Former MSU President M. Peter McPherson received a national award earlier this week for his years of public service.
The award, a National Public Service Award, honors McPherson for work throughout his career dealing with international humanitarian issues in places such as Peru, Iraq and Africa.
"I've been involved in public administration (and) public service a good share of my career," said McPherson, MSU's 19th president who left the university in January. "This is a nice career award."
He was nominated for the national award by Gregg Guetschow, president of the Michigan Capital Area Chapter of The American Society for Public Administration, or ASPA, one of the organizations that presented the award. The other was the National Academy of Public Administration.
Last year, McPherson was awarded the Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan chapter of ASPA, the highest honor the chapter can award, Guetschow said.
"We had already last year recognized his contributions to public service and his leadership qualities," Guetschow said. "The same characteristics that we recognized were recognized by the selection committee for the national award as well."
Before becoming MSU's president in 1993, McPherson served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru and an administrator for the Agency for International Development. In 2003, he took a leave of absence from MSU to work as a financial coordinator for the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq.
He currently is working in Washington with the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa.
The national award is not monetary, but provides recognition for the recipients.
"People who have done very well in public service over a course of time - it's their entire career," said Charlene Walsh, administrative assistant with the National Academy of Public Administration. Walsh said a screening committee and selection committee review the award's submissions and rank them.
McPherson called MSU spokesman Terry Denbow from Milwaukee, where he was presented with the award.
"It is especially impressive because it recognizes a career - not just an individual accomplishment," Denbow said. "Careers in public service have marked many of our distinguished alumni, and he is certainly one of those."
