"It is a privilege to have the opportunity to serve this campus and its students."
UMass Boston Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Gail DiSabatino has been named this year’s recipient of the Scott Goodnight Award for outstanding performance as a dean/vice president from Region I of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).
“I am humbled to receive this award,” DiSabatino said. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to serve this campus and its students. To be recognized by one’s professional peers for that service is a great honor.”
The Scott Goodnight Award is named in honor of the founding chair of the NASPA Board of Directors and a former dean of men at the University of Wisconsin. It is awarded to a dean or vice president who has demonstrated sustained professional achievement in student affairs work, an innovative response in meeting students’ varied and emerging needs, and effectiveness in developing staff and leadership in campus and community affairs. The recipient is also someone who has earned stature among, and the support of, students, faculty and fellow administrators on campus, and has made significant contributions to the field through publications or involvement in professional associations.
The award was presented on November 19 at the NASPA Region I Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. The Student Affairs executive team assembled the nomination with letters of support from DiSabatino’s colleagues at UMass Dartmouth, Oklahoma State University, and West Chester University. At the ceremony, DiSabatino was recognized for her career-long, mission-driven focus on supporting students from every background and removing barriers to their success and her collaborative leadership style that embraces data-informed decision-making and strategic planning.
Michael Metzger, special assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs, presented the award on behalf of the association.
“This award honors not only Gail as an individual, but the work she is leading at UMass Boston to advance the student experience, which as a campus we are better because of,” Metzger said.