Dr. Lorenz Receives National Honor for Service Learning
A commitment to engaging students in issues related to rural development, pollution and pesticide use, border issues and human rights has brought national recognition to Alma College Professor Ed Lorenz.
Lorenz was named a national finalist for Campus Compact’s 2010 Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service-Learning.
The prestigious national award recognizes a faculty award recipient and four finalists each year for exemplary engaged scholarship, including leadership in advancing students’ civic learning and enhancing higher education’s contributions to the public good.
Ed Lorenz, Reid-Knox Professor of History and Professor of Political Science
Of the five honored faculty members, Lorenz is the only one from a private liberal arts institution.
“In the classroom, Ed has inspired students to take on projects that have led to significant national recognitions, including multiple Fulbright, Jack Kent Cooke and Udall award winners,” says Provost Michael Selmon. “He also has been a leader in the development of Alma’s service learning program, helping shepherd it from initial start-up. Admiring colleagues have come to call him ‘a force of nature.’”
His nomination is based on his efforts to engage students through Alma College’s Public Affairs Institute. In 2008, the institute hosted the Eugene Kenaga International DDT Conference, which brought medical and environmental experts from around the world to Alma College. As a result, Lorenz and other participants produced a consensus statement that was published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
More recently, a group of students inspired by his Spring Term course “Leadership in War and Human Rights” organized a retreat in Chicago to address how the United States can move forward with membership to the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals for crimes against humanity.
Lorenz also led a Spring Term course on the Mexican border that explored the effects of public policy on cross-border issues.
“The goal is to empower students,” he says. “With issues like the ICC and DDT, what’s amazing is that a lot of people aren’t doing much about them, so my idea of service is getting students to apply what they’re studying to something that’s actually happening. I want students to see that they can actually have a voice in public policy.”
As a finalist for the award, Lorenz, along with a brief description of his work, will be featured on the Campus Compact Website.
Other finalists include Joan Francioni of Winona State University, Judith Liu of the University of San Diego and Nancy Orel of Bowling Green State University.
Barry Checkoway from the University of Michigan was selected as the recipient of the award.
Posted: Tue, June 29th, 2010 at 4:53PM
