BGSU student affairs leaders receive prestigious awards

BGSU was spotlighted at the Ohio Association of Student Personnel Administrators/Ohio College Personnel Association joint conference earlier this month.

Dr. Edward Whipple, vice president for student affairs, was honored twice, receiving both the OASPA Gerald L. Saddlemire Leadership and the OCPA Gerald L. Saddlemire Mentor awards, named after a former BGSU student affairs administrator.

The leadership award is presented annually to an individual who has significant experience and involvement in the field of higher education and student affairs; has demonstrated consistent involvement at the state, regional or national level; has contributed to the profession through the development and mentoring of new professionals, and who has exemplified a commitment to the students on his or her campus. Whipple is a past president of OASPA.

The mentor award is presented to a student personnel professional who embodies and advances the true spirit and ideals of Dr. Saddlemire, who was known as an effective administrator, a true scholar and educator. He was a mentor who accepted each person as a unique individual and believed that the ability and potential of men and women is the profession's greatest asset.

Mary Ann Begley, a doctoral graduate assistant in Whipple’s office, won the OCPA Graduate Student of the Year Award, which is given to a deserving Ohio graduate student who possesses unlimited energies and dedication in creating the future direction of the field of student personnel.

Also, Dr. Wanda Overland, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, began her term as the 2005 OASPA president. In addition to her many other tasks at Bowling Green, she finds time to advise BGSU’s Mortar Board National Honor Society, the Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate Student Senate.