Jerome Lewis, associate professor and director of the Institute for Public Administration in the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) at the University of Delaware, has been selected to receive the Public Service Achievement Award from Common Cause Delaware in honor of his 40-year career of supporting good government and inspiring young students to pursue careers in public service.
Lewis was recognized at the 2011 Good Government Dinner Awards on Monday, June 6, at 6 p.m., at the Christiana Hilton in Newark.
The Public Service Achievement Award honors individuals who "by force of imagination, initiative and perseverance have made outstanding contributions to the public interest in the areas of government performance and integrity."
"Jerome is the consummate description of the Public Service Achievement Awards," says SPPA Director Maria Aristigueta. "He works tirelessly and creatively to make sure that our students are provided with the integration of academics and professional experience to make significant contributions to the work of government."
Widely recognized for his contributions to the policy, planning and management needs of various partners throughout the state, Lewis joined the University faculty in 1969 and, four years later, founded the Institute for Public Administration, a research and public service center that has impacted public policy throughout the state and region for more than four decades.
He also created the Legislative Fellows Program, a flagship internship program that links the research needs of the state legislature with UD students, who work directly with legislators on complex public policy issues.
The program which has been praised by state senators as "a national model, due in perhaps equal parts to the creativity and hard work of Jerome and his staff, [and] to the high caliber of students who have participated" is currently in its 30th year of partnership with the Delaware General Assembly.
"Through his tireless efforts, Jerome has enriched the lives of our students, University and state," says George Watson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "Generations of state and regional leaders have learned at Jerome's knee the skills and sensitivities needed to be effective in public office. Under his guidance, the Institute for Public Administration has had a major impact on the quality of life in Delaware and the surrounding states for more than 40 years."
Jeff Raffel, Common Cause chair and Charles P. Messick Professor of Public Administration at UD, adds, "I am thrilled to recognize Jerome Lewis as a faculty member who has combined high quality experiential-based teaching with a four-decade commitment to the public service, land-grant mission of the University of Delaware."
Lewis has previously been honored by the Delaware senate for being "one of the best and most effective ambassadors and advocates the University of Delaware has in Dover."
The Common Cause awards dinner also recognized former U.S. Rep. Michael Castle, who received the John Gardner Lifetime Achievement Award.
Castle was the 2011 spring Commencement speaker for the University.
