Commission for Commuter Students and Adult Learners Awards Archive

Awards Archives

2014 Award Recipients

Outstanding Commuter Program

Commuter Pods - University of Pittsburg

Outstanding Collaboration

Non-Traditional Orientation, Day 2 - Stony Brook University 

Outstanding Undergraduate Adult Learner Program

Non-Traditional Students Week - Stony Brook University

Commuter/Undergraduate Adult Learner Perspective by a Professional

Emily Resnick

2012 Award Recipients

To read more about these award winning programs and individuals, read the 2012 Pre-Convention Newsletter.

Outstanding Commuter Program

Arizona State University - Community Liaison Program

Outstanding Adult Learner Program

Arizona State University - Cap & Gown Sustainability Service

Outstanding Collaboration

Arizona State University - Adopt an ASU Family Program

Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional

Lisa McGuire, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student

Robert Jason Cottrell, North Carolina Central University

2011 Award Recipients

Outstanding Commuter Program Award

Commuter Connection - Bowling Green State University

Outstanding Collarboration Award

On Your Own - Get the Keys to Living Off-Campus - University of Arkansas

Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional Award

Jami Campbell - University of South Carolina

2010 Award Recipients

Outstanding Commuter Program

Outstanding Adult Learner Program

Outstanding Collaboration

Perspective By A Student

Perspective By A Student Affairs Professional

2010 Award Nominees

Commuter-Resident Partnership Program
University of St. Thomas

For several years, the University of St. Thomas Commuter Center & Off-Campus Services, in collaboration with Residence Life, has operated the Commuter-Resident Partnership Program (CRPP), which pairs incoming first-year commuter students with a residence hall floor. These first-year commuters becoming honorary members of the floor's residential community through their participation in the program. As participants CRPP commuters are invited to all of the floor's events, receive all relevant e-mails from the Resident Advisor (RA) of the floor, and are provided with building access to the floor so that they can come and go from the community with ease.

Additionally, the RAs leading these floors are provided with additional training and supervision by the Commuter Center & Off-Campus Services Area Manager to ensure that they are conscientious of the needs and challenges of commuter students. This includes ensuring that the CRPP RAs are aware of scheduling challenges when planning programs, develop multiple methods for communicating with participating commuter students, and develop an awareness of the unique character of our first-year commuter population. CRPP RAs receive an additional stipend for their work with this program. Most CRPP participants indicate that the main reasons they enroll in the program are for more connections to St. Thomas and other first-year students. This program specifically targets first-year commuters as our institutional research has shown that they are a population at risk for low retention (while commuters represent a majority of our undergraduate population, they are only about 10% of the first-year population). This program is an effort to increase the possibility for these students to make connections to their peers and the institution.

Evening Weekend and Project Graduate Program
University of Kentucky

The Director of the Adult Student Services Office and Evening and Weekend is Ms. Cecile McKinney. She along with her assistant, Mr. Jerry Price have been instrumental in creating, implementing and promoting UK‘s Adult Student Services office. There have been several mission critical initiatives that have garnered great respect and awareness not only across the campus but also at the state level through the Council on Postsecondary Education. One example is ―Project Graduate‖ targeting students who left the University without completing their degrees. Through the excellent collaboration with Cecile and Jerry, many adult students have been able to reconnect with

their academic colleges and advisors to complete their degrees. With the University of Kentucky mission to provide outreach and service to students – especially the adult learner, the attached press releases demonstrates this commitment. As individuals across the country are faced with many challenges related to the current economy, there has never been a more important time to serve our adult learners. Our goal, has been to provide streamlined services related to admission, registration, advising….all leading to graduation

Neighborhood Walkthrough
University of St. Thomas

Each year during the first week of class, the University of St. Thomas Undergraduate Student Government (USG), the University Relations Neighbor Liaison and the Commuter Center & Off-Campus Services work together to produce materials for our Neighborhood Students (students living in the immediate residential area surrounding the St. Paul campus) and then distribute them door to door to the students. These addresses are identified by the University Liaison, the volunteers solicited and coordinated by USG and the Commuter Center and the materials are developed by the Commuter Center with valuable input from the USG and Neighbor Liaison.

This past year, the materials produced and distributed shifted to a much more peer-to-peer message regarding living in the neighborhood, acting as a responsible citizen and neighbor, engaging with your neighbors and community, and making responsible choices. The materials also contained information about how to sign up for services like recycling in the neighborhood, as well as highlighted the resources and services provide by the university for neighborhood students. These services included the Commuter Center, Free Legal Advice, Renter's Education Efforts, and Off-Campus Housing Listings, to name a few.

This year over a dozen volunteers distributed materials to over 200 student properties. Additional materials are provided to students in the Commuter Center as needed. These volunteers included USG members, Commuter Advisors as well as other students simply volunteering their time and effort who were recruited by the offices involved. It's success was entirely dependent on effective collaboration between the offices involved, and it continues to be successful year after year.

Ms. Susan Li
State University of New York at New Paltz

Ms. Susan Li entered as a transfer student coming from a community college in fall 2008. A supervisor at that college gave Susan her highest recommendation, and our development office luckily forwarded her on to me to look for a part-time job. After I hired her as a research assistant for my project, "Transfer Student Self-Reliance and Its Relationship to Adjustment and Academic Performance in the Millennial Transfer Student", and as a result of her own experiences, Susan saw the need for improving campus resources for all commuter and transfer students. She rekindled and is President of the Off Campus Student Union, creating a newsletter, a Face book Fan page, weekly text messages, and off-campus student socials. Due to the fact that we have no on-campus housing for transfer students, Susan helped me transform what was previously a "Q & A Pocket Guide" into a comprehensive Transfer Planner which was distributed to 1,000 transfer students last year. She also was hired to work with the graduate assistant in the office of Student Activities and Union Services, and promoted "Off Campus Student Appreciation Days", going into parking lots in the cold early mornings to give out free hot chocolate, hot cider, tea, coffee and cider donuts. Under her leadership, for the first time, the Off-Campus Student Union was invited to enter a team and participate in "Spirit Weekend" with the Residence Hall Student Association. The team won 2nd place for their Banner, 2nd place in the fundraiser 'penny wars', donating funds to "School Tools", a not-for-profit organization for students in need, and 3rd place for photo scavenger hunt. Susan organized an "Ask the Advisor" session with the office of Academic Advising; and is enthusiastic about an upcoming Veteran's Day letter writing campaign next week which is dedicated to veterans and soldiers serving overseas. In summary, Susan's dedication to the commuter student has built a foundation on our campus will continue to serve transfer and commuter students for years to come.

Jeannette M Passmore
Owens Community College

I started the NTSAOnline website (www.ntsaonline.com) with the goal of developing a comprehensive resource for student affairs professionals working with nontraditional students. The site has languished since May of 2009 but is now being refurbished with a new vision. It is impossible for one person to develop a comprehensive guide for such a diverse functional area within student affairs, especially one that works with an equally diverse student population. As the site is renovated the mission will be to provide as much knowledge as possible, but more importantly to provide a place to make connections to other professionals and organizations. Ideally other professionals will begin to contribute to the site and it will become a place for sharing information, best practices, and creating a professional and social network of resources.

2009 Award Winners

Outstanding Commuter Program Award
"Be a Good Neighbor" – Arizona State University

Outstanding Adult Learner Program Award
"Lessons Learned" - University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Outstanding Collaboration
"The Pursuit of Happyness" - Pima Community College

Perspective By a Student
"Student Services for Adult Learners" - Bowling Green State University
 

Award Recipients 2007-2008

Outstanding Adult-Learner Program
The American System of Education, Miami Dade College

Outstanding Commuter Program
The “Commuter Car Show”, Drexel University

Outstanding Collaboration
The NET Program, Texas Woman’s University

Commuter/Adult Leaner Perspective by a Student Development Professional
Dr. Timothy Gordon, Northwestern University

Commuter/Adult Leaner Perspective by a Student Development Professional
Angela Jackson, Longwood University

Commuter/Adult Leaner Perspective by a Student
Stacey Rose, Drexel University

Award Recipients 2006-2007

Outstanding Collaboration
3W – Third Wednesday Events, University of South Florida Lakeland. 
The Rental World Video, Colorado State University.
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Professional 
Jim R. Hintz, Ohio University.
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student
Laura Stierman, University of St. Thomas.
Outstanding Adult Learner Program
Non-Traditional Student Leadership Award, University of Arkansas – Fayetteville.
Adult Learner Focus of the College Student Personnel Program, Bowling Green State University.

Award Recipients 2005-2006

Outstanding Public Relations Program Recipient:
Signing Off: a Legacy, University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Outstanding Adult Learner Program
Adult Student Peer to Peer Advice, University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Outstanding Commuter Program
Commuter 3 Weeks: Shakin' Off the Summer and Transfer 6 Weeks: Makin' the Switch" calendars, Drexel University.
Outstanding Student Affairs-Faculty Collaboration Award
The College of General Students Partnership for Student Academic Success, University of Pittsburgh.
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional (5 plus years)
Joseph M. Watson, Ph.D., Columbia-Greene Community College.
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student
Tiffany Murdock, University of North Carolina Wilmington.
 

Award Recipients 2004-2005

Outstanding Public Relations Program
"O.A.S.I.S. Coffee Cart and Lounge," Friends University.
Outstanding Adult Learner Program
"Get Set Saturday," the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Outstanding Commuter Program
"Party Packs Program," Colorado State University.
Outstanding Student Affairs-Faculty Collaboration Award
"Kids Come to College Day," Clarion University.
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional (5 plus years)
Victoria Svoboda, Associate Dean of Students, University of St. Thomas,
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional (less than 5 years)
Runner Up: Jason Pontius, Coordinator of Graduate Student Involvement, University of Maryland

Award Recipients 2003-2004

Outstanding Public Relations Program
"RA/CA Selection: Revolutionized for 2004"
Outstanding Adult Learner Program
Program in Celebration of National Nontraditional Student Week, University of Pittsburgh
Outstanding Commuter Program
"Community Development Assistant Program", University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Outstanding Student Affairs-Faculty Collaboration Award
"Monroe Community College, Liberal Arts Mentor Program" Monroe Community College
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional (5 plus years)
Ellen Morrison & Mary Garafalo Columbia-Greene Community College
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional (less than 5 years)
Dana McKoy, Coordinator of Commuter and Non-Traditional Student Service University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student
Jennifer Gunhus, University of St. Thomas
Outstanding Service to Commission
Kenneth J Rockensies, Ed.D., Dean of Students, Barry University

Award Recipients 2002-2003
 

Outstanding Public Relations Program
Jennifer Kingsley, "Commuter Publicity"
Outstanding Commuter Program
Ann Wilson, "Commuter Assistants Program"
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional (more than 5 years professional experience)
Leslie Perkins
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student
Tabatha Wells

Award Recipients 2001- 2002

Outstanding Public Relations Program:
"Bee A Good Neighbor" Risa Bierman, Texas A&M University
Outstanding Adult Learner Program:
"No Limits to Learning: Celebrating Non-Traditional Students at Colorado State University"
Portia O. Bacor, Colorado State University
Outstanding Commuter Program:
"New Student Week: Commuter Connection Days"
Ann Wilson, Drexel University
Outstanding Student Affairs - Faculty Collaboration Award:
Discovery Program
Geoff Harter, Debbie Levesque, Patty Munsch, Pace University
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student Development Professional (less than 5 years professional experience)
Ann Wilson, Drexel University
Commuter/Adult Learner Perspective by a Student
Garrett Rosas, Wright State University