Nan Davis, Austin College vice president for Institutional Enrollment, received the Texas Association for College Admission Counseling (TACAC) Honorary Lifetime Membership Award at the group’s annual conference this spring in recognition of “inspired leadership and extraordinary service to students in the college admission process.”
Announcing the award, Carol Wasden, past president of TACAC and director of college counseling at The Hockaday School, said that the honoree had “accumulated what our profession would recognize as a requisite, sterling resume of professional leadership, service, and excellence.” Adding that she couldn’t possibly enumerate all the honors that the honoree has received both in Texas and nationally, “her recent appointment as a Trustee for the College Board attests to her exemplary career,” Wasden said. “While Nan is a peerless professional, her ultimate strength is that she genuinely loves those around her.” Read the citation.
Davis said she was very honored by the award and appreciative of the opportunities provided by TACAC for professionals in secondary schools and institutions of higher education to enhance professional growth. “Through these experiences, I have been able to network with and learn from the most accomplished leaders in our field,” she said. “And, because of these collaborations, I have been able to better serve students, our professional associations, and my institution. I wish to thank Austin College President Dr. Marjorie Hass for the incredible support provided to me and my colleagues for professional development. I thank her, my fellow vice presidents, and Austin College faculty and staff for creating a living and learning community whose total focus is personal and academic success for students. It is my privilege to serve with them and with all of you in a network for student advocacy. Each day I am inspired and motivated by my Austin College colleagues and each of you to become a more effective advocate for students.”
Davis, in fact was a founding member of TACAC in 1979 and has served in multiple roles for the organization, including service as president and involvement on the Council of Past Presidents. She was a member of the resident faculty of the group’s Summer Workshop on College Admission from 1985 to 2002 and resident faculty member and curriculum director of the Admission and College Counseling Institute from 2007 to 2010. She also has served as a TACAC assembly delegate to the national and regional organizations of the college admission profession. She received TACAC’s Founders Award in 2004.
A vice president at Austin College since 1999, Davis also has been active in the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), an organization of 15,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing postsecondary education. She has served on numerous NACAC committees and was co-director of the Chief Enrollment Officers Forum for several years.
Davis also is very involved in professional work through The College Board, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education through a membership of more than 6,000 of the world’s leading education institutions. Davis began her association with the College Board in 1992 and since has served as a member of the Southwestern Regional Council and served a three-year term as chair-elect, chair, and past-chair of this executive board. In addition, she served terms on the College Board’s National Scholarship Service Assembly Council and National Guidance and Admissions Assembly Council. A recipient of two Southwestern Region awards for her contributions, Davis was elected in fall 2015 to The College Board’s Board of Trustees, the 31-member governing board of the organization.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.