2013 Plater Award Presented to Fresno State’s Provost William A. Covino

CSU Fresno’s Provost William A. Covino has been awarded AASCU’s 2013 William M. Plater Award for Leadership in Civic Engagement. He was presented with the award at the American Democracy Project national meeting in Denver on June 7, 2013.

William Covino, 2012 Plater Award recipient

Each year we recognize an AASCU Chief Academic Officer (CAO) for his or her leadership in institutionalizing civic engagement on their campus. The William Plater Award for Leadership in Civic Engagement, established in 2006,  is designed to recognize the critical role of the chief academic officer in advancing the civic mission of the campus through curricular reform, public advocacy, accountability for institutional citizenship, faculty development and recruitment, and partnerships with community organizations. The Plater Award is the first national award established specifically to honor and recognize CAOs for their leadership in higher education and is funded through the generosity of AASCU member campus Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis.

“Among an impressive group of finalists for the William M. Plater Award, Provost William Covino stood out,” said George Mehaffy, AASCU’s vice president for academic leadership and change. “He has an amazing vision for the role of the university in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens.

“I was impressed with how comprehensive civic engagement is at Fresno State. Bill’s leadership connected his campus to all corners of his community, improving the educational outcomes at Fresno State and enriching the community it serves,” Mehaffy said.

On May 22, the California State University Board of Trustees named Covino the next president at California State University, Los Angeles. Covino will begin his new position on Sept. 1. He has been provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Fresno State since 2009.

Under Covino’s leadership, the Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning helped volunteer service by Fresno State students, faculty, staff and administrators exceed 1 million hours for three straight years. Service hours totaled 1,129,004 in the 2011-2012 academic year. The volunteer work was done by 16,405 people, including 16,258 of approximately 21,000 students at Fresno State.

From left to right: Vince Magnuson (2011 Recipient), William Covino (2013 Recipient), AASCU’s George Mehaffy, and Mel Netzhammer (2012 Recipient)

According to philanthropic standards, the estimated economic impact of Fresno State’s community service was greater than $28.5 million in the past year.

“This is a great recognition of the commitment of so many at Fresno State to creating a true and lasting university-community partnership, and to the ethic of engagement, service and citizenship that is so deeply held by our faculty, staff and students,” Covino said of the award.

Related Links:

Provost Covino: http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/

William M. Plater Award: www.aascu.org/programs/adp/awards/WilliamPlater