Political Science Professor and Chair of Barry University’s History and Political Science department, Dr. Sean D. Foreman, has been named Public Educator of the Year for 2021. The South Florida Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) bestowed the honor during the group’s annual awards reception, which was held virtually in June.
The award recognizes Dr. Foreman’s tireless commitment to educating, mentoring, and inspiring Barry students to become engaged citizens and public servants. Over the course of his twenty-year career, he has taught a wide range of government and public policy courses while also actively serving on various university committees. He has served as the advisor to the College Democrats, College Republicans, and Model United Nations student clubs and is a founder and co-chair of the campus-wide, interdepartmental Campus Democracy Project. From 2008 to 2012, he hosted the “World of Politics” talk show on Barry’s campus radio station, WBRY.
Beyond his contributions to the Barry community, Dr. Foreman has served as president and secretary of the Florida Political Science Association and co-edited a series of books about local and national elections. His co-edited book Local Politics and Mayoral Elections in 21st Century America: The Keys to City Hall (Taylor & Francis 2014) is part of the Routledge Research in Urban Politics and Policy Series. Dr. Foreman has also become a trusted voice in Miami-area news media, having appeared as a political analyst on numerous radio and television programs, including WPBT-TV’s “Issues,” which he occasional guest hosts. In 2012, he received the Florida Campus Compact Graham-Frey Civic Award. Last year, he was a prominent presence during South Florida’s local election season, as he moderated several Miami-Dade County mayoral and commissioner forums as part of the first-ever Candidate Forum Series. The series was held via Zoom as a means to inform voters during the COVID crisis.
The ASPA is a national professional organization for public administrators, and its South Florida Chapter enjoys a diverse and active membership. Along with Dr. Foreman, this year’s award recipients included local political leaders and notable nonprofit organizations such as Miami’s ACLU and Farm Share.
Congratulations, Dr. Foreman, for this well-deserved honor!