Dr. Janet Fuller Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Janet Fuller, Co-Director of HIU's MA in Chaplaincy, was honored this week with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education (ACSLHE - pronounced "axle"). 

The award is given to an ACSLHE institutional member with 15+ years of significant leadership and contributions on college/university campuses. It was presented at a conference in Washington, DC. 

Dr. Fuller has served as a chaplain at higher education institutions for 40 years, one of the longest serving higher ed chaplains in the nation.

"She has been described as an icon in the field of chaplaincy," said Nathan Albert, University Chaplain and Vice President of the University of Lynchberg, who presented the award. "She is revered, deeply respected, and understood to be a true pioneer in multifaith chaplaincy."

In accepting the award, Dr. Fuller said, "I've only ever wanted to be a university chaplain. I love students. I love the developmental moment they are in. I love teaching chaplains at Hartford International University now."

Chalaincy is often a lonely profession, she said, which makes the support of other chaplains so important. She called those assembled at the conference her "work family."

For two terms, Dr. Fuller served as president of the National Association of College and University Chaplains and intiated its merger with the Association of College and University Religious Affairs to form the new organization ACSHLE in 2020. 

Dr. Fuller also talked about the importance of chaplains writing about their work. Her own first book, released in 2024, is Blessings for your Students: Prayers for Interfaith Communities in Higher Education. 

Congratulations, Jan!