The Barbara Burch Award for Faculty Leadership in Civic Engagement

Given in recognition of exemplary faculty leadership in advancing the civic learning and engagement of undergraduate students. 

Nominate by April 21.
About the award
Barbara Burch
Barbara Burch

This award was established in 2014 to honor Barbara Burch, Provost Emerita at Western Kentucky University . 

During her time as provost, Barbara Burch strongly supported faculty in the development of civic programming at Western Kentucky University. She actively sought out talented faculty members to offer positions of leadership and program development. She provided substantial financial support for professional development. She offered the prestige of her office and her own personal commitment to support faculty interested in civic work. Her efforts resulted in the development of a strong cadre of faculty at Western Kentucky University who are deeply committed to civic engagement and civic outcomes. As a result of her support for faculty, Western Kentucky University was seen as one of the leading universities in the country in civic engagement. 

  • Nominees must be a faculty member (tenure track or contingent) with more than five years of teaching experience on an AASCU campus who demonstrates leadership in advancing the civic learning and engagement of undergraduate students. 
  • Nominations must include an endorsement from campus leadership, the nominee’s curriculum vita, and additional documents that provide examples of the nominee’s sustained leadership in advancing civic learning and infusing equity into their work. 
  • Presentation: Annually in person at the Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement conference in June and a virtual acknowledgment will be made at AASCU’s Annual Meeting in November.
  • Recipients will receive a commemorative to acknowledge the national recognition.
  • 2022: Sandy Pope, Salisbury University (MD) 
  • 2021: Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg 
  • 2019: Elizabeth Bennion, Indiana University South Bend 
  • 2018: Lance Lippert, Illinois State University 
  • 2017: Shala A. Mills, Chair and Professor of Political Science, Fort Hays State University (KS) 
  • 2016: Elizabeth Bennion, Professor of Political Science and ADP Campus Director, Indiana University South Bend 
  • 2016: Molly Kerby, Associate Professor of Diversity and Community Studies, Western Kentucky University 
  • 2015: Patrick Dolenc, Professor of Economics, Keene State University (NH) 
  • 2014: Gregg Kaufman, Instructor and ADP Campus Coordinator, Georgia College 

2023 nominations are open for the Barbara Burch Award.

Nominate by April 21.

2022 Award winner

AASCU’s ADP congratulates Dr. Alexander (Sandy) Pope on earning the 2022 Barbara Burch Award. During Sandy’s co-direction of Salisbury University’s (SU’s) Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE), the institutional goals of “active citizenship, gainful employment, and life-long learning in a democratic society and interdependent world” have been prioritized by embedding a student-centered, reciprocal civic engagement within the SU experience. According to his peers, “SU is a better university, the community is stronger, and its reach across the nation wider because of his work. Dr. Pope’s work is pivotal in supporting SU’s commitment to civic engagement, and in doing so, has fundamentally shifted campus culture. 

2022 Winner Sandy Pope

Associate Professor in the Department of Secondary and Physical Education and Director of the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement
Salisbury University (MD)

Barbara Burch Award nominations are open until April 21.

Please reach out to us with any questions about this process.

Catherine Copeland

Catherine Copeland
Director, American Democracy Project (ADP)

Contact.