Dr. anton ward-zanotto Receives Two National Awards

Dr. anton ward-zanotto with Dr. Tess Barker, ASCA executive director, and Christina Parle, ASCA past president. (Photo by Adam Bacher)

Assistant Dean of Students anton ward-zanotto, PhD, was awarded both the 2024 Dixon-McFadden Award and 2024 Dissertation of the Year during the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) Annual Conference held in Portland, Ore.

The Dixon-McFadden Award recognizes an individual who has been a trailblazer on their campus as it relates to student conduct and has enhanced the lives of students by going above and beyond. Dr. ward-zanotto’s nominator writes of his work enhancing the field, as well as students’ lives, by “creating safe learning spaces that foster an inclusive, supportive environment for students, ensuring they feel heard and know their rights when going through the conduct process” and through his “advocacy for diversity and inclusion by combating oppressive behavior.”

ward-zanotto continues to contribute to the profession and to ASCA through his role as Research Committee Co-Chair and his publications. The Dissertation of the Year Award recognizes a dissertation that makes an exceptional contribution to research on issues directly related to student conduct administration in higher education. ward-zanotto's dissertation, completed at Colorado State University, is titled “Words Matter: How Institutional Disruption Policies Reinforce White Power In Higher Education." 

His work notes that “student conduct exists as the intersection of student development theory, legal compliance and institutional policies,” and that despite literature showing racial disparities in K-12 and criminal systems, there is little research for this in higher ed and usually conduct research focuses on student learning or administrator practices.” This dissertation was selected from many that were reviewed through a rigorous review process.

Held Jan. 31–Feb. 3, the ASCA Conference drew nearly 650 student conduct and student affairs practitioners for a professional development experience.

Since its inception in 1986, ASCA has been at the forefront of supporting campus judicial officers and student conduct practitioners. Learn more at ASCA.