SANsational Awards
Innovative Solutions to State Authorization Challenges
The SANsational Award recognizes outstanding efforts by SAN member institutions and organizations in developing a high-quality, comprehensive solution to a challenging state authorization issue.
The SANsational Award recognizes member achievements and publicizes their accomplishments. This award is meant to showcase good practice in state authorization work while encouraging others to strive for continued progress.
Awardee Recognition
Recipients of the SANsational Awards will:
- Be recognized on the SAN website as an award winner.
- Be presented with your award in person at your institution with your peers and leaders!
- Be recognized at the SAN Coordinator Meeting at the WCET Annual Meeting.
- Present your award winning project to SAN members via a short recording.
- Be allowed to display the SANsational Award logo on their website and printed materials indicating that they have been awarded the SANsational Award.
The 2024 Awards Committee:
- Sharyl Thompson, CEO, Higher Education Regulatory (HER) Consulting
- Bill Hall, Campbell University
- Miguel Valenzuela, The Chicago School
- Jeannie Yockey-Fine, General Counsel, NC-SARA
2024 Awardees
Congratulations to the 2024 SANsational Award Winners:
Awarded: Licensure Programs - Notifications and disclosures for professional licensure program status in each state.
- Post University (CT)
- Title - Maintaining Databases in Support of Personalized Student Licensure Advising
- University of Kentucky (KY)
- Title - Certification Procedures Planning Project: Collaborating Across Campus for Effective Regulatory Implementation
Awarded: Location - Identifying student location for regulatory compliance and reporting requirements.
- Southern New Hampshire University (NH)
- Title - Identifying Student Location and Reporting Such Information
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (NV)
- Title - Accuracy in Data Collection (ADC) for the Out of State Learning Placements (OOSLP)
Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (FL)
- Title - Creating Efficiencies and Ensuring Effectiveness through a Sharepoint-Based Change Management Process
- Rio Salado College (AZ)
- Title - College Compliance Calendar Tool: Free Accountability for Us All
- University of Kentucky (KY)
- Title - The Global Compliance Pilot Project: The Evolution of Distance Education Global Compliance
Press Release for the 2024 SANsational Awards
2024 SANsational Award Winning Project Presentations - coming soon
2024 SANsational Awards Presented at the Campuses!
Previous Award Winners
2023 Award Winners
Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
- University of Louisville (KY)
- Title - Elevating the Importance of Academic Compliance: A Paired Approach to Change
Awarded: Location - Identifying student location for regulatory compliance and reporting requirements
- Sinclair Community College (OH)
- Professional Licensure Disclosures (location of students)
- The Chicago School (CA)
- Embracing Purposeful Engagement for a California Institution
Awarded: Licensure Programs - Notifications and disclosures for professional licensure program status in each state.
- Post University (CT)
- Title - Personalized Licensure Advising and Disclosure
- The Chicago School (CA)
- Title - The Licensure Story; When Obstacles & Challenges Lead to Wins
Press Release for the 2023 SANsational Awards (PDF)
2023 SANsational Award Winning Project Presentations
2022 Award Winners
Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
- Campbell University (NC)
- Title - Utilizing Accreditation Documentation to Demonstrate Compliance with C-RAC Guidelines
- University of Cincinnati (OH)
- Title - State Authorization Working Group (SAWG)
- Utah Tech University (UT)
- Title - Implementing a professional licensure database for automatic individual disclosures
Press Release for the 2022 SANsational Awards
2022 SANsational Award Winning Project Presentations
2022 SANsational Award Winners Present Promising Compliance Solutions, WCET Frontiers
2021 Award Winners
Awarded: Location - Identifying student location for regulatory compliance and reporting requirements
- East Carolina University (North Carolina)
- Title - Where are ECU's students?
Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
- Franklin University (Ohio)
- Title - Slate Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as a Tool for Compliance Management for Professional Licensure Programs – A Partnership Between Offices
- Slippery Rock University (Pennsylvania)
- Title - Bringing Order to Chaos – SARA Data Collection
- University of South Dakota
- Title - Robust, Minimal Cost Tools for State Authorization and Professional Licensure Compliance
Press Release for the 2021 SANsational Awards
Webpage for Presentation Recordings for Award Winning Projects
2020 Award Winners
Awarded: Licensure Programs - Notifications and disclosures for professional licensure program status in each state.
- University of Kentucky
- Title - Licensure Disclosure Project
Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
- The Ohio State University
- Title - State Auth 101 Online Training Module
- University of Kentucky
- Title - Field Placement Coordination
- University of Michigan
- Title - Online and Hybrid Development Playbook
- University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC)
- Title: The State Authorization One Stop Shop
Press Release for the 2020 SANsational Awards
Webpage for Presentation Recordings for Award Winning Projects
2019 Award Winners:
- University of Louisville
- Awarded: Licensure Programs - Notifications and disclosures for professional licensure program status in each state.
- James Madison University and University of Virginia
- Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
- Western Governors University
- Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
Press Release for the 2019 SANsational Awards
Recording, Slide Deck, and Transcripts of SANsational Award winning initiatives
2018 Award Winners:
- International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)
- Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
- Mount Saint Mary's University
- Awarded: Location - How do you identify where your students are located?
- Awarded: Licensure Programs - Notifications and disclosures for professional licensure program status in each state.
- Texas Woman's University
- Awarded: Compliance Innovations - Institution policy, tools, compliance teams or other inventive or novel compliance management process.
- University of Louisville
- Awarded: Location - How do you identify where your students are located?
- University of Phoenix
- Awarded: Licensure Programs - Notifications and disclosures for professional licensure program status in each state.
Press Release for the 2018 SANsational Awards
2017 Award Winners:
- University of Missouri – Kansas City
- Awarded: Institutional Authorization - Notifications and disclosures for institutional state authorizations and compliance status
- The Ohio State University
- Awarded: Location - How do you identify where your students are located?
- Awarded: Licensure Programs - Notifications and disclosures for professional licensure program status in each state.
2017 SANsational Awards Media Release
2016 Award Winners:
The 2016 SANsational Award winners were categorized into two categories:
- Location: How do you identify where your students are located?
- Northern Arizona University
- Institutional Authorization: Notifications and disclosures for institutional state authorizations and compliance status
- University of New Mexico (Map Link: http://online.unm.edu/online-programs/programs-by-state.html)
Press Release for the 2016 SANsational Awards.
2015 Award Winners:
- Licensure Programs: Notifications and Disclosures for Professional Licensure
- The University of Minnesota
- Institutional Authorization: Notifications and Disclosures for State Authorization
- Drexel University
- Location: How Do You Identify Where Your Students Are?
- New York University
- University of Louisville
Press Release for the 2015 SANsational Awards.
Questions:
Contact: Jana Walser-Smith: jwalsersmith@wiche.edu
Call for 2024 SANsational Nominations - Is closed for 2024
What criteria is required?
The self-nomination period for 2024 is now closed.
SANsational Award will be awarded separately in each of the following categories:
- Licensure Programs: Managing state approvals, disclosures, and notifications
- Location: Identifying student location and reporting such information
- Compliance Innovations: Institutional policy, tools, compliance teams, or novel compliance management practice
SAN Members (institutions, organizations, or corporations) in good standing are eligible to be nominated for a SANsational Award. Members may nominate themselves for the award. Look at your own campus and to those of your network for successful works that meet the SAN criteria. Encourage your colleagues to review the instructions and sample forms before submitting your self-nomination.
How do you submit a nomination?
Works nominated for the SANsational Award should:
- Present solutions that meet the requirements and needs of regulators, the institution, and (most especially) students.
- Demonstrate a clear, comprehensive, and elegant solution to meeting compliance requirements.
- Exhibit capability to be adapted or replicated as a model for others.
- Include a title for your project
Please review the 2024 Call for Nominations and sample submissions before submitting your self-nomination form.
Latest Resources
Celebrating Success: The 2023 SANsational Award Winners Are Unveiled
SAN Coordinator In Person Meeting 2023
2023 SANsational Award Winning Projects