Chester A. Berry Scholar Award
The Chester A. Berry Scholar Award is presented to an individual in recognition of outstanding writing that honors ACUI’s first executive director’s timeless and intellectual contributions in the field of college unions and student activities. The award provides a $400 cash prize to the recipient.
2020 Recipients
Past Recipients
2018: Mara Dahlgren, Indiana University–Bloomington & Alexis Parrill, Princeton University – Rethinking the College Union Story: Exploring College Union History Through Building Dates, Naming, & Construction Trends
2017: Christina Reddick, Florida International University – Servant Leadership Practices among University Student Affairs Leaders: A Survey of Involved Students
2014: Eric Love & Robert Meyer, Indiana University–Bloomington – Influence of Whiteness of College Unions
2013: Kaitlyn Moran, North Carolina State University – Competencies among New Professionals in the Union and Activities Field
2012: Dirk Rodricks, University of Vermont – Towards a more perfect union: Integrating social justice into college unions
2011: Julia Colyar, University at Buffalo & Trish Dillenbeck, Buffalo State College – Women in Leadership
2005: Steven Martin & Joshua Wick, Harford Community College
2003: Amanda Rainey, Indiana University–Bloomington
1999: Dana Lee Haines, Baylor University
1992: Randy Mitchell, James Madison University
1991: Paul Kyllo, Clackamas Community College
1990: Gloria Cahill & Veronica Frisari, Pace University
1989: Katherine Alday & M. Shannon Smith, University of Tennessee–Chattanooga
1986: Jan Carlson & Mendi Spencer, Oklahoma State University
1985: Jan Carlson, Oklahoma State University & Eloy Chavez, University of Minnesota
1983: Jan Carlson, Oklahoma State University
1982: Joseph Euculano, Oakland University
1982: Vincent Leisey, Salisbury University
Criteria
The review process includes, but is not limited to, an assessment of the criteria listed below. The submission must:
- Be 2,000–4,000 words in length, including references and any appendices.
- Be original work, heavily researched, and absent of first-person accounts or opinions.
- Demonstrate a quality of writing sufficient that ACUI could publish it as an article.
- Have significance and relevance to college unions, student activities, and/or the ACUI research agenda.
- Include citations of quality and significant literature.
- Identify suitable implications for practice.
- Result in at least one research-focused article, educational session, or other ACUI resource within 18 months of receiving the award.
Eligibility
Individuals with ACUI membership are eligible for this award.
Submit
Submission materials must include the following:
- Name, institution, and contact information for all contributors.
- One compiled document—that is 2,000–4,000 words in length, including references and any appendices, and that contains no identifying information to ensure a blind review.
- An acknowledgement by that applicant that, if selected, they are committed to contributing at least one research-focused article, educational session, or other ACUI resource within 18 months of receiving the award.
Applications are due December 11.
About Chester A. Berry
Chester A. Berry set a standard marked by his intellectual approach
to the field. This award honors a man whose writings seem to travel
through time; pieces written by Berry are as relevant today as they were
decades years ago. In the 1971 annual conference keynote, “The Union
and the Two Cultures,” Berry wrote, “A union, at least a good one, is
interdisciplinary. Its program should involve whatever is important or
interesting. Its very operation demands the balancing of both the fiscal
and the intellectual budgets. It brings together components that the
community needs to synthesize an approach to living.”
As the director of Rhode Island and Stanford Unions, Berry was a visible leader in the profession—advancing education through conference programs, proceedings, and The Bulletin; authoring Planning A College Union Building and editing College Unions—Year Fifty; and leading the association’s research committee for many years. Serving as the association's president in 1960, his presidential address spoke on setting standards for college unions and union professionals, and almost 20 years later, Berry led ACUI, along with eight other associations, in forming the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS).
Berry also served as the first full-time employee of ACUI, working as executive secretary from 1968–81.
Selection
Submissions will receive electronic notification confirming receipt of materials. A confidential panel of judges will conduct a blind review of the materials to make the selection based on the criteria identified for this specific award. One physical award will be given to the recipient, who will be recognized during the awards ceremony at the annual conference and in subsequent publications.