ASU-Beebe staff members snag awards at statewide conference
BEEBE — When Catherine Burton attended the Arkansas College Personnel Association Conference in Little Rock in November, she didn’t know she would walk away a winner. The association provides programs, services, opportunities, leadership and guidance to Arkansas higher-education institutions to help develop programs that address statewide needs.
“I won the Dr. Charles W. Donaldson Outstanding New Professional Award,” Burton said. “It’s an award that recognizes outstanding new professionals with less than five years of experience in the student affairs or service field in the state of Arkansas.”
Burton is the student recruitment specialist at Arkansas State University-Beebe.
She is a former student of ASU-Beebe and enjoys spending time on the campus. She said her job varies each day.
“I do a little bit of everything,” she said. “I deal quite a bit with scholarships and recruitment, but I love how excited the [potential students] are when they come to campus.”
Burton takes students on tours around campus and into residence halls, showing them where they can start their higher-education career.
“Those new students — they can go any direction they want,” she said. “Then we have some returning students who are changing their lives around. They have a lot of options.”
Robin Hayes, director of admissions at ASU-Beebe and Burton’s supervisor, said she was thrilled when Burton received the award.
“She was recommended by other professionals around the state of Arkansas,” Hayes said. “She has developed and built an excellent scholarship database that has been very effective in terms of recruitment.”
Before Burton received her award, she said, the presenters described the winner.
“They knew my personal background, and they said, ‘This person has done this and that, and they were a student here,’” she said. “I kept thinking, ‘I think that’s me.’ I was in tears by the time I got up there.
“I was blown away. It was one of only three awards they give out at the conference.”
Burton has been a part of the Arkansas College Personnel Association for three years.
She is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in college student personnel at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
In addition to Burton, Hayes and David Mayes, director of enrollment management at ASU-Beebe, also received conference awards. Hayes was recognized for her exceptional contributions and leadership as ArCPA president. Mayes received the Mossie J. Richmond Jr. Outstanding Leadership Award, which is given to leaders in the student affairs field who have made significant contributions to the association.
Staff writer Lisa Burnett can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or lburnett@arkansasonline.com.