TAMIU's Dr. Peter F. Haruna Receives 2026 NASPAA Leslie A. Whittington Excellence in Teaching Award
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Professor of Public Administration and Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program Director Dr. Peter F. Haruna has been selected to receive the 2026 Leslie A. Whittington Excellence in Teaching Award from the Network of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration and the global standard in Public Service Education (NASPAA).
The Award recognizes NASPAA-affiliated institutional faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching public policy, public affairs or public administration over an extended period, generally 10 years or more. Recipients demonstrate sustained excellence in designing and delivering courses based on NASPAA accreditation standards, advising and mentoring students, and engaging with and contributing to the scholarship of teaching and public affairs education.
In announcing the Award, NASPAA invited Haruna to be recognized during the 2026 NASPAA Global Conference, scheduled for Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 at the Hyatt Regency in Seattle. He will receive the award during the Conference's awards luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 1.
Haruna, who has dedicated more than 25 years to teaching, research and service at TAMIU, said the national recognition is an honor not only for him, but also for the University's MPA Program.
"This is exciting news. A national award of this kind is a great honor not only to me personally, but also to our MPA Program and our University," Haruna said, "I wish to thank the NASPAA Award Selection Committee for their consideration, and my University's leaders, faculty colleagues, MPA graduates and students for their support and encouragement during my quarter-century of teaching, researching, and service."
Since its establishment in 1999, TAMIU's NASPAA-accredited Master of Public Administration Program has graduated over 250 distinguished public service professionals. During Haruna's tenure, the program has expanded from a traditional face-to-face format to a fully online degree program and has established partnerships with the City of Laredo, Webb County, the Laredo Police Department, and universities in Ghana and South Africa. His extensive research and scholarship includes three co-edited books, most notably, "Public Administration Education and Training in Africa,” and several peer reviewed articles published in the Journal of Public Affairs Education, NASPAA’s flagship journal. A Senior Fulbright Scholar to Ghana, Haruna received the Jean-Claude García-Zamor Best Paper Award from the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) for a paper he co-authored on community-centered governance in Ghana. He is also the recipient of TAMIU’s 2022 Senator Judith Zaffirini’s Award for Leadership and Scholarship, among several others.
NASPAA, the global standard in Public Service Education is a nonprofit membership association with more than 300 institutional member schools at U.S. and non-U.S. universities and is the recognized global accreditor of master's degree programs in public administration, public policy, public affairs, nonprofit and related fields.
For more information, please contact the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180 or email prmis@tamiu.edu.
Registration for Summer and Fall 2026 classes at TAMIU is underway online via Uconnect. To learn more about TAMIU's registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at go.tamiu.edu/registration.
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