MICHAEL BARRON
IMPACT AWARD
Established in 2014 for Iowa ACAC
OVERVIEW
Award Description
The intended purpose of the Michael Barron Impact Award is to recognize admissions staff whenever and however
they might have impacted the life of a prospective student. The idea is that the recognition be organic, arising from
the student-staff relationship. This award celebrates the good that happens in the day-to-day work that we do in the
name of serving students and impacting their lives.
Requirements & Procedures
 The award is for admission professionals who have directly impacted the life of a student
 A written statement from a student or a parent must be received by the staff member, or a superior, which
addresses how the student’s life was impacted by the staff member
 Nominations shall be informal
 The president of Iowa ACAC or a designee such as the chair of the nominating committee shall collect names of
candidates
 The statement(s) is to be read and the name of the staff member is announced at general membership meetings
of Iowa ACAC—either at the NACAC Annual Conference or at the Iowa ACAC or MIDWest Spring Conference
 More than one person may receive the award each year
 A list of recipients shall be maintained on the Iowa ACAC web site by the Executive Assistant
 The Publications & Marketing Chair shall recognize recipients in the Scenes newsletter which is to include past
recipients
 The president of Iowa ACAC shall send a congratulatory letter to the director of admission at the recipient’s
institution of employment
Background
The award is named after Michael Barron, long-serving Assistant Provost for Enrollment Management & Executive
Director of Admission at The University of Iowa. His tenure at The University of Iowa lasted from 1987 until October
31, 2014. His college admission career at three institutions spanned 45 years; 3 months; 2 weeks; and one day. His
contributions to the Admissions profession and to Iowa ACAC are numerous. Above all, Michael’s career was about
impacting students and empowering his staff and Iowa ACAC to do the same.
According to President Dan Schofield, when establishing the award on September 18, 2014: “Iowa ACAC
establishes the Michael Barron Impact Award in honor of Michael’s tireless efforts in serving students, mentoring
countless individuals in our profession, and for his many contributions to Iowa ACAC. For all this and more, Michael
has the admiration and respect and thanks from all who have known him.
1