Dr. Frank Lamas, vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Fresno State, will receive the APLU Council on Student Affairs’ (CSA) inaugural Outstanding Senior Student Affairs Professional Award. The award recognizes a demonstrated record of excellence as a scholar-practitioner, leadership in professional organizations and distinctive contributions to the profession.
The award will be presented at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Annual Meeting Nov. 10 to 12 in San Diego. APLU is a research, policy and advocacy organization of 240 members dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Lamas’ tenure at Fresno State has included the launch of a student Money Management Center, the Fresno State Student Cupboard and a Dream Success Center. As co-chair of the University’s Student Success Team, he has also worked to address remedial education, class availability, advising and student employment. Members of the awards committee also noted Lamas’ significant contributions to the field of student affairs and higher education.
“We are so excited to be awarding the first-ever CSA Award to Dr. Lamas, who has demonstrated an incredible passion for students’ development and success,” said Travis York, assistant vice president of academic and student affairs at APLU. “The CSA Executive Committee began working two years ago to develop three new awards aimed at recognizing the incredible contributions that APLU’s senior student affairs officers make on their campuses, their communities and the profession. What makes these awards so special is that they are generated from among professionals in the field.”
Prior to joining Fresno State, Lamas served as vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Texas at Arlington for a decade. In that position, he expanded the Division of Student Affairs to better address student needs. This expansion included a leadership program, a relationship and sexual violence prevention program and a center for community service learning, among other programs. He also prioritized diversity, increasing the number of staff from underrepresented backgrounds by 30% in his division.
