2026 Annual Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2026 JASPA Awards and nominations are due by January 30, 2026. Every year, JASPA recognizes initiatives and individuals for their hard work and dedication to promoting the Jesuit ideals on our respective campuses. Please take a moment to consider submitting a nomination for the following awards:
Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Academic Partnership
The Ignatian Medal for outstanding academic partnership award is conferred annually in recognition of a program/initiative that demonstrates collaboration or integration of academic and student affairs in support of student success and student learning.
Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Social Justice
Our Ignatian heritage is the living legacy of Ignatius Loyola. It is a rich heritage of faith, seeking God in everyday life; a profound commitment to the [marginalized] and to issues of social responsibility and justice. Ignatius believed that it is imperative to act upon what is learned–to use our values in service to humanity. We are called to make a difference as "persons for others." The Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Social Justice Award is given to annually to a program or initiative that is aimed at or an individual or a group of persons who demonstrates a strong commitment to issues of diversity and social justice in Jesuit higher education.
Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Campus Program or Initiative
The Ignatian Medal for an Outstanding Campus Program or Initiative is the only Ignatian Medal awarded to an institution rather than to an individual person. Student Affairs work uses programs and services as the tools to meet students' needs and to resolve conditions on campus which impede the educational process. The development of such programs and initiatives is a creative process, one which requires a multiplicity of skills and talents. Good programs or initiatives are often shared among campuses, and certain programs or initiatives stand out from all others for their creativity, focus,
adaptability to different campus environments, and for their proven effectiveness.
Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student in Jesuit Student Affairs
The Ignatian Medal for the Outstanding Graduate Student in Jesuit Student Affairs is conferred on individuals who have distinguished themselves in the early years of their careers. A graduate student is defined as a person with two years or less service in Jesuit student affairs work and is enrolled in a graduate program. Ignatian Medal recipients may have brought a strong sense of leadership to their job, or have demonstrated a high level of skill or ability, or have shown an early record of success which stands above the norm. Established the fall of 2012, this award is given annually to a
graduate student who demonstrates a strong commitment to Jesuit Student Affairs.
Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Jesuit Student Affairs
The Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Jesuit Student Affairs Work is conferred on individuals who have made significant, specific accomplishments in the profession. This award thus differs from the Yanitelli Award, which recognizes a person's lifetime of service. Ignatian Medal recipients may have successfully resolved particularly difficult problems or issues, have achieved recognition as a national expert in a particular area of knowledge, or have provided outstanding leadership at the campus or regional level. Established the Spring of 1997, this award is given annually to a professional staff member who embodies the above achievement in Jesuit Student Affairs Work.
Ignatian Medal for Outstanding New Professional in Jesuit Student Affairs
The Ignatian Medal for the Outstanding New Professional in Jesuit Student Affairs is conferred on individuals who have distinguished themselves within the first three years of their careers in higher education. Ignatian Medal recipients may have brought a strong sense of leadership to their job, or have demonstrated a high level of skill or ability, or have shown an early record of success which stands above the norm. Established the Spring of 1997, this award is given annually to a new professional staff member who demonstrated a strong commitment to Jesuit Student Affairs.
The JASPA Scholarship Award recognizes distinguished contributions to scholarship and the literature in the areas of Jesuit and Catholic student affairs work and higher education. Established the Spring of 1997, this award is given annually to a professional staff member who has researched, presented, and/or published works which are innovative, relevant, sustainable, and/or impactful to Jesuit higher education.
Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Service to JASPA
The Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Service to JASPA is conferred on individuals who have truly distinguished themselves by the breadth and depth of service they have given to the Association or the significant influence they have had on JASPA's direction, programs, and services. Established in the Spring of 1997, this award is given annually to a professional staff member who embodies the above commitment to service to JASPA.
Tanya Winegard Lifetime Achievement Award
This award honors an outstanding leader who has made significant contributions to the advancement of Jesuit Student Affairs over their lifetime. The recipient of this award has demonstrated dedication, determination, and courage as they have strived for the magis in supporting students in their journey to be their unique and their genuine selves. This award allows the JASPA community to recognize an individual who has committed their life’s work to the service of their students and Jesuit Student Affairs.
* The Tanya Winegard Lifetime Achievement Award will be selected by the JASPA Executive Board.
The Reverend Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Award
In 1979, the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators (JASPA) initiated an annual award for outstanding service in the area of student life in Jesuit higher education on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The award was named in honor of its first recipient, Reverend Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J., and is JASPA’s most prestigious award.
Fr. Yanitelli was a member of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus. He was born on December 16, 1914. He attended Fordham Prep and entered the Society of Jesus on Sept. 7, 1933 at the Wernersville Novitiate in Pennsylvania. He was ordained on June 20, 1948 by Archbishop Keough of Baltimore in the chapel of Woodstock College in Maryland. He came to Fordham University in 1950 as a teacher of modern languages but soon moved into a vice-presidency. In 1963 he moved over to St. Peter's College in Jersey City and in 1965 became its rector and president. In 1978 he became Chancellor of the College. He was also through much of this period an active member of the Board of the Port Authority of New York. At one time there was even some talk of his running for mayor of Jersey City. In 1980 he became Pastor of St. Ignatius Church on Park Avenue in Manhattan. In 1986 he became the Episcopal Vicar for the East Side of Manhattan and held that office until a few weeks before his death. He died on Jan 2, 1993.
In 1964, Fr. Yanitelli wrote: "There are five philosophical assumptions basic to the whole idea of student personnel work. They are its matrix. They give it life and make it meaningful. The assumptions are these:
- that student personnel work is educational, i.e. intrinsically related to the overall objectives of the institution;
- that student personnel work is intellectual, i.e. oriented to the life of the mind;
- that student personnel work, for want of a better word, is moral, i.e. oriented to the personal uses of freedom with responsibility;
- that student personnel work is social, i.e. oriented to the individual's life as a member of the group; and
- that student personnel work is personal, i.e. both in the sense of the individual's growth as a mature, self-directed person and in the sense that reference to the manner in which the institution involves the student in the educational process and endeavors to attain its objectives."
The Yanitelli Award is given to persons in recognition of outstanding service to student affairs work in Jesuit and Catholic higher education, distinguished by a long-term commitment and support of Jesuit values to the campus, the profession, and the Association. The award recipient is a person who may be fairly characterized as the servant/leader, in the tradition of Fr. Yanitelli. The award is given annually, though it is not necessary to determine a recipient every year.
* The Reverend Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Award will be selected by the JASPA Executive Board.
2025 Award Winners
- Tomodachi Inouye Scholars Program at Loyola University Marymount for earning the 2025 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Academic Partnership.
- Amanda Chavez at Santa Clara University for earning the 2025 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Social Justice.
- Basic Needs Program at Santa Clara University for earning the 2025 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Campus Program or Initiative.
- Hannah Eure from Loyola University Chicago for earning the 2025 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Graduate Student in Jesuit Student Affairs.
- Neal Lipsitz from College of the Holy Cross for earning the 2025 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Jesuit Student Affairs.
- Marcia Wiedefield from Loyola University Maryland for earning the 2025 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Jesuit Student Affairs.
- Heidi Fuentes from Loyola University Maryland the 2025 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding New Professional in Jesuit Student Affairs
- Alvin Mangosing from the University of San Francisco for earning the 2025 JASPA Scholarship Award
- Dr. Lisa Brown Cornelius from John Carroll University for earning the 2025 Outstanding Service to JASPA.
- Dr. Terri Mangione from Loyola Marymount University for earning the 2025 Reverend Victor R. Yanitelli Award.
- Dr. Michele Murray from College of the Holy Cross for earning the 2025 Reverend Victor R. Yanitelli Award.
- Dr. Xavier Cole from Loyola University New Orleans for earning 2025 Tanya Winegard Lifetime Achievement Award
Shout out to Alyse Hudock (JASPA Awards & Recognition Chair) from Boston College for overseeing the awards selection process!
Selection Committee
If you are interested in serving on the selection committee or have questions about the 2026 JASPA awards, please contact Sydney Begoun at srbegoun@loyno.edu (
Questions?
If you have questions about JASPA awards, please contact Sydney Begoun at srbegoun@loyno.edu (