MPA Awards

Jack F. Isakoff Memorial Scholarship Award

The Jack F. Isakoff Memorial Scholarship was established in honor and memory of Professor Emeritus Jack Isakoff and is awarded to an outstanding Southern Illinois University graduate student enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program with a primary interest in state and local government.

2021-2022 Recipient

Marshall Brown

Marshall is a MPA student who also works full-time as a Congressional field representative. During his time in the MPA program he has worked as a graduate assistant and served as a student representative on the MPA advisory board. The MPA program at SIU has prepared Marshall for a lifelong career in public service.

Previous winners of the Jack F. Isakoff Scholarship and their current occupation

• 2019 - Abigail Beckerman (Executive Assistant at Rolling Meadows Chamber) & Roman Bhattarai (Continuing his education, MS in Accounting, at Illinois State University)
• 2018 - Margaret McKenzie (Case Manager at QMHP)
• 2017 - Jeffrey Davis (Director of Finance at the City of Carbondale) & Eric Secrist (Career Development Specialist at Southern Illinois University)
• 2016 - Martisia Mitchell (Real Estate Relator – Chicago Area) & Elizabeth Moore (Administrative Manager at Queen of Peace Center)
• 2015 - Stephanie Mayberry (Legal Administrative Assistant at Alston & Bird LLP) & Benjamin Koehn (Correctional Lieutenant for the Illinois Department of Corrections)
• 2014 - Victoria Ritchie (Small Business Program Manager at the Arizona Commerce Authority) & Katharine Volle (Water and Billing Manager for Murphysboro)

 Keith Snavely Public Affairs and Administration Scholarship

Recipients must be full-time students in the MPA program, maintain a level of outstanding academic achievement, and show exceptional potential for contributing to the field of public service. The selection committee consisted of the core MPA faculty members.

2021-2022 Recipients

Savannah Long

Savannah is a full-time track and field student athlete with an excellent academic record. This past summer she completed internships with the City of Dekalb’s police and public works departments and unmistakably is setting the stage for an outstanding public service career.

Warefta Rahman

Warefta is from Bangladesh and also maintains an excellent GPA. She did her internship this past summer in Bangladesh with the Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI), a non-governmental organization in Bangladesh which promotes Right to Information (RTI) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Warefta is clearly using her time in the MPA program to lay the building blocks for lifelong service in public administration.