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������’s Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Lamar R. Hylton, Ph.D., has had a pretty good year in one month.

Hylton has been named the recipient of the NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) Region IV-East Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Senior Student Affairs Officer for 2021, named to Crain’s Cleveland Business Forty Under 40, selected as a recipient of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Diamond Honoree award and is a member of the 2022 class of the NASPA Pillars of the Profession award.

According to NASPA.org, the Region IV-East Scott Goodnight Award is given to an individual who has excelled as a senior student affairs officer in the student affairs profession at a college or university within Region IV-East. The award is named for Scott Goodnight, NASPA’s founding chair of the Board of Directors from 1919-1920 and former dean of men at the University of Wisconsin. Region IV-East encompasses the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota; and the Canadian province of Ontario.

To qualify for the award, the recipient must be seen as collaborative, influential and inspirational by a range of campus constituencies, have a high level of competency in developing staff, exhibit exemplary managerial and administrative skills, made significant contributions to the field through publications or involvement in professional associations and earned stature among the support of students, faculty and fellow administrators on campus amongst other qualifications.

“I’m humbled to have even been nominated and even more humbled that I won,” Hylton said. “It really left me speechless; I am so grateful to my nominators and NASPA IV-East for bestowing upon me this really amazing honor. It is a very humbling moment.”

Some of the support from fellow administrators included Director of the Student Multicultural Center Mike Daniels, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Administration Julie Volcheck, Associate Dean of Students for Conduct and Community Engagement Todd Kamenash, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Talea Drummer-Ferrell, Ph.D., and Kent State President Todd Diacon.

“I hired Lamar to serve as ������’s vice president for student affairs after observing his leadership strengths and successes while he served as Kent State’s dean of students,” Diacon said of Hylton in his letter to NASPA. “Dr. Hylton has earned my strongest recommendation for receipt of the Goodnight Award, and I am fortunate to work with him, and more importantly, our students and our university are better because of Dr. Hylton.”

Hylton’s accomplishments will be recognized in many ways throughout the NASPA IV-E Regional Conference, which takes place Nov. 7-9 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He will receive a personalized plaque, be highlighted on the conference program and social media, be displayed on a poster board and be recognized during a conference lunch.

Being named the East Region’s Outstanding Senior Student Affairs Officer automatically qualifies Hylton for consideration for the National NASPA Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean. 

Hylton was on the receiving end of three other awards.

The ACPA Diamond Honoree is presented to colleagues who have made outstanding contributions to ACPA, student affairs and services, along with higher education. It also recognizes those who go the extra mile, raising funds for future work and scholarships. Hylton has been recognized for his outstanding and sustained contributions to higher education and to student affairs. He will receive this award at ACPA’s annual convention in March 2022.

The Crain’s Cleveland Business Forty Under 40 spotlights the best and brightest of professionals from Northeast Ohio who have yet to reach their 40th birthday. Hylton will be featured in the Nov. 22 issue of Crain’s alongside other profiles and photos of inspiring Northeast Ohioans. All of this year’s honorees will be celebrated on Nov. 22 in person at the Music Box Supper Club in the Flats in Cleveland.

Lastly, the NASPA Pillars of the Profession award, NASPA Foundation’s highest honor, recognizes a series of distinguished individuals who have served as leaders, teachers and scholars in student affairs and higher education. Each individual is nominated and supported for designation as a Pillar by colleagues, students, friends or others who find them deserving of the honor. Hylton will receive the award at the annual NASPA conference in March 2022.

Hylton points to experiences in the past that have shaped the student affairs professional he is today.

“I have certainly been the recipient of quality mentoring, experiences that have truly packed my bag to be an effective chief student affairs officer,” he said. “I believe that [combined with] the relationships I have been able to develop and sustain over the course of my career all have contributed to being effective.”

Hylton received his bachelor’s degree in vocal music performance from Morgan State University, his master’s degree in college student personnel from Ohio University and a doctorate in higher education administration from Morgan State.

He first came to Kent State on June 1, 2017, to serve as dean of students, later becoming permanent vice president for student affairs on May 1, 2020. He also holds the distinction of being the first Black vice president for student affairs in the history of Kent State. He was later elevated to senior vice president for student affairs on Sept. 1, 2021.

For more information about NASPA, visit .

For more information about Crain’s Cleveland Business Forty Under 40, visit .

For more information about ACPA, visit .