Emily Janke and Paul Markham receive ADP’s 2012 John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement

By Jen Domagal-Goldman, National Manager, American Democracy Project

In an effort to recognize, support, and encourage the next generation of leaders in the civic engagement movement, the American Democracy Project established an award for emerging leaders in civic engagement in 2011, the John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement.  This annual award was named in John’s honor to recognize a lifetime passion of his, thinking about and preparing the next generation of civic leaders. To learn more about the Saltmarsh Award, visit this website.

(from Left to Right) Jen Domagal-Goldman, Paul Markham, George Mehaffy, Emily Janke, and John Saltmarsh

George Mehaffy, reflecting on the choice of John Saltmarsh as the person for whom the award was named, commented: “John Saltmarsh was the obvious choice for who we would honor in creating this award. John is a great visionary and an inspiring leader. Even more importantly, he has never wavered from a commitment to nurturing the next generation of civic leaders. His consistent question echoes in my mind: ‘Who will do this work when we are gone?’”

John Saltmarsh is the Co-Director of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education (NERCHE) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston as well as a faculty member in the Higher Education Administration Doctoral Program in the Department of Leadership in Education in the College of Education and Human Development. He is the editor, with Matthew Hartley, of the edited volume, “To Serve a larger Purpose”: Engagement for Democracy and the Transformation of Higher Education (Temple, 2011). Royalties from “To Serve a larger Purpose” are being donated in full to fund this award.  I urge you to consider buying the book, not only for its content but also because your purchase of the book will help ensure the sustainability of the award.  You can order the book though Temple University Press website by clicking this weblink.  I also hope you will share this link with colleagues.

A special thank you to William Plater, the Executive Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculties Emeritus at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, who generously supported the first two years of this award.

The 2012 Saltmarsh Award recipients are Emily Janke of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Paul Markham of Western Kentucky University.

John Saltmarsh presented Emily and Paul with their awards at the 2012 ADP/TDC national meeting in San Antonio on June 8. Here are his public comments:

Shortly after I heard form George that he wanted to create an emerging leader award, I found myself at the Highland Folkschool where I cam across a quote from Ella Baker – the civil rights leader, who, after the Greensboro sit-ins, wanted to assist the student activists because she viewed the young, emerging activists as a resource and an asset to the movement – which led to the founding of SNCC, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
 
The quote reads:
I believe in the right of people to expect those who are older, those who claim to have more experience, to help them grow.

For me, this is the essence of this Award.
 
All of us, in building this movement of public engagement in higher education, have an obligation to help, to mentor, to guide, to encourage, to validate, to push…those who are younger to be the future leaders of this movement.
 
I say this to all of us but I also say it to the recipients today.
 
With this award comes well-deserved recognition; and with it comes an obligation to bring along those who are younger, to build and sustain the movement.
 
It is my pleasure to make this year’s award to two outstanding emerging leaders in civic engagement: Dr. Paul Markam and Dr. Emily Janke.

Paul Markham

Paul Markam is Assistant Professor and Co-Director at the Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility at Western Kentucky University. In his nomination, Harry Boyte commented that “Paul demonstrates leadership in building the wider civic engagement movement, shows passion and great skill in advancing the civic learning of undergraduates, has remarkable capacities for collaborative leadership, and continuously mentors new leaders, and acts as an organizational catalyst to change higher education.”

Emily Janke

Emily Janke is Special Assistant for Community Engagement at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. From an undergraduate: “Emily has an enthusiastic attitude toward civic engagement that is contagious.” From a colleague: “She has a knack for collaboration and integration second to none, and a creative flair that makes working with her incredibly fun.” From her Chancellor: “Because of her commitment to excellence and her proven track record as a leader and strategic thinker, I am increasingly looking to Emily as a transformational change agent at UNCG.”
 
Congratulations to Paul and Emily!