The Joseph P. Allen Award was established to honor a professional dedicated to the principles of equal opportunity and equal access to college.

With experience at UC Santa Cruz and the University of Southern California, Joe served as one of the Deans of the College Board’s Summer Institute for many years, meeting and training young professionals in all areas of recruitment, admission, and the tenets of our field. From the very beginning he did much to champion the underrepresented student and while he had a great mind for looking at the larger picture, he never forgot that each number and statistic was tied to a human being. The Joseph P. Allen award is presented to an individual who has encouraged and supported traditionally underrepresented students in the transition from high school to college.

• 1985 Jim Montoya
• 1986 Judy Mays
• 1987 Roy Lucero
• 1988 Joan Lynch
• 1989 Eric Gravenberg
• 1990 Francie Tidey
• 1991 Richard Roth
• 1992 Gordon Chalmers
• 1993 Marci Whaley
• 1994 Charles Mason
• 1995 Michael Padilla
• 1996 Bob Laird
• 1996 Rae Lee Siporin
• 1997 Katy Murphy
• 1998 Esther Hugo
• 1999 Georgia Webb
• 2000 Arnie Kaminsky
• 2001 Charles Moore
• 2002 Alfred Herrera
• 2003 Ludim Seja De Manzano
• 2004 Bill Henley
• 2005 Linda Loya
• 2005 Deren Finks
• 2006 Susan Bonoff
• 2007 Robynne Royster
• 2008 Frank Key
• 2009 Alice Kleeman
• 2011 Joanne Higgins Leslie