The Frederick S. Lane Award
Professor Emeritus of Public Affairs, Frederick S. Lane introduced one of the first academic courses on nonprofits in the United States in the 1970s. This Special Topics course on the management of nonprofit organizations was reputed to be the first such graduate course to be taught in an accredited school of business or public administration in the US. The first official appearance of the course, with its own course number, was in Fall 1978. Lane was a full-time Baruch faculty member from 1972-2008. During his tenure, he taught courses focused on the effective management of public, nonprofit, and educational institutions; served as Chairperson of the Department of Public Administration and Program Director of the Executive MPA program; and created anthologies which are used in colleges and universities across the country. Fred was awarded with a special plaque to honor his service while attending the School’s 20th Anniversary Celebration in 2015.
For almost 50 years he was a fixture at CUNY, leaving an indelible impact on the people and programs of the School. Fred never disengaged from Baruch, having participated in the open forums for the Marxe Dean search in Spring 2022, the same year as his passing.
The first annual Frederick S. Lane Award Ceremony for Nonprofit Leadership was held on May 8, 2023.
Donate in support of a nonprofit lecture series in Fred’s name
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Jason Spicer, Assistant Professor at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, is the inaugural recipient of the Frederick S. Lane Teaching and Research Award. His winning project—“Sharing Expertise for Social Impact: Evidence-Based Strategies from the Project ECHO Model”— advances nonprofit management scholarship by examining how a global not-for-profit model has scaled innovative, cost-effective approaches to healthcare, education, and civic training across 193 countries. Dr. Spicer will use the award to complete a forthcoming book, under contract with Stanford University Press, that draws key lessons from Project ECHO for nonprofit leaders and educators. This project embodies the spirit of Fred Lane’s legacy, blending rigorous research with practical impact for the nonprofit sector.
Cheryl L. Dorsey is a trailblazer in the social entrepreneurship movement, and the president of Echoing Green, a global nonprofit that supports emerging social entrepreneurs and invests deeply in their ideas and leadership.