National student affairs award named after UH West Oʻahu Interim Chancellor Ching

University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu
Contact:
Leila Wai Shimokawa, (808) 689-2603
Director of Communications, Communications Department
Posted: Feb 3, 2016

Dr. Doris Ching
Dr. Doris Ching

KAPOLEI --- NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, named one of its annual awards after University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu Interim Chancellor Doris Ching.

The Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional award “honors a student affairs professional at the mid-level, senior-level, or associate vice president-level whose outstanding commitment to the profession includes development of programs that address the needs of students, creation of a campus environment that promotes student learning and development, and support of and active engagement in NASPA.”

“Doris Ching was one of few individuals to hold both the role of NASPA board chair and the NASPA Foundation board chair. When looking to rename the Mid-Level award, one that acknowledges the future leaders of our profession, no better person embodies this than Dr. Ching, who focused much of her tenure in the field mentoring and creating opportunities for all professionals,” NASPA President Kevin Kruger said. “Dr. Ching was also the first woman of color to serve as board chair of NASPA, and has had a lifetime commitment to equity and inclusion within higher education. The NASPA board felt it was only fitting to name the mid-level professional award in her honor.”

Ching, who took over as interim chancellor at UH West Oʻahu on Jan. 1, is a former vice president for student affairs at the University of Hawaiʻi and the first woman of color and first Asian American Pacific Islander to be elected chair of the NASPA board of directors (1999-2000) and chair of the NASPA foundation board (2002-2004).

Previously known as the Mid-Level Student Affairs Professional Award, the Doris Michiko Ching award was recently renamed for Ching, and is handed out annually at NASPA’s annual conference.

Established in 1976, the University of Hawaiʻi - West O‘ahu is an indigenous-serving institution that offers quality education, small class sizes, and personalized attention. UH West O‘ahu has the newest bachelor's degree-granting campus in the University of Hawaiʻi System, serving approximately 2,700 students with academic programs that emphasize interdisciplinary and cross-cultural studies. UH West Oʻahu commemorates its 40th anniversary in 2016. For more information, visit www.uhwo.hawaii.edu, call (808) 689-2800 or toll-free (866) 299-8656. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.  

NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. It has 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and eight U.S. territories. For more information, visit www.naspa.org.