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Outstanding mentor
Award from national criminal justice academy
Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011
By Phyllis Shier, College of Arts and Sciences
PULLMAN - Nicholas Lovrich, Regents professor of political science, will receive the 2011 Outstanding Mentor Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) during a March 4 conference in Toronto, Canada.
Lovrich earned the distinction for his “substantial contributions to the academic/professional growth and development of students and other colleagues in the field of criminal justice.”
Two former students nominated him: Mary K. Stohr, professor of criminal justice at Boise State University, and Craig Curtis, associate professor and chair of political science at Bradley University.
“Nick has always served as a shining example of what an academic and scholar should be," Stohr wrote. "(His) students are employed across the country in criminal justice departments where they are modeling Nick’s excellent mentorship practices and tactics for their own students. I can conceive of no better mentor.”
Inspired by mentors in his life, Lovrich has been honored for service to students and the profession before. He received the National Outstanding Mentoring Award from the American Political Science Association in 2008 and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s Faculty Mentor of the Year award in 2000.
“Nick … is still my inspiration for how scholars should conduct themselves in all aspects of their lives,” Curtis wrote. “(He) has mentored countless master and doctoral level graduate students and junior faculty members over the years (and)… seeks out research collaboration opportunities with former students."
Recently, Lovrich coauthored the book, "State and Local Government: Sustainability in the 21st Century" (Oxford University Press), with Christopher A. Simon (Ph.D. '97, political science) and Brent S. Steel (Ph.D. '84, political science).
“Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of mentoring doctoral students is being able to observe the professional successes of one’s students as they come into their own," Lovrich said. "I deeply appreciate having them attribute some portion of that success to my mentoring.”
Lovrich is associate chair of the political science department, director of graduate studies and former director of the Division of Governmental Studies and Services at WSU. He received his Ph.D. in political Science from UCLA.
He specializes in public administration, public policy analysis, public personnel administration, natural resource and environmental administration, media and politics, and state and local government. His research has appeared in publications such as Justice Quarterly, Criminal Justice Policy Review, Crime and Delinquency, and Journal of Criminal Justice.
See an earlier article about Lovrich's skills as a mentor here.
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