Award Recipient: Ralph Ketcham

Professor Emeritus of History, Public Affairs, and Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

The Onondaga Citizens League (OCL) awarded the 2012 Levi L. Smith Civic Education Award to Ralph Ketcham, professor emeritus of History, Public Affairs, and Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, at its annual meeting held at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo June 6, 2012.

Ketcham began his career at SU as a graduate fellow in 1951 and received his Ph.D. in 1956. He was named Professor of American Studies and Public Affairs at SU in 1963, Professor of Political Science in 1965, Professor of History in 1968, and Maxwell Professor of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1994. His specialties include American political thought, the era of the American Revolution, public policy, and comparative political cultures. He is the author of scores of books and other publications including, most recently, The Madisons at Montpelier; Reflections on the Founding Couple (2009), and The Idea of Democracy in the Modern Era (Univ. Press of Kansas, 2004). Ketcham is presently working on a manuscript, “The American Political Science Association and the Teaching of Democracy and Citizenship in the Twentieth Century.”  In 2003, Ketcham received the George Arents Pioneer Medal, which recognizes career accomplishment and is the highest alumni honor Syracuse University bestows.

The Onondaga Citizens League, administered and supported by University College of Syracuse University, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization designed to promote citizen education and involvement in public affairs. OCL was created in 1978 by a group of concerned citizens to study problems and propose solutions to issues facing Central New York. The League does not promote specific legislation nor function as a lobbying group. For more information, visit the web site, http://onondagacitzensleague.org, or call 315-443-4846.