The Department of Student Affairs in Higher Education is pleased to announce Lindsay Aurand as the recipient of the Nancy Newkerk Scholarship for 2023. 

Lindsay Aurand, left, with SAHE faculty member Mimi Benjamin

Lindsay, a second-year student in the Student Affairs in Higher Education program who earned a bachelor of science degree in biology education from IUP, serves as a graduate director in the IUP Housing Office. She also serves as the advisor to the Residence Hall Council and Rho Alpha Sigma, the National Honorary Society for Resident Assistants, and has supported students through her work as a mock interviewer with IUP’s Career and Professional Development Center.

One of Lindsay’s nominators stated, “Nancy Newkerk and Lindsay share a passion for women’s issues and an undergraduate degree in teaching. Perhaps it is this connection that reminds me of the way Nancy never missed a chance to educate others in a caring and humble manner. Lindsay shares that same quality. She puts her undergraduate teaching knowledge to good use as she serves as a strong advocate for equality and issues of diversity and never misses a teachable moment.” 

Since 1999, the Nancy Newkerk Scholarship has been awarded to deserving second-year SAHE graduate students who demonstrate outstanding contributions to college students, student affairs activities, the SAHE department, and the broader higher education community. 

Nancy Newkerk served as dean of women at IUP (then Indiana State Teachers College) from 1957 to 1967 and as associate dean of Admissions at IUP from 1978 until her retirement in 1994. She was awarded the IUP President's Medal of Distinction in 2009. She passed away in 2017. 

Newkerk scholarship recipients are selected on the qualities that reflect Nancy Newkerk's own professional career in student affairs: a collaborative colleague, a student-centered practitioner, and a role model for citizenship and civic responsibility. 

Lindsay was presented with her award and scholarship at the College of Education and Communications’ annual Scholarship Reception on November 2, 2023.