ITHACA, N.Y. -- Thomas C. Devlin, the executive director of career services at Cornell University since 1978, has received the 1995 Warren E. Kauffman Award for outstanding service to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

The Bethlehem, Pa.-based membership organization (formerly known as the College Placement Council) represents professionals involved in the career planning and employment of college students and graduates.

The Kauffman Award, established in 1992, was bestowed on Devlin at the NACE annual meeting last summer in Orlando, Fla., and announced in the fall issue of the Journal of Career Planning & Employment. The award is NACE's highest honor.

Devlin is a longtime active member of NACE, most recently serving as co-chair of its Regional/CPC Relations Task Force, which was responsible for redesigning the organization.

In a letter announcing Devlin's award to David Yeh, Cornell assistant vice president for student and academic services, NACE Executive Director Michael R. Forrest wrote, "As the co- chair of the Regional/CPC Relations Task Force, he provided a vision for the association that will take NACE into the next century and beyond. The entire committee nominated him for the Kauffman Award, specifically noting his leadership style, group process skills, flexibility, optimism and enduring patience."

Devlin is the founder of the Cornell University College Relations and Recruiting Institute and one of three founders of the University Network, which brings career services directors at the nation's larger universities together once a year. He has appeared on the NBC Nightly News and the Today show to discuss Cornell's career service, which blends advanced technology with personalized career advising.