Athens, Ga. — Diane L. Cooper, a professor in the University of Georgia’s College of Education department of counseling and human development services, has been elected to the executive council of the American College Personnel Association.
Cooper, who is coordinator of UGA’s master’s degree program in college student affairs administration, will serve a three-year term in the newly created member-at-large for faculty position.
Earlier this year, Cooper received the ACPA’s Senior Scholar Award, which recognizes her scholarly achievements and leadership in the field of college student affairs. She will serve a six-year term as one of only a dozen active senior scholars.
Cooper has received numerous awards for her teaching and scholarship including the Outstanding Contributions to Student Affairs through Teaching Award from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) in 2004 and the Melvene Draheim Hardee Award from the Southern Association of College Student Affairs in 2000.
She is the author or co-author of numerous books including Identity Development of Diverse Populations: Implications for Teaching and Practice in Higher Education (2004), Learning Through Supervised Practice in Student Affairs (2003), a widely used New Directions Series monograph titled Beyond Law and Policy: Reaffirming the Role of Student Affairs and Assessment Instruments which includes the Student Developmental Task and Lifestyle Assessment (1999, written with UGA professors emeriti Theodore K. Miller and Roger B. Winston Jr.).
In addition, she has authored 15 book chapters and numerous journal articles. Her research interests are in program design and assessment, legal and ethical issues in student affairs practice and in professional issues related to underrepresented groups in higher education.
Before joining the UGA faculty in 1996, Cooper was a faculty member in student development at Appalachian State University for four years. Prior to that, she served for eight years as a student affairs practitioner at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Cooper received her Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of Iowa in 1985 with a concentration in post-secondary education and vocational development.
The ACPA also recently honored UGA assistant professor Laura Dean with the 2007 Annuit Coeptis Senior Professional Award, recognizing her contributions in administration, teaching, research and publications.
The ACPA will honor Cooper, Dean and other standout professionals at an awards reception this month at the ACPA/NASPA joint conference in Orlando, Fla.
