted by January 15, 2012.

The Awards and Recognition committee invites the SEAHO membership to recognize our region’s best professional and graduate staff members. This is your opportunity to show your appreciation to your peers and colleagues. The following awards will be presented at the annual conference:

Awards

The Humanitarian Recognition Award
This award recognizes an individual or individuals within SEAHO who has/have gone above and beyond the call of duty for a student in crisis by demonstrating physical effort, spiritual commitment, or act of bravery, determination, and courage. The recipients for this recognition must be a member of SEAHO; have two letters of support from a colleague, supervisor, or persons who they supervise, and a letter from the Chief Housing Officer, Dean of Students, or Assistant/Associate/Vice President for Student Affairs showing support.

The Housing and Academic Collaboration Award

The Housing and Academic Collaboration Award was established in 2006 and will be first presented at the annual conference in Savannah, Georgia in 2008! This award is presented to a housing department that currently has programs in place where academic affairs are intentionally involved in on-campus residential communities. The Housing and Academic Collaboration Award recognizes a program and/or community that involve collaboration between Housing and Academic Affairs. The selection criterion is based on the following:

* Providing an outline of academic initiatives and/or ongoing programming
* Providing a description of the academic initiative and academic outcomes
* Providing the results of the academic initiative (i.e., success stories, statistics on academic improvement of residents and retention rates within the residential community and/or the institution)
* The nomination has to include the housing and academic representative of the program

The Charles W. Beene Memorial Award
SEAHO's first major award, created in 1982, the Charles W. Beene Memorial Award is presented annually to the individual judged to have contributed most to the success of SEAHO during the previous year.

The SEAHO Founders Award
The Founders Award gives special recognition to an individual within the Association who, through dedicated service and initiative to SEAHO, has epitomized the work and endeavors of the founders of the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers.  Recipients for the Founders Award must meet the following criteria:

A.  Must have actively served in the SEAHO Region as a housing/residence life professional for at least five years.
B.  Must have served on a minimum of two different SEAHO committees or task forces or been a member of the Governing  Council.
C.  Must have made contributions to SEAHO and the housing/residence life profession that are judged to have been instrumental in furthering the advancement of the organization and the profession it represents.

Each Founders Award nomination should be supported by two letters of recommendation.  Supporting letters of recommendation may not be from the same institution as the person who made the nomination or from the nominee's own institution.

The James C. Grimm Outstanding New Professional Award
This award  is to be presented to a new professional in Housing/Residence Life who is within his/her first three years of professional-level employment and has demonstrated outstanding performance to his/her campus and profession.

The SEAHO Graduate Student of the Year Award
This award gives special recognition to an individual who, through dedicated service to their home institution, has shown dedication to the profession and the students that they serve.  Candidates for the award must be in (at least) their second year of graduate work, and must be employed by the housing department of a SEAHO member institution.

The SEAHO Outstanding Mid-Level Professional Award
This award is presented to a mid-level housing professional who supports and mentors entry level and support staff, works to recruit students and retain colleagues in the field, and creates new strategies for connecting with students and improving the department, while sharing their experiences in the field. This professional is dedicated to working with students, the department or profession. The nominee should be involved in state, regional, or national organizations. Nominees should have served in housing or residence life as a professional for at least 7 years.

The SEAHO Service Award
Each year, each SEAHO member institution may recognize one person from their institution to receive a SEAHO Service Award.  The award offers the institution an opportunity to recognize a staff member who has made a significant contribution to the residence hall students and the housing organization.

The SEAHO PEACE Award (Providing Educational Advocacy for Cultural Excellence)
The PEACE Award (Providing Educational Advocacy for Cultural Excellence) is presented annually at the SEAHO conference to a member of a SEAHO institution to honor and recognize outstanding contributions and service to the SEAHO region through advancement of diversity and multiculturalism. Such advancement can be attributed to advocacy, leadership, mentorship, educational initiatives, and programming. The recipient must have been a member of a SEAHO institution for at least one full academic year and will have demonstrated exceptional service in the areas of diversity and multiculturalism on their home campus and/or to SEAHO. Examples include:
> Encouraging members of underrepresented groups to become involved in the housing profession
> Promoting a greater understanding of diversity issues (racism, ageism, sexism, gay and lesbian concerns, religious differences, persons with disabilities)
> Presenting programs on topics of diversity and/or multiculturalism
> Serving as an ally
> Mentoring members of underrepresented groups
> Mentoring young professionals in the area of diversity education
> Supporting the SEAHO Human Relations Committee

Letters of support from individuals involved in the nominee's work are highly recommended.

Scholarships

SEAHO CONFERENCE FEE WAIVER SCHOLARSHIP
The deadline is January 15, 2012

Program Guidelines

• SEAHO will offer an Annual Conference Fee Waiver Scholarship to up to10 delegates.
• Recipient selection is the responsibility of SEAHO.
• The selection process will be supervised by the Awards and Recognition Committee.
• The Governing Board of SEAHO will establish criteria for eligibility and selection. The criteria are as follows:

Eligibility

1. Eligibility shall be limited to:
   1. New or renewing professionals (first through third years), or
   2. Entry level persons, or
   3. Interns and graduate students
2. Related Conditions:
   1. Ideally, there will be one scholarship recipient per SEAHO state.

Recipients should represent both public and private institutions.

Selection Criteria

Successful candidate(s):

1. Must have shown personal initiative to pursue a career in student affairs and demonstrated competence such as the following:
   1. S/he has sought to broaden his/her own base of professional understanding through participation and involvement in other organizations.
   2. S/he has sought to be a contributing member of the student affairs department by participating in both institutional and departmental committees.
   3. S/he has been an outstanding advisor to both students and student groups.
   4. S/he has sought to broaden his/her own understanding of diverse student needs.
2. Must submit an application to the Awards and Recognition chair by the prescribed deadline. Applications must include:
   1. A letter indicating why he/she is applying.
   2. A current resume.
   3. A one page letter of support from his/her Chief Housing or Student Affairs Officer and/or professor
   4. A completed cover sheet with criteria information.
3. Must be able to attend the annual conference and participate in a Peer Mentor Program.
4. Must be willing to write an account of the conference experience to the SEAHO President following the conclusion of the conference for possible publication.

For more information on awards and recognition please contact the Chair for the Awards and Recognition Committee,   at ( or recognition@seaho.org )