The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) on the Washington State University Pullman campus has been selected by NASPA to receive its Gold Excellence Award and Grand Bronze Award. NASPA is one of the nation’s leading organizations for student affairs professionals and administrators in higher education. The awards will be presented at NASPA’s national conference March 15–19 in New Orleans.
CAMP is a federally funded program that helps 50 first-year students from migrant and seasonal farm working backgrounds transition to college each year. The program provides academic advising, team building, financial planning, and social activities as part of a comprehensive strategy to promote student success.
Ninety percent of CAMP participants complete the program, 98% return for their second year of school, and their graduation rate is 13% higher than that of the general Latine student population.
CAMP was selected for the Gold Award among many entries representing enrollment management, financial aid, orientation, first year programs, and other year programs.
“Winning this award speaks to how dynamic our program is in that it incorporates many types of services and support that students need to be successful,” said Michael Heim, director of migrant education, student access and support. “CAMP is like a microcosm of the different kinds of services students receive in Student Affairs and beyond.”
Winning this award speaks to how dynamic our program is in that it incorporates many types of services and support that students need to be successful.
Michael Heim, director of migrant education, student access and support
Washington State University
In awarding CAMP the Gold Excellence Award, NASPA recognizes the program for its impact addressing student needs, utilizing innovative methods and theoretical models, and collaboration with other departments on campus. It also lauds CAMP’s strong data and research to prove its impact, as well as the potential for other universities to adopt its best practices.
Grand awards, which include grand gold, grand silver, and grand bronze, are selected from the top three Gold Excellence Awards from all 12 categories.
“This is an amazing piece of recognition, to think that out of a whole bunch of programs that are considered the best of the best, CAMP is one that people should look to as an example of what can be done to support students,” Heim said.
More to accomplish
As part of the awards recognition, Heim has been invited to present a 50-minute educational session about WSU CAMP during the conference. He will also participate in two poster sessions.
CAMP is no stranger to national attention. It was named as an Example of Excelencia in September 2024, the highest recognition given by one of the nation’s leading Latine education organizations. The recognition led to CAMP being featured in an article for Diverse Issues in Higher Education and the podcast “In the Margins” produced by the same publication.
Heim said it has been great to see the accomplishments of CAMP staff and students recognized on such a grand scale, but he likens it to reaching a false summit while hiking.
“Once we feel like we may have reached the top of our game, we realize there is always more that we can do and there is yet another leg to our journey,” Heim said. “We would like to be able to offer even more services and make them more widely available to students seeking degrees from WSU.”
