Sonja Ardoin Named Recipient of Two National Awards: 2019-21 ACPA Emerging Scholar & 2019 Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education KC Outstanding Service to NASPA Award

Dr. Sonja Ardoin, assistant professor of student affairs administration in the Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling in Appalachian State University's Reich College of Education (RCOE), has been named the recipient of two national awards:

  1. 2019-21 American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Emerging Scholar.
  2. 2019 Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education KC Outstanding Service to National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Award

Ardoin earned a Ph.D. in educational research and policy analysis from North Carolina State University, an M.S. in higher education and student affairs from Florida State University, and a B.S. in secondary education from Louisiana State University. She joined the RCOE faculty in 2018.

Ardoin comes to Appalachian from Boston University where she served as a program director and clinical assistant professor of higher education.

Ardoin’s research focuses on four areas:

  1. social class identity in higher education;
  2. college access and success for first-generation college students and students from rural areas;
  3. career preparation and pathways for higher education and student affairs;
  4. student and women's leadership.

Ardoin Named 2019-21 ACPA Emerging Scholar

Ardoin Named 2019-21 ACPA Emerging Scholar

Ardoin has been named a 2019-21 ACPA Emerging Scholar. She will receive the award at the 2019 ACPA annual national conference, which will be held in Boston, Massachusetts in March.

ACPA, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. at the National Center for Higher Education, is the leading comprehensive student affairs association that advances student affairs and engages students for a lifetime of learning and discovery.

The Emerging Scholars Program was implemented by the ACPA Senior Scholars in 1999. The Emerging Scholars Program supports, encourages, and honors early-career individuals who are emerging as contributors to student affairs and higher education scholarship and who are pursuing research initiatives congruent with the mission, interests, and strategic goals of ACPA. Being named an ACPA Emerging Scholar is one of the most prestigious recognitions for early career scholars in the field.

Ardoin is being recognized for her contributions to scholarship, teaching, and service.  She has published two single-authored books in four years and has a co-authored book set for an April 2019 release. Additionally, she has authored multiple book chapters and journal articles, presented over 120 refereed conference presentations, and has had her work featured in media outlets such as NPR, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and The Hechinger Report. Ardoin is also an award-winning teacher and a consistent volunteer with numerous national organizations.

Emerging Scholar participants receive a $3000.00 research grant from ACPA and commit to ongoing engagement in research and scholarship as well as conference attendance. In the first year of the program, Emerging Scholars participate in a half-day research institute prior to the beginning of the ACPA convention. At the ACPA convention during their second year of the program, Emerging Scholars present their research at a dedicated research symposium session. Additionally, participants must choose and complete at least three scholarly leadership commitments by the end of their two-year term.

Through this program, Ardoin will be conducting a new phenomenological research project to explore how and in what ways social class identity and classism show up in and influence higher education and student affairs experiences. She will also serve ACPA in capacities including but not limited to reviewing manuscripts for the Journal of College Student Development, facilitating professional development sessions in person at conferences on online through webinars, and serving as a scholar-in-residence for a commission or coalition group.

Ardoin Named Recipient of the 2019 Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education KC Outstanding Service to NASPA Award

Ardoin Named Recipient of the 2019 Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education KC Outstanding Service to NASPA Award

Ardoin has also been named recipient of the 2019 Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education KC Outstanding Service to NASPA Award. She will receive the award at the 2019 NASPA annual national conference, which will be held in Los Angeles, California in March.

NASPA was founded in 1918 and is one of the leading associations for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. Their work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories.

The award is given annually by NASPA’s Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education Knowledge Community (SCIHE KC) and recognizes a professional within the field for their outstanding dedication to NASPA and/or to the Knowledge Community.

The criteria include:

  • This award is given to a professional in higher education or a student affairs related field who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to the field of student affairs through involvement in professional associations (both local, regional, and national), committees, conferences, and/or graduate program recruitment.
  • Recipient must be an active NASPA member.

Ardoin is being recognized for her specific contributions in co-creating the KC’s Professionals from the Poor and Working Class group within the committee and serving as its co-coordinator for four years and her current role as the KC’s Co-Coordinator for Research. She also serves the broader NASPA organization as an advocacy group member for the Center for First-generation Student Success, a consistent regional and national conference presenter, and an editorial board member for the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, one of the organization’s academic journals.

Sonja Ardoin
Published: Feb 11, 2019 1:24pm

Tags: