NAC&U Presents First Boyer Award to Alexander and Helen Astin
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| Sandy and Lena Astin with their son John. |
The New American Colleges and Universities (NAC&U) consortium presented its first Ernest L. Boyer Award to Alexander “Sandy” and Helen “Lena” Astin at the AAC&U conference on January 27, 2011. At a luncheon following the award ceremony, the Astins discussed their latest collaboration, the book “Cultivating the Spirit: How Colleges Can Enhance Students’ Inner Lives,” based on a national study of students’ spiritual development, which was published this fall. The Astins will be the plenary speakers at the NAC&U Summer Institute, June 22-24, 2011, at North Central College in Naperville, IL.
About Alexander and Helen Astin:
Alexander Astin pioneered a new way of thinking about student learning by suggesting that the more involved students are in both academic and social aspects of the collegiate experience, the more they will learn, a theory that closely mirrors the NAC&U mission. He is the Allan M. Cartter Professor of Higher Education Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles and Founding Director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. Sandy has authored more than 20 books and 300 other publications in the field of higher education, and has been a recipient of awards for outstanding research from more than a dozen national associations and professional societies. He has also been elected to membership in the National Academy of Education, a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, and a recipient of eleven honorary degrees.
Lena Astin, a psychologist, is a Professor Emerita of Higher Education and Senior Scholar at the Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA. She served as the Associate Provost of the College of Letters and Science at UCLA and as Interim Director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Women. She has served on the Board of Governors of the Center for Creative Leadership and on the Board of the National Council for Research on Women. She is a recipient of three honorary degrees and numerous other awards including the Howard Bowen Distinguished Career award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Lena Astin’s work has challenged traditional theories of career development, suggesting that career counselors needed to adapt strategies when working with women, minorities, and those with disabilities. Among her books are Women of Influence, Women of Vision: A Cross-Generational Study of Leaders and Social Change, Human Resources and Higher Education, The Woman Doctorate in America, Higher Education and the Disadvantaged Student, The Higher Education of Women: Essays in Honor of Rosemary Park.
Sandy and Lena Astin have been colleagues at UCLA since 1973 and have collaborated on many research projects. The latest was a national study of students’ spiritual development, which was published in a book, Cultivating the Spirit: How Colleges Can Enhance Students’ Inner Lives, in Fall 2010. |
