The La Follette School of Public Affairs is home to some of the most esteemed academics in the world who are dedicated to studying and improving public policy. In recognition of this, several faculty members received prestigious awards and honors this past semester.
Mark Copelovitch
Professor Copelovitch was named in May 2023 as a recipient of the prestigious Berlin Prize awarded by The American Academy in Berlin for 2023-2024. He is one of just 26 recipients of the prize awarded annually to U.S.-based scholars, writers, composers, and artists who represent the highest standards of excellence in their fields. As a Spring 2024 Fellow, Copelovitch will be working on a new book project, “Dollar Signs: U.S. Financial Dominance and the Future of American Power, Prosperity, and Democracy,” which explores the causes and consequences of the U.S. dollar’s continued dominance in global finance and the international monetary system.
Sarah Halpern-Meekin
Professor Halpern-Meekin was named a Vaughan Bascom Professor effective July 2023. The coveted professorship is named in honor of the University of Wisconsin’s fifth president, John Bascom, who helped inspire the Wisconsin Idea. This professorship includes an annual allocation that will help support Halpern-Meekin’s research, which includes examining the experiences of mothers who are receiving unconditional cash transfers throughout their children’s early years.
Tana Johnson
Associate Professor Johnson was one of just 23 from across UW–Madison to be named a Vilas Associate by The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education in March 2023. The competition recognizes “new and ongoing research of the highest quality and significance.” Johnson will receive salary support for research during the summers of 2023 and 2024, as well as a flexible research fund in each of the two fiscal years. Johnson’s research examines U.S. foreign policy, including the operations and design of international institutions like the United Nations.
Timothy Smeeding
Professor Smeeding was honored with the Robert J. Lapham Award in New Orleans in April 2023 at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America. Smeeding was recognized for his contributions to the population profession through the application of demographic knowledge to policy issues. It was a fitting tribute to Smeeding, who retired at the end of the 2022-2023 school year after a long and distinguished career.
Manuel P. Teodoro
Professor Teodoro was honored with the Robert F. and Sylvia T. Wagner Distinguished Faculty Award from the College of Letters & Sciences in February 2023. This distinction confers a title and comes with research funds annually for five years so Teodoro can continue to pursue his research on the intersection of politics, public policy, and public management.
Congratulations to all the La Follette faculty for their well-deserved honors!