A Round of Applause: TLU’s Dr. William O’Brochta Honored by APSA

The American Political Science Association has been around for well over a hundred years and is the leading professional organization for the study of political science the world over. The Civic Engagement Section within the association, founded in 2020, promotes civic engagement teaching, research, and practice.

Every year, the APSA Civic Engagement Section honors individuals in the field who are doing exceptional work. This year, Texas Lutheran University's Dr. William O'Brochta, assistant professor of political science, has won the Emerging Scholar Award, which "recognizes an individual who is making notable contributions in the teaching and/or research of civic engagement within five years of earning their terminal degree and whose career to date demonstrates significant promise in this area." The recipient is selected by a committee of faculty from various colleges and universities around the country.

O'Brochta, who earned his PhD at Washington University in 2021, said he's honored to receive the award. "Civic engagement is an integral part of my scholarship and teaching. This award recognizes the national leadership role that TLU's political science program has, leading conversations on civic engagement pedagogy, scholarship, and practice. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues from colleges and universities around the country to bring the absolute best civic engagement work to TLU and to our community."

Teaching students the significance of being civically engaged is important to O'Brochta-and to TLU-because it means that they will take to heart the value of participating in community life and of being informed citizens, and that they will know the power carried by their vote, their volunteer hours, their work-both for the good of the individual and that of the larger community. Inspiring students to value civic engagement-making it matter to them-isn't something that can be taught from a book. O'Brochta weaves acts of everyday citizen leadership right into the curriculum.

"The TLU political science program focuses on preparing students to be civically engaged and informed citizens who are actively involved in making their local communities better," he said. "My scholarly work on representation in the Global South has immediate impact with our students when teaching them how these topics apply to local community problems and issues. At its core, civic engagement is about building community, and developing and fostering community-both among our students and with the TLU campus and Seguin communities-are key transferrable skills that our students develop and practice."