Research Achievement Award

Nomination Evaluation Criteria

When reviewing nominations, the awards committee will make decisions based on the following preferred and demonstrated attributes:

1. A body of scholarly work that changed the study of higher education in an important way;

2. Use of the body of scholarship by others in the field;

3. Use of sound and/or innovative methodology;

4. Research accounts for systemic power and privilege.

Awards Timeline

• Early May: Awards Nominations Open

• June 30, 2025, 12:00pm Mountain/Denver Time: Awards Nominations close

• July-September: Committee review of nominations

• Late September: Notification to nominators of committee decisions

• Mid-October: Association-wide announcement of recipients

• November: Awards Ceremony during ASHE 2025 Annual Conference

Due to the number of submissions and the review process, no late submissions will be accepted; as such, nominators are encouraged to submit their nominations well in advance of this deadline. 

Nomination Requirements

To submit a nomination you will need:

• Name, Title, Position, Institution, Email, and Phone Number of Coordinating Nominator

• Name, Title, Position, Institution, Email, and Phone Number of Nominee

• A nomination statement up to 750 words that demonstrates the nominee's match to the award evaluation criteria. This should not be a nomination or support letter, but a summary of the nominee's qualifications for this specific award.

• 2-3 letters of support. For upload into the nomination form, these should be combined into one document, preferably a pdf.

• The nominee's CV.

Due to the increased number of nominations received in recent years, each nominee will be limited to one nomination. In the event multiple nominations are submitted, the committee chair will notify the coordinating nominators requesting they consolidate their nominations.

The coordinating nominator, as well as the award nominee(s) (and subsequently recipient(s)), must be current members of ASHE.

Questions about the award process can be sent to awards@ashe.ws.

Past Recipients

2024: Laura W. Perna

2022: Shaun Harper (YouTube Link)

2020: Mitchell J. Chang (YouTube Link)

2019: Anna Neumann (YouTube Link)

2018: Ann E. Austin (YouTube Link)

2017: Adrianna Kezar (YouTube Link)

2016: John M. Braxton

2015: Michael B. Paulsen

2014: Simon Marginson

2013: Estela Mara Bensimon

2012: Amaury Nora

2011: John R. Thelin

2010: Edward P. St. John

2009: Jerome Karabel

2008: John H. Schuh

2007: Marcia Baxter-Magolda

2006: Frances Stage

2005: Arthur M. Cohen

2004: Judith Glazer-Raymo

2003: Michael T. Nettles

2002: David W. Leslie

2001: John C. Smart

2000: George Kuh

1999: Vincent Tinto

1998: Sheila Slaughter

1997: William Tierney

1996: Kenneth A. Feldman

1995: Larry L. Leslie

1994: Michael A. Olivas

1993: Yvonna S. Lincoln

1992: Joan Stark

1991: Ernest Pascarella & Patrick Terenzini

1990: Robert Birnbaum

1989: Jack Schuster

1988: Robert Blackburn & Howard Bowen

1987: Alexander W. Astin

1985: Burton Clark