The Arthur S. Marmaduke Award is a $1,500 annual award recognizing one outstanding California high school counselor who demonstrates exemplary skills in helping students fulfill their dreams of going to college. The candidate is nominated by his or her District and County leadership, fellow school counselor/teacher, school principal, or other site administrator. Each year, California Student Aid Commission staff solicits nominations from high schools recommending a California high school counselor who demonstrates effectiveness for serving students in preparing for and pursuing their higher education.

Arthur S. Marmaduke was Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission for 25 years from 1960 to 1985. The award was established in 1985 in his honor as the longest-serving executive director in the history of the commission, which was founded in 1955. Mr. Marmaduke also served as the first President of the National Association of State Grant and Aid Programs.

The Nomination Period for the 2017-18 Award is Now Closed

Thank you to all who submitted a candidate. Watch for future updates on the 2018-19 award

Questions:

Contact Institutional Support at schoolsupport@csac.ca.gov.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for the Arthur S. Marmaduke Award is open to all California high school counselors who meet the following criteria:

• Fully certified and credentialed and work with high school students
• Have been counseling at their current school for at least one school year
• Have been a counselor for at least three years

Candidates for this award need to demonstrate superior skills, dedication, and results in helping students seek and receive financial aid.

Due to the school specific questions on the nomination form and scoring criteria we cannot accept candidates from county offices, Cal-SOAP, or counselors who serve multiple school sites.

Nomination Process

Candidates for the Arthur S. Marmaduke Award can be nominated by:

• District and County leadership
• School counselor/teacher colleague
• Site administrators

There is a two-step process for nominations:

1. Complete online nomination form
2. Three personal testimonies from students on the counselor’s impact/merits
   1. One testimony must come from a current high school student, another must be from a former student, and the final testimony can come from either a current or former student 
   2. At least one paragraph but no longer than 1.5 pages 
   3. Email testimony to Krista Rindell with subject line “2017-18 Marmaduke Award Student Testimony for (Nominee Last Name)” 
   4. Excerpts from the testimony may be used on the CSAC website for the winner’s announcement

Nomination Suggestions:

• The nominator should be knowledgeable about the school and the counselor being nominated
• When filling out the application, be as specific and detailed as possible
  • This Sample 2017-18 Application can be used as a reference
  • We recommend using Word or another program to draft your responses and copy and paste into the nomination form

Scoring & Selection Process

Candidates will be scored based on the following criteria:

• Involvement in financial aid and college events/activities
• Impact on FAFSA/CADAA completion rates (rates over the past 3 years will be considered)
• What they do to help students maintain eligibility and prepare for college
• What they do to support and interact with underrepresented and 1st generation families
• The personal comments from the nominator and the student testimonies

*Bonus Points are possible for those nominees who coordinate/promote Cash for College events*

To evaluate all the nominations, the California Student Aid Commission (Commission) convenes a selection committee consisting of Commission members, a member of the California Department of Education, a high school counselor, and Commission Staff. Using scoring guidelines aligned with the nomination questions, along with consideration for FAFSA/CADAA completion rates, committee members identify the nominations that best address the prompts and distinguish themselves as exemplary.

Once a winner is selected, the Commission will contact both the nominee and the nominator to coordinate a date and location for the award ceremony in April or Early May.

2017-18 Recipient: Beau Menchaca (Century High School)

A veteran high school counselor in Santa Ana has been selected as the winner of the Arthur S. Marmaduke Award for outstanding achievements in high school counseling. Beau Menchaca has been honored in a ceremony at Century High School, during the Senior Breakfast, for his dedication in encouraging students to pursue their higher education dreams.

Mr. Menchaca was presented the award on May 25, 2018, which included a California Assembly resolution, a commemorative plaque and a cash prize of $1500.00 sponsored by the Education Credit Management Corporation (ECMC). The event was attended by California Student Aid Commissioners Catalina Cifuentes, Jose Solorio, and Alejandro Lomeli along with U.S. Congressman Leo Correa, a representative from California Assembly member Tom Daly’s office and Mai P. Tran of ECMC.

Mr. Menchaca, who was nominated by his colleague, Louisa Ruiz, was unaware that he was the recipient.  In her nomination Ms. Ruiz listed several of Mr. Menchaca’s achievements at Century High School such as:

• Revitalizing the campus Higher Education Center (HEC), inviting the participation of 9^th through 12^th grade students;
• Establishing a financial aid goal luncheon inviting all stakeholders including counselors, teachers, parents, higher education partners; alumni, community members and elected officials;
• Responsible for double-digit increases in financial aid applications at Century High School;
• Creating individualized Cal Grant Eligibility Flyers for students including potential grant dollar amounts;
• Repurposing the Commission-sponsored Cash for College Workshop incentive dollars into student cash scholarships.

“Every year it is so difficult to choose from the many deserving high school counselors that are nominated.  This year we selected Beau Menchaca for his dedicated advocacy for all students,” said Lupita Cortez Alcalá, Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission. “We heard from students who described his extraordinary commitment in assisting them in applying to colleges and encouraging them to complete applications for state and federal financial aid.”  Cortez Alcalá went on to praise Mr. Menchaca’s work, saying “his efforts have resulted in many students pursuing their education dreams and he has truly made a difference in the lives of his students and their families.”

During the ceremony, Mr. Menchaca quoted, “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.” Spoken like a true Leader. Mr. Menchaca also expressed the importance of building and maintaining parent/counselor relationships throughout a student’s four-year term of high school. After the ceremony, Mr. Menchaca said, “This is an emotional job and the students mean everything to me. The job never gets old and I really love what I do because the smallest efforts can lead to the biggest changes for my students.”

Marmaduke Award nominations are sought annually by the California Student Aid Commission and is named after the first, and longest serving executive directors of the Commission:  Arthur S. Marmaduke.   He served the Commission for 25 years from 1960 to 1985 and the award was established in 1985 to carry on his legacy of “making education beyond high school financially accessible to all Californians.”

Past Recipients of the Arthur Marmaduke Award

Year	Name	School	County
2016-2017	Lynda McGee	Downtown Magnets High School	Los Angeles
2015-2016	Jesse Barajas, Jr.	Gridley High School	Butte
2013-2014	Andrea Goodwin	Los Angeles High School for the Arts	Los Angeles
2012-2013	Warren Popp	Keema High School	Sacramento
2011-2012	Dr. Dario Villa	Montgomery High School	San Diego
2010-2011	Lisa R. Golden	King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science	Los Angeles
2009-2010	Michael Badouin	Chino Hills High School	San Bernardino
2008-2009	Twila Rutherford	Fort Bragg High School	Rancho Cordova
2007-2008	Rebecca Jauregui	Lodi High School	Lodi
2006-2007	Robin Sroka	Woodrow Wilson Classical High School	Long Beach
2005-2006	Sally Pace	Woodlake High School	Woodlake
2004-2005	Michelle Khayat	Valley High School	Sacramento
2003-2004	Sue Ann Joy	San Rafael High School	San Rafael
2002-2003	Henry Bailey
2001-2002	Barry T. Baker
2000-2001	Barbara McCune
1999-2000	Hector Armas
1998-1999	Linden Beckford
1997-1998	Charlotte Downing
1996-1997	Douglas R. Mercer
1995-1996	Carmen Starr
1994-1995	Jean Flores
1993-1994	John Mandell
1992-1993	Janice Reinstein
1991-1992	Raymon W. Kirk
1990-1991	Jack Wright
1989-1990	Eleanor Richards
1988-1989	Enriqueta V. Chavez
1987-1988	Tony Gelfuso
1986-1987	Michael Sullivan
1985-1986	Marcine Landon