Georgia Southern’s Associate VP Ken Gassiot earns national student affairs award

The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) has selected a Georgia Southern University leader for national honors. Ken Gassiot, Ph.D., associate vice president for student development, is the recipient of the 2026 NASPA AVP/Senior-Level Student Affairs Professional Award, recognizing his leadership and service within the student affairs profession. 

Gassiot was selected for this same award at the regional level in June 2025 by NASPA Region III at their conference in Savannah. NAPSA Region III is the largest region in NASPA and stretches from Texas to North Carolina.

Gassiot will be honored for his work, which demonstrates an outstanding commitment to student success, the development of impactful programs, the creation of campus environments that promote student learning and development, and active engagement in NASPA. He will be recognized at the 2026 NASPA Annual Conference in March in Kansas City, Missouri.

“Being selected for this national award by peers and other leaders around the country is truly humbling,” said Gassiot. “Serving at Georgia Southern along with the service opportunities gained through NASPA have been, without a doubt, the most fulfilling time during my career in higher education. I hope this award brings added spotlight to the incredible work happening at Georgia Southern, where our heartbeat is to create an unparalleled student experience. I’m thankful to be in a position and on teams that help shape that.”

The University has won several awards and national recognition from NASPA in recent years, and has earned a reputation for its use of analytics and assessment to improve all aspects of campus life for students. 

Gassiot said that legacy is built on a culture of student programming, engagement and support. 

“Full credit to the people and leadership across all of our campuses that embrace collaboration and are fully dialed in to meet the unique student and campus needs that change over time,” he said. “It’s that culture that maximizes student involvement, care and belonging.”

Gassiot’s involvement in NASPA includes serving as the 2025–27 chair of the NASPA AVP Steering Committee and co-chair of the 2026 NASPA AVP Symposium, in addition to extensive prior service across NASPA leadership, faculty roles and planning committees.