Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year

                                                       Congratulations to our Hardee Dissertation of the Year Winner and Runner-up!

The NASPA Foundation Hardee Award—named after student affairs and higher education pioneer Dr. Melvene D. Hardee of Florida State University—honors the best emergent scholarship in the field as demonstrated through a completed dissertation, in addition to the mentorship that shapes these scholars and the passion of the newly minted doctoral degree. These are a few hallmarks of quality graduate education. Dr. Hardee, herself, was an advocate for graduate students and graduate education. In 1958, she helped form the Higher Education program at Florida State University, where she stayed the duration of her career, shepherding more than 100 students through the masters and doctoral degree process. In 1988, NASPA was fortunate enough to give Dr. Hardee the Robert H. Schaffer Award in recognition of her continued commitment to the professional growth of students. The student affairs and higher education community was fortunate to have such a strong advocate for the profession.

For over 36 years, the NASPA Foundation has recognized scholars and administrators who have made their mark on the field. The honorees include associate or assistant vice presidents of Research-I institutions, former deans in private intuitions, chancellors, professors, assistant professors, and so on. Our NASPA Hardee honorees also work in community colleges, state education offices, and for university systems. They are a reminder that there is no one way to do student affairs work, but that our objective as scholars and practitioners remains the same: We all work towards the healthy social, emotional, and cognitive development of students. 

The Dissertation of the Year committee reviews all submitted materials in great detail.  The top 3-5 applicants are invited to submit a copy of the dissertation in full which is read and evaluated by the committee.  The committee will select the winner and runner-up based on the top dissertations submitted.