Professor Honored with NJ ASPA 2019 Academic of the Year Award  

Professor Roseanne Mirabella is presented NJ ASPA Award by Timothy Hoffman.

The New Jersey Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (NJ ASPA) presented Roseanne Mirabella, Ph.D., with its 2019 Academic of the Year Award for her academic publication record and important contributions to public service at its annual awards ceremony on May 7.

Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs and executive director of the Center for Community Research and Engagement, Mirabella's scholarship throughout the year appeared in seven major publications, including "Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership," "Nongovernmental Organization Case Studies in Leadership From Around the World," and "Reframing Nonprofit Management: Democracy, Inclusion and Social Change."

In presenting the award, former student and colleague Timothy Hoffman '15/M.P.A. '16, said, "I have had the privilege of seeing Roseanne as a professor, mentor, colleague, and friend, and I have seen the enormous impact she has on so many lives, including my own." Hoffman serves as the director for the Center for Community Research and Engagement at Seton Hall.

"We live in challenging times with limited resources available to do this important work. Public service is so important, particularly for those living in marginalized communities. I encouraged those present to focus their efforts towards assisting those living on the margins in gaining agency for themselves and providing avenues for self-advocacy," said Mirabella.

Mirabella teaches and conducts research on nonprofit organizations, nongovernmental organizations, public service organizations and sustainable development and commended for her long history of teaching and mentoring public administration and nonprofit management students at Seton Hall. The first director of the University Core Curriculum, she served for nine years as co-chair of the Faculty Senate's Core Curriculum Committee, which developed and implemented the first university-wide curriculum for undergraduate. Active in faculty governance, she was elected to three terms as Chair of the Faculty Senate.

Mirabella has chaired the Nonprofit Policy, Practice and Partnerships section for ASPA for the past two years, and sits on the Executive Committee for the national section. She is also on the Executive Committee of NJ ASPA. Earlier in her career, she served as president of the North Jersey Chapter of ASPA. She is extremely active in the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), serving in numerous capacities including the Board of Trustees, as President from 2011-12 as well as secretary of the association and vice chair of ARNOVA's Section on Theories, Issues and Boundaries.

A Vailsburg native, she has been praised for the community renaissance project she developed, a model partnership with Unified Vailsburg Services Organization and other local nonprofit organizations in Newark that enables students, faculty and community participants to develop programs to address locally identified concerns. She is the 2013 recipient of the Justice William J. Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award for her service to the Vailsburg Community.

Her community service includes having been a member of her local Board of Education, elected to four three-year terms and as well as serving on the Board of Trustees of the Somerset Hills YMCA.