Distinguished Service Award

Robert Brown Distinguished Service Award

The Robert Brown Award is given to a CACCRAO member who has distinguished him or herself within the Admissions and Records profession.  CACCRAO presents this award to recognize the outstanding contributions of individual CACCRAO members and to further the profession of Admissions and Records Officers within the California Community College system.  It is a symbol of commitment to leadership, innovation and professional standards.

The award is named in honor of Robert Brown, the Registrar at San Jose Community College District during the 1970’s and 1980’s.  He was so competent and driven that he held the title at two separate campuses within the district.  Dr. Brown was well known for his generous and open personality – he connected with both students and staff.  He would greet staff from every office on campus and knew all their names, even the names of their children.  According to his son, for Dr. Brown it wasn’t enough to just do a great job as Registrar, it was important to maintain an expression of “humanity” with everyone he came in contact.

After his untimely death, the CACCRAO Board established this award to acknowledge a person each year who exemplifies Dr. Brown’s model of both professional competence within our field and a genuine caring spirit.  Beginning in 1997, the first Robert Brown Award was presented to Gordon Newman from Santa Monica College.  Over the years, CACCRAO has presented this award to more than a dozen distinguished colleagues.

2024-2025 Nomination Form

Deadline to submit: April 4, 2025.

Past Recipients