YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD NAMED FOR ESTANEK

The Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities has recognized Dr. Sandra Estanek, associate professor of graduate education and leadership at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York by renaming the organization’s Young Alumni Award in her honor.  The Sandra M. Estanek, Ph.D Young Alumni Award is awarded annually by the college or university that hosts the annual ASACCU conference to “an alumnus/alumna for exemplifying the Catholic mission and values of the ASACCU host institution.”  The award has been given since 2001 and will be renamed retroactively.

 The Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities is a professional organization for student affairs professionals who work at Catholic colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The association was founded in 1999 and celebrated its tenth anniversary at its annual conference in July at Siena College in Loudonville, New York.

  Estanek founded ASACCU’s predecessor, the Institute for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges in 1995, and was also one of the founders of ASACCU in 1999. She served nine years as the organization’s executive director, retiring from that office at the July conference.  In 2003, she was named a director emerita by the ASACCU board of directors.

  Estanek is the director of the master’s program in college student personnel administration at Canisius College.  She joined the faculty in 2002 after a 23 year career as a student affairs administrator.  She served for 14 years as vice president for student affairs at two Catholic colleges, Ursuline College in Cleveland, Ohio, and Alvernia College in Reading, Pennsylvania.  She holds a doctorate in leadership in higher education and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in political science.