Harry R. Carroll Award Speech 2021

Good afternoon, everyone.  I’m speaking to you from Putney, Vermont,  on the unceded lands of the Abenaki peoples. 

It is my great privilege, on behalf of the Harry Carroll Distinguished Service Award Committee, to announce the recipient of the 2021 Harry Carroll Distinguished Service Award. As I refer to this individual I will avoid gender-linked pronouns as best I can by using the third person plural, and ask your pardon for any offence thereby given.

We stand on the shoulders of Harry and others who imagined and organized a new regional affiliate of the still pretty new NACAC, who encouraged membership and supported colleagues through that membership, who reached out to the many involved in college admission counseling and brought fresh new ideas to NACAC itself. Our 2021 Award recipient is cut from that cloth. 

This person’s sense of service resonates for me with the Harry Carroll I met while writing NEACAC’s history for our 50th anniversary. Centered on supporting colleagues and students, he saw it as vital to encourage the next generation of our profession, and to sustain all of us through the inevitable challenges that beset every profession. And his colleagues attested that there was no one better at this than Harry - whether it was in the normal course of NACAC and NEACAC meetings or over dinner. In his unique down-to-earth approach, Harry set the standard for high expectations in our profession. (It may be rumor, but I heard that when his tenure was up on the Governing Board, they just voted to make him archivist so he'd have to stick around! That resonates, too!)

Our Award recipient came to New England in 1994, determined to continue the learning, professional relationships and networking they enjoyed in their previous NACAC affiliate.  I met this person  at my first AMC in 1996, and have since learned that almost all of us met our honoree at a first AMC or a first National Convention, maybe at the registration table, or serving on the planning committee and guiding confused attendees through the schedule … and presenting at sessions, or working as Assembly delegate, and we would see them everywhere, at the receptions, at Bingo, … one colleague has called our honoree “the welcoming face of NEACAC.”

Mine shouldn’t be the only voice here, so I will weave in comments from other Committee members, and try to so indicate – “I first met this year’s Harry Carroll honoree at a NACAC conference, one of those huge events with seven-to-eight thousand attendees milling about. I remember being struck by the different kinds of people who knew our honoree—from high schools and colleges; from Seattle WA to Washington, DC; even exhibitors and NACAC leaders.”

From another colleague: they “were one of the first people I met when I began my work as a Human Relations Committee member in the late 90s.” 

 Indeed, as yet another colleague tells it, our this person has “always been someone who will work on less glamourous but important work, like Bylaws, like treasury work, like organizational structure, because they seemed to really care about the organization being the strongest it could be.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard them say no.” Member Services Committee, Nominating Committee, Fiscal Oversight Committee, Government Relations Committee, AMC Committee – chair and co-chair  … twice. And 6 years as chair of the Meetings and Conference Committee.

 ‘That and working NACAC assembly, but ALWAYS behind the scenes: counting votes, checking people in, registering people for the conference, checking people into sessions. … volunteering whenever, wherever there is need.” Indeed, there has never been a time in 27 years when this person was not on at least one NEACAC committee, sometimes two, serving, chairing, and sometimes also serving on NACAC committees, and always ready to step up to do whatever was needed.

And mentoring colleagues new to NEACAC and NACAC: one of our colleagues remembers, “I arrived in San Antonio in September 2001 for my very first NACAC amid the aftermath of the tragic 9-11 events not knowing what to expect. In my registration materials was a note asking me to be a substitute delegate.” (Now, many decided against air travel two weeks after 9/11, and NACAC’s Assembly was at risk of not having a quorum. So each delegation was encouraged to find substitute delegates as needed). “I had no clue what that meant but I said yes.  Our Award recipient was assigned to be my mentor and walk me through the process.  I remember them taking the time to explain what we were doing and answer my questions….  clearly dedicated and passionate about the importance of Assembly and the work of NACAC. “Over the years since then I have gotten to know this individual even better as a member and chair of the Human Relations Committee (later IDEA where the honoree has long served) and as Treasurer and Governing Board member where they have served in various capacities.  One of the most faithful and dedicated NEACAC volunteers, their commitment and willingness to give of their time and experience is unmatched.”  to Margaret Addis Memorial Scholars, the Make a Difference Fund. Pivotal in establishing the essay contest. Not only did they chair the AMC essay contest for the first nine years of its existence, but if it looked like a winner might be from a non-member school and therefore ineligible to win, our Award recipient would persuade the school to join NEACAC. And if any student couldn’t come to the NEACAC award ceremony, our honoree decided to take road trips to various high school “award nights” to deliver the NEACAC essay check and certificate in person -- hours of driving to make a five-minute appearance on stage to honor a student essayist. 

One of the commenters I’ve quoted said, “I am ever so aware that this person doesn’t want to draw too much attention to themself  … but when they have contributions to make, we’ll certainly know where they stand and their contributions always bring that sense of institutional history which is vitally important to an organization”.  Last week, another colleague noted, “this person’s wealth of knowledge of the history/archives of NEACAC was always something that I marveled at: regardless of the topic our honoree could always be counted on to provide the historical context.”  On a personal note, when I needed the print-out of a file I couldn’t find while writing NEACAC’s history, this person usually had it and would send it right over – they are indeed NEACAC’s current de facto archivist.

And “when they have contributions to make, we’ll certainly know where they stand “:  Throughout their dedicated service to colleagues and students and to NEACAC and NACAC, runs a passion for racial justice and supporting people of color. They have been a leader in both NEACAC and NACAC in addressing issues of inclusion, diversity, equity and access. In fact, our honoree spent seven years as faculty and presenter at NACAC’s Workshop for Counselors of Color—and then many more years co-directing and/or serving as faculty in Guiding the Way to Inclusion, and she is a charter member of NACAC’s Asian American/Pacific Islander Special Interest Group.

It is a great honor, and an immense pleasure, to announce the name of the recipient of the 2021 Harry Carroll Distinguished Service Award:  Chizu Shiono. おめでとうございます, Chizu!

Joyce Vining Morgan, PhD
Certified Educational Planner, retired
College Counselor, member NEACAC, NACAC
Associate Member International ACAC
co-author, Admission Matters, third and fourth editions