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K-State Today

June 24, 2019

Rubin presented with N4A professional excellence award

Submitted by Patrice Scott

Lisa Rubin, assistant professor of special education, counseling and student affairs, was selected as the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals, or N4A, Region IV recipient of the professional excellence award.

Given annually to one member from each of the association's five regions, the N4A professional excellence award recognizes professionals with six to 15 years in the field who meet the following criteria: N4A involvement at the regional and/or national level; commitment to improving his/her department, often going above and beyond the tasks/responsibilities outlined in their job description; ability to meet their students' needs and address critical issues within athletics and/or the campus community; and viewed as a leader/mentor among his/her colleagues and is well-respected within the industry. Region IV covers Texas to North Dakota.

Awards were presented to members in four categories — professional promise, professional excellence, model practices and research awards — at the association's 2019 N4A convention June 6 in Orlando, Florida. Rubin is a past recipient of the professional promise award at the 2009 national convention.

"Since I joined N4A in 2005, I have grown as a professional and scholar," Rubin said. "Through my involvement in the organization, I am able to give back, mentor young professionals, and advance the student-athlete services field in both research and practice," she said. "I feel like I have lived up to the promise and potential my peers saw in me when I was early in my career."

Rubin has been very active with the association, serving as a conference coordinator, committee chair for both the student-athlete development and research committees, academic integrity assessment consultant and board of directors member.

Nominated by Ryan Westman, assistant director of academic and student-athlete support services at New York University, explained there were many reasons he believed Rubin's contributions stood out.

"Dr. Rubin has made pathways into different journals for practitioners to publish, promoting opportunities for practitioners to have a voice beyond the scope of their daily work in classrooms and academic centers," Westman said. "She is a passionate educator and deserves recognition for holding dear the very core ideals which make our profession great and has made the transition from practitioner, to research-based practitioner, to professor — a rarity in our field."

N4A is a diverse educational service and professional nonprofit organization. Membership of N4A includes academic support and student services personnel who are committed to enhancing opportunities for academic, athletics and personal success for student-athletes.