Harvard University professor David J. Deming has been selected to receive the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize for his contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management. Professor Mark W. Lipsey of Vanderbilt University has been selected to receive the Peter H. Rossi Award for contributions to the theory or practice of program evaluation. Dr. Deming and Dr. Lipsey will be honored at the 2018 APPAM Fall Research Conference in Washington, DC, this November.
David N. Kershaw Award
Deming has conducted extensive research in the areas of secondary education and employment training and job skills. He directs the Harvard Inequality and Social Policy program at the Kennedy School’s Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy and helped to establish the Collegiate Leaders in Increasing MoBility (CLIMB) Initiative, a partnership between colleges and universities, policymakers, and researchers that seeks to better understand higher education’s role in facilitating social mobility.
“David’s work embodies APPAM’s mission to improve public policy through research and analysis that moves the needle on our biggest social challenges,” said APPAM President-Elect and Mathematica vice president Matthew Stagner. “His research on the importance of education and training has not only advanced our collective understanding of the issues at play, but his approach through CLIMB highlights the role researchers can play in finding real-world solutions, as well.”
Deming is the 19th winner of the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize, established to recognize young professionals under the age of 40 who have made distinguished contributions to the field of public policy. The award, consisting of commemorative medal and cash prize, is offered every other year.
David N. Kershaw, for whom the award is named, was the first president of Mathematica Policy Research. The award and prize, first presented in 1983, is made possible by a memorial endowment established in Kershaw's honor after his death from cancer at the age of 37.
Peter H. Rossi Award
Lipsey’s research has been supported bymajor federal fundingagencies andfoundations and recognized byawards from Vanderbilt Universityand major professional organizations.His published works include textbooks on program evaluation, meta-analysis, and statisticalpower as well as articles on applied methods and the effectiveness of school and community programs for youth.
As one nominator wrote, “In sum, Mark Lipsey embodies all the best characteristics that PeterRossi himself embodied. He is thoughtful, thorough, and creative and uses his gifts to exploreissues of great importance, the findings for which then yield highlyapplicable practice and policyimplications.”
Lipsey recentlystepped down as the Director of the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, a unit devoted to research on interventions for at-risk populations. After amore than forty-year career in program evaluation, he has recentlytransitioned to what he calls“semi-retirement” but maintains an appointment as Research Professor in the PeabodyCollegeDepartment of Human and Organizational Development.
The Rossi Award, managed by the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, honors the lifetime achievements of Peter Rossi (1921–2006) by recognizing important contributions to the theory or practice of program evaluation. The award may be for a recent paper, publication, or for an entire body of work. The Rossi Award is given out every other year.
Both recipients will deliver talks at the 2018 APPAM Fall Research Conference on Friday afternoon, November 9. Lipsey’s Super Session entitled “Roiling the Waters: Controversy Over the First Longitudinal Randomized Student of a State Pre-K Program” will be held at 1:30 pm, followed by Deming’s Super Session entitled “What Does Education Do?” at 3:15 pm. They will then receive the awards during the Presidential Address and APPAM Awards beginning at 5:00 pm. All conference attendees are welcome to join both Super Sessions and the Presidential Address, as well as the Presidential Reception at 6:30 pm.