‘Small but Mighty’ Vassar Earns Campus-Housing Award
For the second year in a row, Vassar has been recognized by the Association of College and University Housing Officers–International (ACUHO-I) for outstanding contributions to the organization and the profession. Current ACUHO-I President Leon McClinton presented the President’s Service Award to the College at the organization’s annual convention on June 27 in Portland, OR.
Luis Inoa, Vassar’s Associate Dean of the College for Residential Life and Wellness, accepted the award on behalf of the College. Inoa won the President’s Individual Award for service to ACUHO-I last year, and he was honored this year as the recipient of the James A. Hurd Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions by a professional of color. Yetty Marquez-Santana, Vassar’s Director of Residential Education, also attended the event. Marquez-Santana currently serves as ACUHO-I’s Director of Inclusion and Equity. Inoa is currently serving as the co-chair for the Future of the Profession, Supporting Mental Health Imperative and is the incoming chair of the Small Colleges and Universities Network.
As he announced the award, McClinton praised Inoa, Marquez-Santana, and others in the Offices of Residential Life for all they had done to earn the honor. He called Vassar “a small but mighty college in the northeast that has become a tried-and-true friend of ACUHO-I by offering the talents of its amazing staff. My thanks go out to Vassar for sharing these talented individuals with us and serving as a model for what an engaged member institution looks like.”
Inoa and Marquez-Santana said they were honored to receive the awards on behalf of the College. “You don’t do this work to earn an award,” Inoa said, “but to be recognized by our peers puts Vassar on the map as a small college that does lots of good work.”
Marquez-Santana called her work with the ACUHO-I “incredibly rewarding; it helps me feel connected to other residential life professionals across the country and around the world.”
About ACUHO-I
The Association of College and University Housing Officers–International provides resources, support, and programming for more than 17,000 residence life professionals on more than 900 campuses on five continents.