Honored for Cultivating Civic Engagement

Leah Murray, a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor and director of Weber State’s Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service, received the 2025 Barbara Burch Award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities this past summer.

The AASCU’s American Democracy Project, an initiative focused on higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed and engaged citizens, presents the award to faculty who’ve demonstrated exemplary contributions to students’ civic learning and engagement.

“Many people in America talk about our country as though it’s a final product,” Murray said. “But as founding father Ben Franklin taught us, it’s a republic if we can keep it. Civic engagement is the way we keep this republic. I’m passionate about this work, always, because America is a work in progress.”

Murray has led efforts to increase student voter engagement on campus, placed WSU students in valuable internships, and coordinated programming to encourage active citizenship. Outside WSU, she’s called on as a local expert for news segments or community events, speaking on topics ranging from elections to policy updates.