NASPA, the student affairs administrators in higher education organization, has named its Outstanding Allyship Award after Arcadia University president Dr. Ajay Nair. The award honors an individual who has demonstrated a significant commitment to building bridges, coalition, and allyship for the Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi American (APIDA) community in the student affairs profession and higher education.

The first APIKC Ajay Nair Outstanding Allyship Award was presented to Nathan Victoria, senior director of Recruitment, Engagement, and Volunteerism for NASPA, on March 9 at the 2019 NASPA National Conference.

Last March, NASPA honored Dr. Nair with the Dr. Doris Michiko Ching Shattering the Glass Ceiling award, which recognizes a student affairs practitioner who has made an outstanding impact on the Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American community through leadership, service, and scholarship. Dr. Nair was selected for transforming student affairs leadership, facing challenges head-on, and maintaining integrity throughout his career in higher education. As inaugural director of NASPA’s Division for Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice, Dr. Nair developed strategies and professional opportunities to promote equity and inclusion within the student affairs profession.