List of Awards  |  Past Recipients

Nominations

The purpose of this award is to recognize faculty members at NASPAA institutions who make outstanding contributions to education for the public service through excellence in teaching. The award will be given to a NASPAA faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in education for the public service over a sustained period of time.

Evidence demonstrating excellence in teaching and sustained contributions to education for the public may include: the content and presentation of course; the quality of advising students; the impact of the faculty member on students and their public service careers; and other relevant information.

Nominations for this award may be submitted by an individual or NASPAA program. Nominating materials should include: a nomination letter describing in detail the teaching excellence and contribution to education for the public service of the nominee; supporting letters (no more than five) from current and former students of the nominee; and evidence that teaching excellence has been sustained over time.

This award recognizes the research of an individual whose published work has had a substantial impact on the thought and understanding of public administration. It is not intended to honor lifetime contributions to the field. It allows the public administration community to recognize an identifiable body of work by an individual that has had specific consequences for the way we think about the field.

Nominators must submit a letter that: identifies the impact of the work as they experienced it; indicates what they have learned from the work; clearly documents the impact the work has had on the field. The nominee must be living, but need not be an ASPA member.

Charles H. Levine Memorial Award for Excellence in Public Administration

This award, presented by NASPAA and ASPA, recognizes a public administration faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in three major areas of the field: teaching, research, and service to the wider community. The award is given out at ASPA Conference. For more information about the award, please contact ASPA. Nominations must include a current curriculum vita of the nominee and a one-page statement on each of the following three criteria:

Research: The nominee should have publications (books, research notes, monographs, etc.) in the public administration field which have made an impact on the field. 


Teaching: The nominee should have a demonstrated record of outstanding teaching. Teaching evaluations, awards and accomplishments of students may be submitted as evidence of teaching ability.


Community and Public Service: Service and contribution to the public sector or non-profit sector is an important factor in the award. Such activity may include service on boards and commissions, government service and service to professional organizations.

The purpose of this award is to recognize faculty who inspire students to pursue  public service careers and encourage student interest and participation.

Any faculty member in a NASPAA member program with at least five years teaching experience is eligible.  Candidates may be nominated by a student, graduate, faculty, colleague, or employer of program graduates.  Nomination of a candidate requires two signatures, plus a statement of support (2-5 pages) and a biographical sketch.

Policies

Purpose
The purpose of the Chapter Advisor Award of Excellence is to recognize an individual who has made outstanding contributions in support of a Pi Alpha Alpha chapter as a chapter advisor.

Eligibility
Chapters: In order to be eligible to nominate an advisor, a chapter must be in good standing with the national Pi Alpha Alpha honorary society and must have filed timely, acceptable Annual Reports for the two most recent program years. Advisors: Current or outgoing advisors of chapters are eligible for this award. An advisor cannot repeat as a recipient for five years.

Awards
The recipient of the Advisor Award of Excellence will receive a plaque that is presented at a national Pi Alpha Alpha event held in conjunction with the annual NASPAA meetings and will be recognized in Pi Alpha Alpha publications, such as Public Enterprise and the electronic student journal. Additional runner-up awards may be made each year.

Procedures

Nomination
An Advisor Award of Excellence nomination letter must be submitted by a chapter with its timely, adequate, Annual Report for the most recent program year.

The letter of nomination should describe the advisor's contributions to the chapter that warrant the nomination. The letter of nomination should be written and signed by the current or outgoing chapter president. It may not exceed two pages in length.

The letter of nomination may be accompanied by a maximum total of 3 letters of support from, for example, chapter officers, chapter members, fellow faculty members, or administrators who are familiar with the operations, activities, and achievements of the chapter and the advisor.

Award Factors

1. The advisor has represented the chapter and the university's graduate program in public affairs and administration in upholding the high standards and purposes of Pi Alpha Alpha in scholarship, leadership, and excellence in graduate education in public affairs and administration.
2. The advisor has guided, supported, informed, and helped to develop - but has not led - the chapter in programs that actively promote and celebrate academic excellence and in sound chapter management.
3. The advisor has acted to ensure that all chapter procedures and decisions have been conducted with and promoted the values of equity, fairness, diversity, and dignity - as well as academic excellence.

The letter of nomination and support letters should address Award Factors (1) through (3) for the chapter's program year most recently ended (in May) and may also include the year immediately prior.

Selection
The Pi Alpha Alpha National Council will appoint a Chapter Awards Committee at its annual meeting each Fall. The Chapter Awards Committee will consist of a Chair, who must be a member of the National Council, and two other faculty members of Pi Alpha Alpha who need not be members of the National Council.

The sole functions of the Chapter Awards Committee each year shall be to select recipients of the Chapter Award of Excellence and the Chapter Advisor Award of Excellence.

The NASPAA/Pi Alpha Alpha national office will forward to the Chapter Awards Committee members the letters of nomination and supporting letters for all eligible nominees by July 30.

The Chapter Awards Committee will inform the Pi Alpha Alpha president of the award recipients by September 15.

Two annual awards for the best manuscript in Public Administration will be awarded: one for best Masters level paper and one for best Doctoral candidate paper.

Entries will be judged on the basis of relevance of the topic, appropriate use of methodology, quality of presentation, originality, innovativeness, clarity and academic quality.

Eligibility is open to all students enrolled in a public administration program  during the academic year, including June graduates. Each entry must have a faculty sponsor and a letter of support attached to the manuscript and is not to exceed 20 typewritten pages, double-spaced. Four copies should be mailed to the NASPAA office. Each recipient will receive a check for $200 and a plaque.

< back to the list of awards >