Live the Legacy

David Ambler

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:06:54 +0000

David Ambler is a native of Indiana and received three degrees from Indiana University: a B.S. in Business Administration; an M.P.A. in Political Science and Public Administration and an Ed.D. in Educational Administration. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves and obtained the rank of Captain. Prior to joining the University of Kansas administration, he served two other universities in their student services programs. He was a member of the Dean of Students staff at Indiana University from 1961 through 1966, specializing in student housing programs.

In 1966 he became Assistant Dean of Men at Kent State University and served in several positions prior to being named Vice President for Student Affairs in August, 1970. His appointment came three months after the tragedy at an anti-war protest at the university which left four students dead and nine seriously wounded. At that time he was one of the youngest persons in his profession to be appointed a senior student affairs officer at a major state university. Dr. Ambler assisted in reopening the University and the effort to restore student, alumni, and the public’s confidence in the University. He was appointed as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Kansas in 1977 and serve in that position until his retirement in August 2002.

He was active in national professional organizations and has been a member of two national journal editorial boards. In 1988-89, he chaired a joint NASPA-ACPA Task Force that produced the report titled “The Recruitment, Preparation and Nurturing of the Student Affairs Professional.” He served a three-year term as President of the NASPA Foundation. In 2000, he was designated a “Pillar of the Profession” by the NASPA Foundation and he received the Fred Turner Award for Outstanding Service to NASPA at its national convention that same year. In 2002, Region IV West of NASPA gave him its Distinguished Service Award.

In 1983, the KU Student Senate selected him to receive their Higher Education Distinguished Service Award and in 1987 he was the first recipient of the CLASS Award established by the Senior Class at KU to honor staff members in the Division of Student Affairs. In 1987 he was recognized by his alma mater, Indiana University, when he received the Robert H. Shaffer Distinguished Alumni Award.

Dr. Ambler has been a Director of Douglas County Bank since 1993. He has served as president of his local rotary and on the Board of Directors of the Lawrence (KS.) Chamber of Commerce and numerous other organizations. He has twice served as Moderator of Plymouth Congregational Church and was a member of the local and state boards of Ecumenical Campus Ministries. From 2004 through 2009, he served on the National Executive Council of the United Church of Christ.

Dr. Ambler is married to Mary Kate Harris Ambler, a graduate of Marshall University and Indiana University. They have two daughters, Laura Jane Pfeifer, a University of Kansas graduate, and Sarah Ann Piper, a graduate of Arizona State University and Emory University. They have four grandchildren.

Margaret J. Barr

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:05:23 +0000

Margaret J. Barr served as Vice President for Student Affairs at Northwestern University from 1992 until she retired in 2000. She currently is professor emeritus in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern, serves as a Senior Fellow for Eduventures, and is a member of the Visiting Committee for the Dean of Student Life at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She has been active in both ACPA and NASPA, having served as president of ACPA and president of the NASPA Foundation Board, and being recognized with some of the associations’ highest honors. Barr was a member of the committee that wrote “A Perspective on Student Affairs” issued on the 50th anniversary of the Student Personnel Point of View. She is the author or editor of: Critical Issues for Student Affairs: Challenge and Opportunities with Arthur Sandeen (2006), An Academic Manager’s Guide to Budgets and Financial Management (2002), A Handbook for Student Affairs Administration (1993), senior editor of the second edition of A Handbook for Student Affairs Administration (2000) with Mary Desler, coeditor of New Futures for Student Affairs with M. Lee Upcraft (1990), Student Services and the Law (1988) and Developing Effective Student Service Programs with L. Keating (1985). In addition, she served as editor-in-chief of the monograph series New Directions for Student Services (1986-1998). She current serves as contributing editor for The Student Affairs Leader. Barr received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the State University College at Buffalo (1961), a master’s degree in college student personnel from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (1963), and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin (1980). She was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany in 1986.

Ronald Beer

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:04:57 +0000

In 1972, Dr. Ron Beer assumed the position of vice chancellor for educational and student services at the University of Nebraska in Omaha, a position he held until 1980. In 1980, he moved to Oklahoma State as vice president for student affairs, where he served until his retirement in 2000.

Notably, Dr. Beer was the executive assistant to the president during the National Guard shootings at Kent State University in 1970 that left four students killed and nine others wounded. Dr. Beer has written and spoken extensively about these experiences and his involvement in the student demonstrations and the tragic aftermath.

Beer has been actively involved at both the regional and national levels within NASPA, served as the chairperson for the National Task Force on Substance-Free Housing, and has been recognized as a Pillar of the Profession by the NASPA Foundation. He also served as president of the Oklahoma College Student Personnel Association, and is involved in a variety of community organizations at leadership levels. He serves on the board of directors for the United Church Board for World Ministries and is vice president of the board of directors for Mozambique Development in Motion, having participated for the past eight years in mission projects in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

Ron and his spouse Cara have traveled to 23 different countries over their 43 years of marriage. Beer was one of the founding members of the Stillwater Habitat for Humanity and held offices in numerous city, state, and national governing boards. He holds degrees from Illinois State University, Michigan State University, and Kent State University.

Judith M. Chambers

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:04:48 +0000

Judith M. Chambers is currently the Special Assistant to the Vice President for University Advancement at the University of the Pacific. Prior to this position, she was Vice President for Student Life at Pacific for 27 years. During her years in Student Affairs, she built a nationally recognized program. She was very active in her professional association at the state and national level. She received the two highest awards given by NASPA for her leadership in the Student Affairs profession. Before coming to Pacific, She worked at the Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, where she was a Dean, taught speech as well as coached debate.

She was the first woman invited to join the then 75-year-old Stockton Rotary Club. Currently, she is a member of the Business Leadership Summit Executive Leadership Committee, and the board of Directors for Stockton Beautiful. Mrs. Chambers is the Vice President of Delta Health Care, the Empress of WHIM and member of KVIE San Joaquin County Advisory Committee.

Judy’s influence extends far beyond Pacific. She was appointed by President’s Ronald Reagan and George Bush, Sr. to serve on the Board of Directors for the Student Loans Marketing Association Board (SALLIE MAE).She was also appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to represent California on the WITCHE Board (Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education). From 1987-1996 she co-chaired the Network of Colleges and Universities Committee to the Elimination of Substance Abuse on College Campuses. She has received several other State Congressional Federal and Academic Appointments.

Doris M. Ching

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:03:54 +0000

Doris Ching served as Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Hawai`i from 1987 until her retirement in 2005. Her prior positions were Assistant to the UH President; Associate Dean of Education; Director of Teacher Corps; associate professor of education; chair, Education and International Division of the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research; and middle school teacher. Her research and training grants brought several million dollars to UH. She received the EdD from Arizona State University and the BEd and MEd from UH. Doris serves on various national and local boards and commissions and was the first woman of color and first Asian/Pacific Islander to be elected president of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and NASPA Foundation. An advocate of all students, Doris implemented various programs to serve the needs of a wide range of students. In her commitment to assure equal rights and benefits for all, Doris continues to mentor men and women professionals and consults in education and strategic planning in higher education in other states. She has received prestigious local and national awards and is active in national and local professional organizations.

Jon C. Dalton

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:03:37 +0000

Dr. Jon C. Dalton is Associate Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Hardee Center for Leadership and Ethics at Florida State University. He served previously as Vice President for Student Affairs at both Florida State University and Northern Illinois University and as Dean of Students at Iowa State University. He founded and currently serves as Co-Editor of the Journal of College and Character. He served as President of NASPA and was designated a Senior Scholar by ACPA. He helped to create the annual Institute on College Student Values at Florida State University which celebrated its 20 anniversary in February, 2010. Jon and Beverly Dalton have two children who live in Chicago and are expecting their first grandchild, Charlie, in May, 2010.

Larry Ebbers

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:03:21 +0000

Larry Ebbers received his B.S. in 1962 and M.S. in 1968, in Agriculture Education and his Ph.D. in Higher Education in 1972. All of his degrees were earned at Iowa State University.

Dr. Ebbers has held a number of positions at Iowa State University. He served as Associate Dean of the College of Education (1996-2000), as Director of RISE (1998-2000), as Department Chair of the Professional Studies Department (1985-1992), as Assistant Dean of the College of Education (1972-1985), and as Assistant Director of Residence (1965-1972). He has also taught high school in Spencer and Iowa Falls, Iowa.

In 1989, he initiated the Leadership Institute for a New Century (LINC) program designed for women and minorities preparing for community college leadership positions, and in 1995, he initiated the Community College Leadership Initiative Consortium (CLIC) focused on providing leadership development for mid-and upper-level administrators in community colleges. In 2004, he was named University Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State University.

He is active in a number of professional organizations. During 1987-88 he served as President of NASPA. He has also served as editor of the NASPA Journal, Program Chair of the 1992 NASPA National Conference, Director of NASPA Research and Program Development and Director of the Richard Stevens Professional Development Institute, and is currently Director of the NASPA National Academy of Executive Leadership and Effectiveness. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges and as member of the American Association of Community Colleges’ Commission on Research. He is also an elected member and Vice Chair of the Board of Regents of Waldorf College (IA).

Dr. Ebbers has received countless awards, including the NASPA Latino Network “Amigo Award” for his work with Latino Students and the Iowa State University’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Professional Practice and Outreach, NASPA’s Robert Shaffer Award for Excellence as a Graduate Faculty Member, and NASPA’s Fred Turner Award for Outstanding Service to the Profession. He has made over 350 presentations to educational groups and has published 60 articles on higher education issues. His recent work includes a co-authored book entitled “The Powerful Potential of Learning Communities.”

Mary McKinney Edmonds

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:02:20 +0000

In 1997, Mary McKinney Edmonds was awarded the title vice provost and dean fro student affairs emerita from Stanford University, where she served for seven years. Prior to Stanford, Edmonds was vice president for student affairs at Bowling Green State University.

Edmonds’ published chapters include Residential Colleges in the Information Age and Academic Integration: Tools for Minority Retention. Her professional papers covers a range of topics, including leadership and cultural competency, African American women making a difference in the academy, the role of technology in residential colleges, academic governance and students as clients, minority student success.

Edmonds has been active in various professional and civic/service organizations, and has consulted throughout the United States and abroad. In 2007, she was named an ACPA Diamond Honoree, and she is the only African American recipient to date of the highest award given by the American Physical Therapy Association, being named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow.

Edmonds earned her undergraduate degree from Spelman College, where she was valedictorian. After earning a post-graduate certificate in physical therapy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, she went on to earn an MS in Health Studies from Case Western Reserve University, where she also received her masters and PhD in sociology, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the University fo Michigan.

Nancy J. Evans

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:01:37 +0000

Nancy J. Evans is a professor of higher education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State University. Her doctoral degree was awarded by the University of Missouri-Columbia in Counseling Psychology. Her teaching areas include Student Development Theory, Campus Environments and Cultures, Social Justice, and LGBT Issues. She has published eight books, including Student Development in College (1st and 2nd ed.), Foundations of Student Affairs Practice, Developing Social Justice Allies, Toward Acceptance: Sexual Orientation Issues on Campus, and Beyond Tolerance: Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals on Campus, along with numerous book chapters and journal articles. Her research and scholarship focuses on social justice in higher education and the impact of the college environment on student development, particularly with regard to the experiences of nondominant populations, especially lesbian, gay, and bisexual students and students with disabilities.

Jane Fried

NASPA — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:01:07 +0000

Jane Fried is a Professor in the Department of Counseling and Family Therapy at Central Connecticut State University where she chairs the master’s degree program in Student Development in Higher Education. Dr. Fried’s scholarship covers the areas of ethics, cultural diversity, spirituality, wisdom and transformative approaches to student learning. She is one of the original authors of Learning Reconsidered, published by NASPA and ACPA in 2004 and a contributing author to Learning Reconsidered 2, published by a group of student affairs associations in 2006. Her major works include Shifting Paradigms in Student Affairs: Culture, Context , Teaching and Learning, published by ACPA in 1995, Understanding Diversity, with Drs. Marsha and Barbara Okun, published by Brooks/Cole in 1999 and Ethics for Today’s Campus, NDSS#77, 1997. She has also authored numerous book chapters including two on ethics and one on spirituality in student affairs. Dr. Fried has served as coordinator of staff training, student development and research in the residence hall system at the University of Connecticut, Director of Housing and Residence Education at the University of Hartford and Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Special Education at Northeastern University. Nationally she has served as the Chair of the Affirmative Action Committee, the Standing Committee on Women and the Ethics Committee of ACPA. She is currently involved with NASPA as a consultant for professional development programs, a member of the NUFP board and is in the process of creating a national dialogue on spirituality, identity and privilege.