Kay Farley, CCR of Washburn University's Ichabod Shop, receives prestigious Aspen Award

Kay Farley, CCR, director, Ichabod Shop, Washburn University, Topeka, KS, was presented with one of the National Association of College Stores ’ most prestigious awards, the Aspen Award, during a ceremony at CAMEX 2015 in Atlanta. CAMEX, produced by NACS, is the largest education and trade show event in the collegiate retailing industry.

“Oh my gosh,” Farley said of being told by former NACS Board member Barbara Racine, director of the University of Puget Sound Bookstore in Tacoma, WA, that she was the 2015 recipient of the Aspen Award. “Surprised was an understatement. I told Barbara she’s probably the first person in the world to see me speechless. I was very, very surprised, very honored, and very humbled by it.”

Farley is beloved at Washburn, where, according to the school’s Vice President for Student Life Denise Ottinger, under Farley’s leadership the bookstore has become a focal point of the university. Additionally, “Kay exudes a spirit of collaboration with other areas on campus and encourages her staff’s involvement in industry-related educational programs. She also has demonstrated her devotion to education through her leadership and participation at the national level,” Ottinger said in her award nomination letter.

The NACS Education Committee created the Aspen Award to recognize a professional in the collegiate retailing industry who has made continuous, notable contributions to the education and professional development efforts of the association and advanced the industry through learning endeavors. Farley has contributed to the collegiate retailing industry in many ways, including serving as an educational content expert, a volunteer leader and mentor, as well as serving as chair of the NACS Education Committee as a member of the NACS Board of Trustees.

Prior recipients of the Aspen Award include:

EDITOR'S NOTE: CCR, Certified Collegiate Retailer , is an earned professional designation awarded by NACS.