Dr. Lorden and the 2015 Plater Award recipient, Dr. Michael Vaughan of Weber State University (Utah). Photo by Amy Rankin.
Congratulations to UNC Charlotte‘s Joan Lorden, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, for being the 2016 recipient of the William M. Plater Award for Leadership in Civic Engagement. The national award is presented by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, as part of the American Democracy Project. Lorden was honored for championing a deeper commitment to civic engagement on campus and in the community. Her initiatives include curricular reform, faculty development, innovative civic research initiatives, and community collaborations.
“Dr. Lorden’s thoughtful, deliberative approach to education, research and community engagement has had a tremendous impact on the long-term vitality of the Charlotte community and has raised the quality of intellectual life in the region,” says UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois. The award is named after William M. Plater, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis’ (IUPUI) chief academic officer from 1987 through 2006.
Lorden was recognized on June 2 at the 2016 ADP/TDC/NASPA Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting (CLDE) in Indianapolis.
Lorden joined UNC Charlotte as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2003. As a catalyst for civic engagement and service learning at UNC Charlotte, Lorden provided leadership that has resulted in the University’s receiving multiple honors for its civic engagement efforts from Pathways to Achieving Civic Engagement (PACE), the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Charlotte Chamber, and North Carolina Campus Compact.
Lorden also supported the creation of a standing, cross-divisional Civic Engagement Council to provide oversight and leadership to the university’s civic and community engagement work. Among the many civic engagement initiatives she helped develop is the 49er Democracy Experience, a campus-wide, non-partisan effort to engage students in elections and civic life.
Portions of this post were taken from this UNCC news release and from an AASCU news release.