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2025 Award Descriptions

For questions about awards, please direct questions to The Awards Committee at [email protected].

AHEPPP Outstanding Professionals Awards  

  • Outstanding Mentor Award (Mentorship)
  • Friends of Family Award (Professionals outside of the traditional Parent Family Programs/Offices who support families in some way)
  • Exceptional Service Award (Contribution to AHEPPP - volunteers, committees, leadership)
  • Rising Star Award (New or excelling in PFP)
  • Founders’ Award of Excellence (Representing all values)

AHEPPP Programs, Initiatives, and Research of Distinction Awards

  • Excellence in Innovation (Innovative ideas)
  • Something Borrowed, Something New (Borrowed idea implemented well - nominate yourself and the person/institution you borrowed it from - dual-award)
  • Powerful Partnerships (Collaborations)
  • Creative Communication (Innovative communication strategies)
  • Outstanding Contributions to Research and/or Literature (Research/Literature)

Scoring is based on the quality of nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

 AHEPPP Core Values: 

  • Supporting a collaborative environment
  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices

Descriptives of Awards

Outstanding Mentor  

This award honors a higher education professional who has demonstrated exceptional dedication to mentoring and advising within the field, fostering the professional development and growth of others. Mentorship takes many forms, whether through participation in structured programs like the AHEPPP Mentor Program or through informal, organic relationships developed within AHEPPP or their institution. Nominees must have a minimum of three (3) years of experience in the field. This award highlights the vital role of mentorship within both the AHEPPP community and the broader profession, recognizing individuals who exemplify at least three (3) of the following AHEPPP core values:
Supporting a collaborative environment
  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices
Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Outstanding Professional: Exceptional Service

This award honors AHEPPP volunteers who have shown outstanding service to the AHEPPP community. Nominees must have been active members for a minimum of three (3) years. The award emphasizes the significance of service and collaboration both within the AHEPPP community and across the wider field, recognizing individuals who exemplify a strong commitment to many of the following AHEPPP core values:
  • Supporting a collaborative environment
  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices
Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Outstanding Professional: Founders’ Award of Excellence 

The AHEPPP Founders’ Award of Excellence recognizes a professional in the field of parent and family programs who has made a lasting impact on the profession. Nominees must have at least five (5) years of professional experience. This prestigious award honors a leader who demonstrates a deep commitment to the community and the field by embodying all the following AHEPPP core values:
  • Supporting a collaborative environment
  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices
Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Outstanding Professional: Rising Star

The AHEPPP Rising Star Award honors professionals who are showcasing innovative practices and are on a clear path toward becoming future leaders in parent and family engagement. Nominees must have between one (1) and three (3) years of experience in the profession or with AHEPPP. This award highlights the significance of service within the AHEPPP community and the broader profession, recognizing individuals who embody many of the following AHEPPP core values:
  • Supporting a collaborative environment
  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices

Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Outstanding Professional: Friends of Family

The AHEPPP Friends of Family Award recognizes professionals outside the traditional Parent and Family Program model who provide valuable support to families in various capacities. This award highlights the importance of service within the AHEPPP community and the broader profession, honoring individuals who exemplify many of the following AHEPPP core values:

Supporting a collaborative environment

  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices
Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Programs, Initiatives, and Research of Distinction: Excellence in Innovation

The AHEPPP Excellence in Innovation Award honors an individual or team who has introduced innovative programs or initiatives within their institution or the AHEPPP community. This award recognizes a higher education institution and its professional(s) in parent and family programs who have developed and implemented creative initiatives that enhance activities, services, and communication with parents and families of undergraduate students. Examples of such initiatives could include new orientation formats, the use of technology, population-specific programming, and more. The award celebrates the application of the following AHEPPP core values:

  • Supporting a collaborative environment
  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices
Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Programs, Initiatives, and Research of Distinction: Something Borrowed, Something New

The AHEPPP Something Borrowed, Something New Award recognizes an institution that has successfully implemented a program inspired by an idea from another institution. This award celebrates not only the institution that adopted and adapted the program, but also the original institution from which the idea was borrowed. The selection process will consider the following AHEPPP core values:
Supporting a collaborative environment

  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices
Award nominators do not have to officially be part of a parent and family program at their institution; they can come from any office, department, or program from an AHEPPP member
institution nominating program/initiative/research implemented by an AHEPPP member.

Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Programs, Initiatives, and Research of Distinction: Powerful Partnerships

The AHEPPP Powerful Partnerships Award recognizes outstanding collaborations, whether within an institution or between AHEPPP member institutions, which exemplify many of the following AHEPPP core values:
Supporting a collaborative environment

  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices
Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Programs, Initiatives, and Research of Distinction: Creative Communication

The AHEPPP Creative Communication Award honors an AHEPPP institution for its innovative communication strategies, campaigns, and ideas that set a standard for creativity. Eligible communications must have been developed within the past one (1) to three (3) years. This award recognizes an institution that exemplifies the following AHEPPP core values:

  • Supporting a collaborative environment
  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores. 

Programs, Initiatives, and Research of Distinction: Outstanding Contributions to Research and/or Literature

The AHEPPP Outstanding Contributions to Research and/or Literature Award recognizes a professional in the field of parent and family programs who has significantly contributed to the body of knowledge and practices surrounding the engagement of parents and families in higher education. This award honors individuals whose work has advanced the profession and made a lasting impact.

The recipient should have published articles, survey analyses, and/or books or book chapters within the past five (5) years. The work should focus on parent engagement in post-secondary education, particularly as it relates to student development and/or retention, and should align with the following AHEPPP core values:

  • Supporting a collaborative environment
  • Responsible and ethical behavior
  • Leading innovation and ideas for the profession
  • Equity, belonging, and inclusion
  • Fiscal strength and responsibility
  • Continued professional development
  • Research, assessment, and best practices
Scoring is based on the quality of the nominations and those that demonstrate more core values (with high quality), have the potential for higher scores.