¶¶MÅ®ÆÍâs number one priority, as listed in its strategic roadmap, is âstudents first.â President Beverly Warren recently received an award for her efforts reflecting that emphasis.
At an awards banquet in St. Louis, Missouri, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) presented her with the 2016 NASPA Region IV-East award for her outstanding performance as a university president in advancing the quality of student life on campus by supporting student affairs staff and programs.
âPresident Warrenâs students-first focus permeates her efforts to improve the quality of the student experience,â says Shay Davis Little, PhD, ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍâs vice president for student affairs, who coauthored the nomination with a student. In it she highlighted the universityâs campaign to raise graduation and retention rates, the formation of a unified undergraduate student government across all ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ campuses and the creation of a dialogue series, KENTtalks, to promote freedom of expression and civil discourse.
She noted Warrenâs collaborative decision-making and accessibility to students via social media. After receiving a congratulatory tweet (#welldeserved), Warren tweeted back: âIt is a distinct honor to have been selected for this award.â
With Warren as president, thereâs a âchange in the airâ on all ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ campuses, says KSU Undergraduate Student Government president Samuel Graska. âThe culture on campus reflects [her] leadership.â