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James Montgomery Outstanding Service Award

This award is given to an individual who has made a significant contribution to SAIR over an extended period of time. Nominees must have been a SAIR member for over five years and cannot be a member of, nor a candidate for, the Board of Directors during the year nominated. In addition, two of the following criteria must be met: (1) have been a member of the Board of Directors or a chair of a conference, or a presidentially appointed committee; (2) have been an officer of, or a recognized leader in, the establishment of a state or special interest group which has been associated with SAIR; (3) have made a professional contribution to SAIR by being actively involved in a combination of the following: (a) presented contributed papers at the SAIR conference; (b) organized, offered, or acted as a primary participant in workshops at the SAIR conference or workshops sponsored by an affiliated SAIR organization or group; (c) contributed in some other specific significant way that has advanced the professionalism of SAIR.

Distinguished Member Award

Distinguished Membership may be awarded to members or former members who have made distinguished contributions to institutional research. This award is a meaningful recognition of significant effort in the field of institutional research. The award is for the lifetime of the individual. (Persons retiring from active service in institutional research may be recognized though the award of emeritus membership rather than distinguished Membership).

A member or former member nominated for Distinguished Membership should meet the following qualifications: (1) has been m active and contributing member of SAIR; (2) has contributed substantially to the field of institutional research over an extended period of time, either in the practice of institutional research or in a supporting role (e.g. faculty, President); (3) has influenced higher education policies and practices through work or research.

Special Recognition Unsung Hero Award

This award recognizes the ongoing contributions of a member to SAIR and the field of institutional research and planning in the broadest sense. This Award honors individuals whose effort and initiative might not otherwise receive public recognition. The types of effort to be considered include management assignments, innovative projects or ideas, development of new initiatives, or other ongoing service to SAIR, other than as an elected officer. [For purposes of this award, "officer" is defined as President, Secretary, or Treasurer.] Officers are excluded in order to encourage initiative in fields other than political office and to ensure that the award does not become an appreciation award for past presidents.

All members of SAIR are eligible to receive the award with the following exceptions: (1) A person who has previously won the ward. (2) Officers of SAIR shall not be eligible for five years after leaving their last officership.

Best Paper Award

From among the papers and presentations made at each SAIR Conference, a Best Paper is selected by a panel of reviewers appointed and chaired by the Member-At-Large responsible for handling awards. A plaque recognizing the SAIR Best Paper Award is presented at the SAIR Conference the following year.

The Best Paper from the SAIR Conference is also scheduled at the AIR Forum following the SAIR Conference in further recognition of the presenter(s), the paper and SAIR. The SAIR Executive Board will provide a $500.00 reimbursement of travel-related expenses to the author or authors of the Best Paper to defray expenses to attend at the AIR Forum. If multiple authors travel to the AIR Forum, the $500.00 reimbursement will be divided equally among them.

Guidelines for the Larry G. Jones Graduate Student Travel Grant

Established in 2005 to honor past SAIR president and executive board member Larry G. Jones, the travel grant will be awarded annually to a deserving graduate student who meets the award criteria outlined below. A total of $500 will be awarded to the successful applicant to defray travel expenses associated with the annual SAIR conference and the conference registration fee will be waived as well.

The applicant for the Larry G. Jones Graduate Student Travel Grant must be currently enrolled as a graduate student at either the master's or PhD level at an accredited institution of higher education. Enrollment must be verified via letter from the registrar of the home institution. The applicant must also have submitted a scholarly paper which has been accepted for presentation at the annual SAIR conference.

Larry G. Jones Graduate Student Travel Award Application Instructions

Applicants must submit the following materials no later than August 31 of the conference year to the SAIR awards chair. For 2006, the materials should be submitted to Sandi Bramblett, Director, Georgia Institute of Technology; Office of Institutional Research and Planning; Lyman Hall, Room 211; Atlanta, GA 30332-0530

1) An abstract of the paper accepted for presentation at the SAIR conference.

2) A statement (3-page maximum) by the applicant, indicating the importance of the research for which the paper was written, the applicant's contribution to the project (including an estimation of the amount of time spent on it), and the relevance of this research experience to the applicant's career plans.

3) A resume that includes any other institutional research-related activities.

4) A letter of reference (3-page maximum) from the graduate student's advisor, indicating the student's intellectual contribution to the project; an estimate of the time the student has spent on the project; an assessment of the independence of the applicant in carrying out the project; an assessment of the applicant's ability to critically analyze relevant literature and communicate effectively (both verbally and in writing); and an assessment of the applicant's future in institutional research or related fields.

5) A sealed letter from the registrar of the home institution verifying the enrollment status of the applicant

6) Contact information including name, mailing address, phone number (s) and e-mail

Judging Criteria

The Awards Committee will use the following criteria to judge the applicant based on the materials submitted for consideration:

50% = The student's contribution to the project (e.g., Was the student first author? To what extent did the student contribute to the completion of the project? Was the student aware of the significance of the project? Did the student work independently?)

25% = The quality of the project (e.g., Did the project appear to address an important question? Did the methods appear appropriate? Did the project appear particularly easy or difficult to conduct?)

25% = The quality of the candidate's statement

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