THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
PROGRAM IN HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERSHIP
GRADUATE STUDENT &
ALUMNI AWARDS
THE DR. SHARON H. JUSTICE STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARD
FOR MASTER’S STUDENTS
THE DR. BILL LASHER DOCTORAL STUDENT EXCELLENCE
AWARD
FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS
THE DR. V. RAY CARDOZIER ALUMNI EXCELLENCE AWARD
FOR PHEL ALUMNI
GRADUATE STUDENT & ALUMNI AWARDS
The Program in Higher Education Leadership at The University of Texas at Austin invites
applications for three awards that recognize student and alumni excellence. We invite applications
for two prestigious graduate student awards and one alumni award meant to honor academic and
service excellence within our scholarly and professional community.
The Dr. Sharon H. Justice Student Leadership Award and The Dr. Bill Lasher Doctoral Student
Excellence Award will annually recognize outstanding scholarship and professionalism by graduate
students currently in our Program in Higher Education Leadership. A third award, The Dr. V. Ray
Cardozier Alumni Excellence Award, will periodically recognize a graduate of the Program in
Higher Education Leadership.
AWARD DESCRIPTIONS
 The Dr. Sharon H. Justice Student Leadership Award will be awarded annually to an outstanding
master’s student in the College & University Student Personnel Administration concentration. Dr. Justice
has served the University for many years in the capacity of Dean of Students as well as an adjunct
faculty member within our master’s concentration. Her contributions to our University are innumerable,
as she has positively touched the lives of countless undergraduate and graduate students as well as
student affairs professionals across the country. Named to honor her legacy, this award will recognize an
individual who embodies the leadership and service to the program and the University that Dr. Justice
has demonstrated throughout the years.
 The Dr. Bill Lasher Doctoral Student Excellence Award will be awarded annually to an outstanding
doctoral student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership. Dr. Lasher joined the faculty of our
program in the early 1990’s while still serving the University in a variety of administrative leadership
roles. His exemplary legacy as a practitioner and nationally-recognized leader in institutional research
helped to launch the program’s stature. He also served admirably as the program head for over a
decade, ushering a period of great expansion and building up the program to what it is today. To honor
his legacy, this award will recognize a doctoral student who has demonstrated research, academic, and
teaching excellence as well as leadership and service.
 The Dr. V. Ray Cardozier Alumni Excellence Award will be awarded periodically to a graduate from
the Program in Higher Education Leadership. In 1983, Dr. Cardozier joined the Department of
Educational Administration as the first full-time faculty member specializing in higher education
administration. To recognize and honor his important legacy as the de facto founder of our program, we
have established this award to recognize a graduate that has recently demonstrated excellence in
scholarly/professional work. Nominees for this award will be accepted on an ad hoc or periodic basis (no
more than once per year).
For more information about these awards contact Beth Bukoski (bb@austin.utexas.edu).
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Applications for all three awards are due by April 15th.
All applications must be submitted electronically to Dr. Beth Bukoski (bb@austin.utexas.edu).
Award recipients will be recognized on a plaque that will be permanently displayed in the Sanchez
Building, 3rd floor. Awardees will also be recognized at relevant program meetings or convocations
as well as on our program website. There is no remuneration associated with these awards at this
time.
SELECTION CRITERIA – Graduate Student Awards
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All applicants for the two student awards must be currently enrolled and in good standing in the
Program in Higher Education Leadership (master’s or doctoral).
Applicants must demonstrate a high level of engagement in both the Program in Higher
Education Leadership and the University as a whole.
Additional award-specific criteria are listed below.
The Dr. Sharon H. Justice Student Leadership Award
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Applicants must have completed at least 18 credit hours (approximately one year) in the
master’s program (College & University Student Personnel Administration).
Applicants must demonstrate excellence in internships and/or graduate research
assistantships.
Applicants must exhibit academic excellence in and outside of the classroom.
Applicants might also exhibit community involvement, including volunteer work and projects
benefiting our community.
The Dr. Bill Lasher Doctoral Student Excellence Award
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Applicants must have completed all coursework and have passed comprehensive and
qualifying exams.
Applicants must demonstrate excellence in research, publications, and service.
Applicants might also exhibit community involvement, including volunteer work and projects
benefiting the community.
SELECTION CRITERIA – The Dr. V. Ray Cardozier Alumni Excellence Award

All applicants or nominations for the alumni award must be graduates of the Program in
Higher Education Leadership.
APPLICATION FORM
Name:
E-mail Address:
Local Address:
Local Phone Number:
GPA (cumulative while in Graduate School at UT-Austin):
Application or Nomination for (check only one):
The Dr. Sharon H. Justice Student Leadership Award (masters only)
The Dr. Bill Lasher Doctoral Student Excellence Award (doctoral only)
The Dr. V. Ray Cardozier Alumni Excellence Award (alumns only)
Please check all that apply:
Current Master’s student
Current Ph.D. student
Graduate Research Assistant
Teaching Assistant
Graduate Assistant
Graduate Intern
Year:
Year:
One letter of recommendation will be provided by
(required for master’s award applicants)
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Please respond to the following items listed below in short answer form (and attach your
responses in a separate form). The answers to all of these items may not exceed two pages,
combined. Please use 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced with 1” margins. Please
include only experiences since starting your graduate program at UT-Austin.
1.
2.
3.
Describe how your co-curricular involvement, community service (campus- and programbased, as well as external activities), and leadership roles have enriched your
experience during your time as a graduate student at UT-Austin.
How will your experiences as a graduate student help you to fulfill your future career
aspirations?
For doctoral students only:
a. Have you presented at professional/scholarly conferences or published scholarly
works?
b. Describe how these experiences have enhanced your doctoral experiences as an
aspiring scholar and/or practitioner.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION CHECK-LIST
1. Completed Application Form (for student awards only).
2. Personal Statement (for student awards only).
3. CV or resume.
4. Letter of Recommendation/Nomination:
a. For the Dr. Sharon H. Justice Student Leadership Award:
 One letter of recommendation from someone in the community who is familiar
with your work and who is not a faculty member in the Department of
Educational Administration. For the person writing the letter of
recommendation, s/he must express to the committee the scope of nominee’s
merits, leadership, and/or service to the community since starting the
graduate program at UT-Austin.
b. For the Dr. Bill Lasher Doctoral Student Excellence Award
 A letter of recommendation is not needed for doctoral students (but they are
accepted).
c. For the Dr. V. Ray Cardozier Alumni Excellence Award
 A letter of nomination is the only application requirement.
All nomination materials must be submitted via e-mail to
Dr. Beth Bukoski (bb@austin.utexas.edu) by April 15th.
Include “Master’s Award Application,” “Doctoral Award Application,” or “Alumni Award
Nomination” in the subject line. Submissions must be in PDF form or MS Word.