Drew Hyman Honored For Service

March 20, 2003
University Park, Pa. – Drew Hyman, professor of public policy and community systems, has been awarded the 2003 Barash Award for Human Service.  

            The annual Barash Award for Human Service was created in 1975 by the family of the late Sy Barash. It honors a full-time member of the faculty, staff or student body on the University Park Campus who, apart from his or her regular duties, has contributed the most to public service activities and organizations, or the welfare of fellow human beings.

            For the past decade, Hyman has been especially active in organizing and often moderating the Public Issues Forums in Centre County. The focus is on seeking common ground among dissenting groups using deliberative democracy as an alternative to adversarial public debate. Thousands of persons from all walks of life have attended the sessions and have been led to assume a more assertive role in civic affairs. For the past eight years, Hyman has been a member of the State College Planning Commission, serving as chairman from 1997-2003. 

            Hyman was also active in the Technical Oversight Committee for Vision 2020: Living with 1-99. This project, funded by state and local government and administered by the Clearwater Conservancy District, proactively guides the expected economic, demographic and environment changes anticipated as a result of the I-99 construction. 

            Hyman serves as faculty adviser, co-project director and participating instructor for the two-year Rural Leadership Program (RULE), that teaches leadership skills to rural citizens and public officials. In 1990, he volunteered to work with the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, Scanning Certification Board to ensure super market pricing accuracy by providing certification to individual stores meeting board standards. The program now incorporates more than 1,100 stores from New England to Florida, and pricing accuracy in those stores approaches 99 percent. For nearly a decade, he was on the board of directors of Temporary Housing, Inc., created in Centre County to help adults and families in need of shelter and housing assistance.

            In 2001, Hyman provided leadership in designing and implementing a graduate certificate program in Community and Economic Development (CEDEV) through Penn State's World Campus that prepares community leaders, public officials and private citizens for more effective civic involvement.

Contact:  Vicki Fong at 814-865-9481 or vfong@psu.edu