Honoring a Legacy of Bold Educational Reform

Over the past year, and particularly in the months before his passing, Terry O’Banion worked closely with League staff to refine the Terry O’Banion Legacy Award, established by the League in 2023. When discussing his work, Terry often described himself as a provocateur, and he wanted the award to stimulate and recognize provocative thought leadership in others. At his request, the League is relaunching the annual award as the Terry O’Banion Provocateur Award, with three prizes available to be awarded for articles that reflect the spirit of Terry’s work.

Terry O’Banion has long been recognized as one of the most influential and provocative voices in the history of community and technical colleges. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he consistently challenged the status quo, using provocation as a tool for reform. By embracing the role of a provocateur, O’Banion fearlessly confronted complacency, exposed systemic barriers to student learning, and inspired innovation across the landscape of higher education.

His work has not only sparked national conversations but also has led to tangible, lasting change in how colleges serve students, train leaders, and define their missions.

Ten Ways Terry O’Banion Provoked Change in Higher Education

1. Redefined Academic Advising – Introduced a holistic, student-centered model that transformed advising into a developmental and empowering process
2. Pioneered the Learning College Movement – Advocated for institutions where every policy and practice is designed to improve student learning and success
3. Advanced Equity in Leadership – Developed programs to diversify higher education leadership, promoting inclusive and representative governance
4. Led Technological Integration in Community Colleges – Championed the adoption of educational technology during the early computer revolution, preparing colleges for the digital age
5. Challenged Traditional Structures and Governance – Addressed systemic issues like ineffective general education and untrained trustees, pushing for ethical, student-focused reform
6. Promoted Humanistic and Student-Centered Education – Advocated for a shift from traditional instruction to a humanistic approach that prioritizes individual growth and learning
7. Confronted the “Rogue Trustee” Phenomenon – Called attention to governance challenges and the need for ethical, informed trusteeship in community colleges
8. Reimagined General and Liberal Education – Critiqued fragmented curricula and called for coherent, purposeful general education that supports lifelong learning
9. Served as a Global Consultant and Thought Leader – Shared his vision with over 1,000 colleges worldwide, influencing policy and practice across multiple continents
10. Used Provocation to Inspire Systemic Reform – Embraced the role of provocateur to challenge norms, disrupt inertia, and catalyze meaningful change in higher education

About the Award

The Terry O’Banion Provocateur Award seeks to recognize individuals who, like O’Banion, use bold, courageous approaches to address systemic challenges in the community and technical college field. Each award recipient will prepare an article (4,000 to 5,000 words) on their respective topics, which will be published by the League for Innovation. Award recipients* will present their work at the League’s Innovations Conference in March 2026, and each will receive complimentary registration to the conference, up to $1,000 for travel expenses, a commemorative plaque, and a monetary award:

• First Prize: $5,000
• Second Prize: $2,500
• Third Prize: $1,000

*Please note that all prizes may not be awarded.

Guidelines for Applicants

The following guidelines provide insights into the kinds of applications that will be considered for the award. Please read this information thoroughly.

Identify a Significant Challenge. The challenge should have broad and deep implications for the community/technical college field. The issue you address may be:

• New or emerging, marked by uncertainty or confusion
• Long-standing but largely ignored due to its complexity
• Intrinsic and persistent, often unrecognized or deemed unsolvable

Be Bold and Practical. The Provocateur Award is not only about innovation but also about provocation: ideas that challenge entrenched assumptions, disrupt traditional practices, and catalyze national or global dialogue. Your approach must be:

• Courageous and innovative
• Provocative in its challenge to the status quo
• Practical and scalable for widespread implementation

Focus on Systemic Impact. Applications should address system-level issues rather than localized best practices. The goal is to provoke transformational change across the field, not incremental improvement in discrete institutions. Applications should focus on challenges and solutions with broad applicability to the community/technical college field as a whole. While examples may draw on local experiences, the primary focus must be on system-level change at national or international levels and transformation across the field.

Study the Legacy. Applicants are encouraged to consider how their proposed solutions or approaches echo O’Banion’s legacy of inspiring systemic reform. Before submitting an application, especially if you are unfamiliar with O’Banion’s work, read the following articles from The Terry O’Banion Papers. These writings exemplify how O’Banion’s bold ideas challenged and disrupted higher education. These are examples only, not suggested topics.

• Humanizing Education in the Community College (1971)
• An Academic Advising Model (1972)
• A Learning College for the 21st Century (1996)
• Late Registration: May It Rest in Peace (2012)
• Trustees as Reformers, Mavericks, Renegades, and Rogues (2018)
• The Frankenstein Monster of College Catalogs (2022)

Application Process

The Terry O’Banion Provocateur Award is an individual award. Download the application template here and complete all parts of the document.

Submit the completed application via email to Kelly Dooling, Managing Editor, by 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on October 20, 2025.

Award Timeline

• October 20, 2025, 5:00 PM Pacific Time – Deadline for submitting application
• November 7, 2025 – Notification of award recipients
• January 5, 2026 – Draft articles due to League
• February 16, 2026 – Final drafts due to League
• March 15-18, 2026 – Innovations Conference

Contact

Cynthia Wilson, Vice President for Learning and Chief Impact Officer