Jackson, Mississippi — Dr. Evelyn Waiwaiole, executive director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE), will be named an International Honorary Member of Phi Theta Kappa during PTK Catalyst 2018, the Society’s annual convention, in Kansas City, Missouri, April 19-21.
This recognition is considered PTK’s highest honor for a non-member. The award is not given every year, but only when the Society identifies an individual who has provided extraordinary support to PTK.
During 100 years of the PTK’s existence, less than 40 recipients have been named. Past recipients include J. Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation; Dr. Walter Bumphus, President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges; and Dr. Douglas W. Foard, former secretary of Phi Beta Kappa.
“Evelyn has earned a place among these visionary leaders,” said PTK President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “Her work involving student engagement, commitment to student success, ongoing leadership in the higher education community, and continued collaboration demonstrate her support of PTK, its members, and its mission.”
Prior to coming to CCCSE, Waiwaiole was the Suanne Davis Roueche National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) director and lecturer in the College of Education at the University of Texas (UT). She has also served as associate director of NISOD, project manager for the MetLife Foundation Initiative on Student Success, college relations coordinator for the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), and policy analyst for the Center for Community College Policy at the Education Commission of the States.
Waiwaiole was recognized as a 2002-2003 Associates Fellow with the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. She has also served on the Education Testing Service National Community College Advisory Committee and the CCSSE National Advisory Board. Waiwaiole has written articles on student success, retention, and persistence and was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate of UT’s Community College Leadership Program.
She earned a doctorate from UT in higher education administration, with a specialization in community college leadership; a master’s in economics from The University of Oklahoma; and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M University.
“It is an honor to be named an honorary member of Phi Theta Kappa,” Waiwaiole said. “PTK does such extraordinarily good work, representing so many students at our nation’s community colleges. I am privileged to be named a member.”