Member Awards

ACUA Awards Applications

Awards Nominations are open for submissions from June 1 - July 31

• Member Excellence in Service Award - This Award recognizes a member who has made outstanding contributions to the mission of ACUA through exceptional service.
• Outstanding Professional Contributions Award - This Award recognizes a member who has made outstanding and noteworthy contributions to the profession of internal auditing in higher education.
• Rising Star Award - This Award recognizes an “up-and-coming” member who has made significant individual contributions in the areas of internal audit, compliance, or risk management that furthers the mission of ACUA.

2019 Award Recipients 

Member Excellence in Service Award 2019

The Member Excellence in Service Award was presented to Vijay Patel, Chief Audit Executive of The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. This award recognizes a member who has made outstanding contributions to the mission of ACUA through exceptional service.

Vijay has served ACUA for over 13 years (even he cannot remember when he actually started serving ACUA!) and was the longest-serving board member in ACUA’s history, serving about a decade! Some ways Vijay contributed to ACUA include:

• Directly and indirectly being involved in many decisions regarding ACUA’s mission, vision, and strategy by previously serving as ACUA President, Treasurer, and Board Member
• Helping ACUA select a partner by serving on the Professional Management Selection Committee, which has sent the organization on a positive upward trajectory
• Serving on the Web Team
• Serving on a panel for an annual conference presentation
• Serving as Chair of both the Membership and Nominating Committees
• Continuing to serve as an ACUA Ambassador, helping ACUA and the Board when needed

• The nomination noted that “Vijay also brings an intangible energy to the organization and its members that cannot be quantified.”

Rising Star Award 2019

The Rising Star Award was presented to Jana Clark, Audit Manager at Kansas State University. This Award recognizes an up-and-coming member who has made significant individual contributions in the areas of internal audit, compliance, or risk management that furthers the mission of ACUA. This award is intended to spotlight, cultivate, and recognize those developing the personal initiative and commitment to positively impact higher education auditing, which is essential to ACUA’s continued success.

Jana has been an ACUA member and volunteer for the past six years. During this time, she assisted in planning the midyear and annual conferences and most recently became the Program Content Committee Director, responsible for the content and format for both the revamped AuditCon and Audit Interactive conferences. Helping with the content and format for both the AuditCon and Audit Interactive conferences will directly influence how we educate and interact with professionals within our industry. In addition, Jana has served as the Distance Learning Director, has been a member of the host committee, proctor, track coordinator, conference presenter, webinar presenter, contributor to College and University Auditor journal, developed a Kick Starter, and hosted networking events at previous conferences.
Past Winners