National Association of Fellowships Advisors Names Inaugural Service Award After Suzanne McCray

Suzanne McCray has received the first service award from the National Association of Fellowships Advisors. The organization also named the new award after Dr. McCray. The inaugural Suzanne McCray Exemplary Service Award recognizes “consistent, substantive contributions to the ongoing growth, stability, and development of NAFA, particularly for those whose work is largely unseen by the general membership, but is crucial to the fabric of the organization.”

Dr. McCray currently serves as an associate professor of higher education in the College of Education and Health Professions and vice provost for enrollment at the University of Arkansas. She has previously held other leadership positions with the university including associate dean of the Honors College and director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards.

“Suzanne is both the namesake and the inaugural winner of this award for very good reason,” said Kyle Mox, associate dean of the Honors College at Arizona State University and immediate past president of NAFA. “None of us would be where we are in this profession without her leadership and service.”

Dr. McCray has been an active member of the NAFA for many years. She served as vice president of the organization from 2001 to 2003 and as president from 2003 to 2005. She was co-chair of NAFA’s ethics committee and ran both the undergraduate and graduate listservs for the association. She also served as editor or co-editor for seven volumes of essays on issues surrounding nationally competitive awards that were published by the University of Arkansas Press and with the association’s imprint.

“I have benefited greatly in my career from being part of the National Association of Fellowships Advisors,” said Dr. McCray. “Meeting with foundations and with talented advisors from across the country who are dedicated to serving students – who will lead the way in their fields – has shaped the work we do in the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards here at the University of Arkansas.”

Dr. McCray holds a bachelor’s degree with high honors and a master’s degree both in English from the University of Arkansas. She earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Tennessee.