EMU Today

The American College Personnel Association (ACPA) awarded

EMU Honors College Assistant Director and doctoral student Nick Malendowski two different awards at a conference in February. The Colleen Lindsay-Bailey Outstanding Service Award was awarded by their Michigan chapter while the Outstanding Social Justice Award was awarded by the ACPA Commission for Social Justice Education.

ACPA focuses on networking, research, and professional growth for college education professionals. The organization aims to bolster student success by providing professional development opportunities for members.

Malendowski received the Social Justice Education Award, which recognizes creative initiative in a collaborative partnership that addresses an issue of social justice in a progressive and positive manner, for his collaboration between the EMU Honors College and the LGBT Resource Center in hosting the annual Queer Talks program. Queer Talks creates a space on campus for the LGBTQ+ community and builds community by increasing awareness of issues within the LGBTQ+ community.

“I would have loved an event like this when I was an undergrad. I’m happy to provide this space for students to lean into their queer identity or learn more about the community,” said Malendowski.

The Colleen Lindsay-Bailey Outstanding Service Award honors Malendowski’s overall contributions to the ACPA organization. After joining the organization in 2021, Malendowski began taking on leadership roles. He currently serves as coordinator for special events with the Graduate Students and New Professionals Community of Practice and as the member-at-large with ACPA-Michigan.

“Being involved in ACPA allows me to connect with a range of professionals from around the country,” said Malendowski. “I am proud to receive this award because it shows that others value my contributions. I’m extremely grateful for the community I’m in.”

In addition to his work in The Honors College, Malendowski is pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership at EMU. His research interests include the experiences of first-generation college students, LGBTQ+ students, and the effect of honors education.

To learn more about the ACPA, visit https://myacpa.org/.