Dr. Richard Barke, an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy, was this year’s winner of the Ivan Allen Jr. Faculty Legacy Award.  The Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Awards honor faculty and students whose lives and work embody the spirit of Georgia Tech alumnus Ivan Allen Jr. (Commerce 1934). As stewards of Mayor Allen’s legacy, the College champions research, teaching, and service that encompass Mayor Allen’s visionary urban policies and his values of social courage, social justice, and ethical action.

Established in 2004 through the support of Ivan Allen Workspace, the awards have been generously underwritten since 2009 by Col. Stephen C. Hall, USAF (ret.) (IM 1967) and Mrs. Pamela Hall. Recipients are selected from nominees considered by the Legacy Awards Committee led by Associate Dean Dr. David Shook.  

When asked, Dr. Shook reported that the Legacy Award Committee was faced with a difficult decision this year, given the quality of the IAC faculty nominations that were received. However, the Committee was most impressed by the continuous dedication of Dr. Barke to Georgia Tech students over his 30+ years of service to the Institute, the Liberal Arts, and the School of Public Policy. He has been a tireless advocate for matching the rigorous, quality instructional mission of the Institute with the ever-evolving needs and abilities of the students. He champions the participation of students and the presence of the student voice in his own instruction and in the development of academic programs offered here. His fellow faculty members recognize his institutional knowledge and his ability to bring together faculty from across the Institute in productive decision-making processes. Dr. Barke is esteemed by his colleagues as well as by the students with whom he works and whom he teaches, no matter their particular areas of interest or concentration. 

More about Dr. Barke:

Richard Barke received a B.S. in Physics from Georgia Tech in 1972 where he developed an interest in science policy. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Rochester, taught at the University of Houston, then returned to Tech in 1987. The next year he was tasked by then-president Patrick Crecine with chairing a committee to create what was to become the Ivan Allen College, then with chairing the creation of the School of Public Policy. This experience with intense campus politics (and a book on science policy) prepared him to serve for two years as a consultant for the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government on science budgeting and expert advising for Congress, then for the Belgian government. He chaired the School of Public Policy, was elected twice as chair of the campus Executive Board, then was associate dean of Ivan Allen College from 1999 to 2006. Since then he has been the director of undergraduate studies in the School of Public Policy. His research and teaching focuses on regulatory policy, science and technology policy, and political processes. He currently is writing a book on policy-making for the long term.

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See the 2020 Program

Dr. Barke’s Bio