Public Policy Alumna Earns Presidential Award at San Francisco State

Alumna Jennifer Shea, who earned her PhD in public policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, has earned San Francisco State University’s Presidential Award, a competitive professional development award for tenure-track faculty. She teaches in the Department of Nonprofit Management and will now have a paid sabbatical for fall 2012.

The evaluation criteria for this pre-tenure professional development leave relates to the traditional tenure and promotion standards. These include activities which will increase the candidate's teaching effectiveness, enhance professional achievement and growth, or demonstrate non-teaching or community service. According to Shea’s mentor and dissertation chair, Professor of Economics Randy Albelda, “This is great as it will allow Jen to get some additional writing done before her tenure review.”

Elizabeth Bussiere, associate professor of political science, who taught Shea during her doctoral studies, agreed. "This is great news from Jennifer Shea. Her winning this award is another sign of how well so many of our alumni are doing!”

Shea is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration at San Francisco State University, where her work focuses on public policy and nonprofit management. In her research, she examines the roles of intermediary nonprofit organizations in networked service delivery environments. Prior to pursuing her doctorate at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, she held several positions in the nonprofit sector in the U.S. and abroad, with fundraising, program management and development, and volunteer and membership management duties.

Learn more about the PhD Program in Public Policy