Connerly Receives Brody Award for Faculty Service

May 13, 2015

Dr. Charles Connerly, Professor and Director of UI School of Urban and Regional Planning, and PPC Executive Committee member, was one of two recipients of the 2015 Michael J. Brody Award for Faculty Excellence in Service.  Connerly was nominated by PPC Director Peter Damiano.  

The Brody Award was created by faculty, for faculty, and is awarded in memory of Professor Michael J. Brody.  All recipients of the award must hold faculty rank in a tenure-­track or clinical-track position at The University of Iowa and must also meet the following criteria:

  • Their service must stand out as a set of exceptionally effective contributions to the University or its external constituencies.
  • Their service must manifest exceptional imagination and dedication for improving the University or for meeting - on its behalf - the needs of external constituents.
  • Their service must extend over several years.
  • Their service includes diverse formal and informal activities of high quality in faculty governance, committee work, policy improvement, program creation, aid to external constituencies, and the like. (A single sustained activity of extraordinary excellence may qualify the faculty member for this award.)
  • Their service has been performed primarily as faculty members. This may include but should not be limited to service as a departmental executive officer. The awards are not for institutional service by administrators, though people currently serving as administrators may qualify on the basis of their service as faculty.

Damiano wrote in his nomination letter:

"The Public Policy Center has benefitted directly from Dr. Connerly’s contributions to further the PPC’s mission of providing policymakers and the public with information to make our lives and communities thrive in sustainable ways through academic research. Since 2008, he has been a member of the PPC Executive Committee, the body that advises on the overall vision for the center, the development of strategic goals, and the evaluation of existing efforts. He has also been a big supporter and contributor to our community engagement events. The School of Urban and Regional Planning has been a co-sponsor for the vast majority of these events due to the value that Dr. Connerly places on sharing the expertise of the University with policymakers and the public.

Indirectly related to the PPC is the way Dr. Connerly changed the emphasis of the major projects undertaken by the students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, many who were also graduate research assistants at the PPC, to better emphasize the value that the University can have in helping to plan initiatives in cities and towns in Iowa. The impact that these student projects have on cities such as Dubuque and Muscatine is very significant and provides a lasting image of a University that cares about the citizens of the state."  To read the full nomination letter, click here.

Connerly acknowledged the award by saying, "I am very proud to receive this award and very thankful to my peers for recognizing me in this way.  This recognition reflects the affection I have for the University of Iowa during my nearly seven years here...I have been buoyed by the support and affection of my colleagues."