President Marcy Honored With Washington Center Award

Dominican University of California President Mary Marcy this week was awarded the 2020 William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education by The Washington Center (TWC) for Internships and Academic Seminars, in coordination with the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE).

The award recognizes President Marcy for her dedication to ensuring all students have the opportunity to apply classroom lessons in professional-world settings, a hallmark of experiential learning.

The William M. Burke Award for Excellence in Experiential Education was established in 2009. Past recipients have presided over distinct experiential learning efforts at public and private institutions from across the United States. The award will be presented at the 2020 NSEE Annual Conference and The Washington Center’s 45th Anniversary Celebration.

“It is an honor for TWC to recognize Dr. Marcy and her efforts to bring experiential learning prospects to every student at Dominican University,” said Chris Norton, President of The Washington Center. “That Dr. Mary Marcy is herself an alumna of TWC and benefitted from Bill Burke’s vision to empower young people from across the country through experiential learning demonstrates the impact such opportunities hold and the returns on investments in student experiences. I congratulate Dr. Marcy, and all of our nominees, for prioritizing experiential learning and opening avenues of possibilities to all students everywhere, even during the chaos of the current pandemic.”

Nominees for the award must have met the following criteria:

• Be a college or university president from an accredited institution of higher education in office during the 2019-2020 academic year.
• Champion experiential education as essential to the undergraduate experience.
• Demonstrated impact on student achievement through the following:

           •    Support for the establishment or expansion of a program to embrace or advance                           experiential education as an essential mode of learning.
           •    Exhibit entrepreneurial leadership in the advancement of experiential education.

           •    Promote the use of experiential education beyond their own campus.

• Sustain commitment to equity in expanding opportunities for students to participate in experiential education programs.

About Dominican University

Located just north of San Francisco, Dominican University of California delivers personal attention and real-world opportunities for students to flourish in college and in careers. The University’s nationally recognized signature program, the Dominican Experience, empowers students to find their own way while surrounded by a network of support, opportunity, and innovation. In 2020, Dominican was named the nation’s most transformative four-year university by the American Council on Education (ACE) in recognition of a deep commitment to student opportunity and success. The independent university, founded in 1890, offers undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, health sciences, and computer science and graduate programs in 10 disciplines.

About National Society for Experiential Education

National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) is a nonprofit membership organization composed of educators, businesses, and community leaders. Founded in 1971, the NSEE also serves as a national resource center for the development and improvement of experiential education programs nationwide.