The Department of Student Affairs in Higher Education is pleased to announce Amy L. Cotner as the 2024 recipient of the Ronald Lunardini Distinguished Alumni Award. A 1997 graduate of the SAHE Program, Amy is associate vice president for student life/dean of students/Title IX coordinator in the Office of Student Life at Keuka College in Keuka Park, New York, where she has worked since 2021.
Amy’s career has spanned 10 institutions, starting post-SAHE as a residence director at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, with subsequent roles including associate director of student affairs at Penn State Mont Alto, associate dean of student affairs at West Virginia University Institute of Technology, and multiple roles in the Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response at Penn State University.
Amy’s nominators highlighted her creative problem-solving abilities and collaborative spirit. One colleague praised her “focused ability to cut through the ‘noise’ on campus to help individuals and committees achieve goals set forth in committee charges, grant activities, and strategic plans.” Her colleagues identified her as a student-centered professional whose work has improved the campuses where she has served. A colleague stated that Amy “is continually looking for ways to mentor others, such as helping student leaders figure out the correct balance of their academic and social commitments or guiding graduate assistants and new professionals in recasting themselves as professional leaders instead of peers to students.”
Committed to professional development and life-long learning, she models these attributes and supports others in their growth. She also models commitment to the institution and students, as noted by another colleague who shared, “She is one of the hardest working individuals I have ever known, and is very dedicated to everything she puts her mind to for her team and our students.”
The Ronald Lunardini Distinguished Alumni Award, begun in 2006, was created to acknowledge an alumna/alumnus of the SAHE department whose experiences and accomplishments as a student affairs professional significantly reflect the standards and values of the SPS program/SAHE department. In 2008, in recognition of Dr. Lunardini’s 37 years of service at IUP (18 as an SAHE faculty member), the award title was changed to honor him. More information about the award and a list of previous award recipients is available at Ronald Lunardini Distinguished Alumni Award.
Through the generous support of Ron and Peggy Lunardini, the recipient also receives a $750 gift which allows the recipient to experience the pleasure of financially supporting an educational program of their choosing. Cotner announced that she was using the funds to support academic success programming in the residence halls at Keuka College. Academic affairs and campus life continue to expand collaborative efforts with student academic success in the residence halls, which include year-long peer mentor support and integration of programming with the Academic Intervention Team. The peer mentors and campus life staff will use these funds to design and implement programs specifically for students with attention to academic needs, field period completion, and belonging.