Sandra M. Estanek, PhD, professor of graduate education and leadership at Canisius and director of the College Student Personnel Administration Program, is the recipient of the President’s Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU).
The President’s Distinguished Service Award is given to an individual whose personal service is of exceptional quality to Catholic higher education, someone who has significantly promoted Catholic higher education through public advocacy, and has advanced Catholic higher education through philanthropy or voluntary development activities.
Between 1995 and 1999, Estanek was the founding director of the Institute for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges (ISACC), which then became the Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASACCU). The initiative helped student affairs professionals at Catholic institutions integrate their professional training with the Catholic identity of the institution.
Estanek served as founding executive director for ASACCU. She was later the driving force behind the Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities project, for which she worked with ACCU to secure a grant and lead a retreat to draft the principles. Estanek then co-wrote both the first and second edition of the resulting document, which continues to serve as a gold standard among student affairs professionals at Catholic institutions.
Recognizing her substantive contributions over 20 years, ASACCU retroactively named its Young Alumni Award the Sandra M. Estanek, PhD, Young Alumni Award. It is presented to a recently graduated alumnus or alumna who exemplifies Estanek’s qualities of leadership and service.
Estanek accepted her award at the annual meeting of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities on January 31, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The organization presented awards to three distinguished Catholic scholars and educators.
Submitted by: Marketing and Communication
