Megan Witherspoon Evans, University Housing's associate director for residence education, recently received the Mid-Level Professional of Distinction Award from the 2022-23 Southwest Association of College and University Housing Officers. 

This award recognizes a member who creates programs and initiatives that have a positive impact on their housing program and their students.  

"I have known Megan since her first year of graduate school, 17 years ago, and since then, I have witnessed her unfailing commitment to higher education, the housing profession and the students and professionals we serve," said Alisha Gilbride, University Housing's interim director for residence education. 

"While I have known Megan for my entire professional career, I have only had the opportunity to supervise her for the last few months. During this season, Megan has proven to be an invaluable asset to our department, our professional organization and to me, personally." 

Nominees for this award must be involved at the state, regional or national level within the profession. As a supervisor, adviser or mentor, this mid-level professional goes above the call of duty to be of service to the profession. 

Witherspoon Evans has served in her current role for the past few years after also serving as an assistant director since 2013.  

Under her leadership, University Housing's residence education unit has made many changes to its structure, values and focus. One of these was the change of the resident assistant model. This innovative approach has been in motion for a few years, but it is really taking off with Witherspoon Evans's help, Gilbride said.  

"[Megan's] passion for student development is what has helped her lead in the conversations, but it is her drive and execution that make her successful. Megan has been integral in keeping the implementation of this program on track through training, ongoing development and sharing the heart of this change with various stakeholders," Gilbride said. 

In her time working for University Housing, Witherspoon Evans has led teams for resident assistant recruitment and selection, professional staff training, graduate assistant hiring and development, and implementation and training for the student engagement platform HogSync. She has supervised many levels of staff, including coordinators for residence education, graduate assistants and resident assistants, as well as serving as an adviser for Lead Hogs, Residents' Interhall Congress, National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) and the SWACURH Regional Leadership Conference host team.  

Witherspoon Evans has been an active member of SWACUHO since 2007. She currently serves on the exhibits and display (E&D) committee. She previously served as the E&D committee chair for four years and as the treasurer for two years. She served as a SWACUHO-U coach and was recently named SWACUHO's secretary. 

About University Housing: University Housing is a department within the Division of Student Affairs serving a residential community of around 6,200 on-campus students and 1,000 off-campus students. More than 200 students find employment opportunities with University Housing each year. We offer educational programs that support the success of students and services that help students focus on academics at the University of Arkansas.