Scott Coffel, director of the Hanson Center for Technical Communication in the UI College of Engineering, is the recipient of the 2016 Lola Lopes Award for Undergraduate Student Advocacy.

The award recognizes UI administrators, staff, or faculty outside of their teaching role who serve as strong and effective advocates for undergraduate students and the undergraduate experience. Recipients are selected by a committee of staff, faculty, and a student.

Since joining the College of Engineering in 2001, Coffel’s leadership and initiative have transformed a single “technical communications coordinator” position into a thriving student support hub that serves all students in the college. He has led the Hanson Center through a period of tremendous growth in the college’s enrollment, maintaining the program’s level of excellence.

A graduate of the UI Writers’ Workshop—following five years as a senior editor working with engineers at an international corporation—Coffel is committed to helping engineering students express themselves in writing that is not only correct but also thoughtful, ethical, and effective at communicating complicated concepts to numerous audiences.

Coffel will receive a $1,000 honorarium and a certificate, and his name will be added to a plaque that will be displayed in the Admission Visitors Center.

The award is named in honor of Lola L. Lopes, former associate provost for undergraduate education and professor emerita of management and organizations in the Tippie College of Business. Lopes served as interim executive vice president and provost during 2007-08.