Higa Given First Award in her Honor

Jane Higa, Westmont dean of students and vice president for student life, accepted the first Jane Hideko Higa Multicultural Advancement Award from the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD) at its annual conference June 7 in Springfield, Mo. The award, named in Higa’s honor, was created by the ACSD Diversity Task Force to formally recognize individuals doing excellent work in advancing multicultural competency.

“There are few people who have contributed more to ACSD over the years than Jane Higa,” said Brad Lau, ACSD president and vice president for student life at George Fox University. “Jane is someone I have deeply respected and admired for many years as a model of excellence and a person who lives a life worth emulating.”

Higa, who received the prestigious Don L. Boender Award in 1998, has served on the ACSD executive committee as both vice president and president-elect, spoke at numerous conferences, chaired the planning team for the annual conference and currently serves as the chair of the diversity task force. Higa did not know about the task force’s decision to name the award after her nor that she would be the first recipient.

Higa, who has served at Westmont since 1989, has been active in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) as former chair of the Commission of Chief Student Development Officers and as a member of the Racial Harmony Commission. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Westmont in 1973 and a master’s degree from USC.

Started in 1955, ACSD represents more than 200 institutions, integrating faith with the student development profession, as well as to promoting professional growth and opportunities for Christian fellowship and an exchange of ideas.