Dr. Sarah Surak

Dr. Sarah Surak holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor in the Departments of Political Science and Environmental Studies at Salisbury University. Her research spans the topics of environmental political theory, social theory, civic engagement, and critical public administration, and has appeared in journals such as New Political Science, Capitalism Nature Socialism, Administrative Theory & Praxis, and the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. Her book, Governing Waste: Politics, Process, and Public Administration (expected Routledge 2019), assesses the practices of sustainability and waste management by municipal authorities.

Dr. Surak also co-Directs Salisbury University’s Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. With her colleague, Dr. Sandy Pope, she oversees daily operations, a multi-year research project to collect and analyze data on the delivery of a civic engagement curricular and co-curricular programming, and the Center for Civic Reflection. Surak and Pope are the 2019 recipients of the Wilson H. Elkins Professorship from the University System of Maryland to support these efforts.

Courses with a Civic Engagement Component
- ENVR 499: Senior Seminar – Fall 2018
- POSC 360: Environmental Policy – Fall 2018
- ENVR 499: Senior Seminar – Spring 2018
- ENVR 302: Society and Environment – Spring 2018
- ENVR 315: Garbage and Everyday Life – Spring 2018
- POSC 440: Public Administration – Fall 2017
- ENVR 499: Senior Seminar – Spring 2017
- ENVR 499: Senior Seminar – Spring 2016
- POSC 360 Environmental Policy – Fall 2014
Civic Engagement Publications

Surak, S., and A. Pope. (2016). Engaging the Educators: Facilitating Civic Engagement through Faculty Development. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 20 (3), 41-62.

Surak, S., Jenson, C., Pope, A., and M. McCartney. (2017). “Assessing Faculty Development Seminars to Support Civic Engagement.” In Rios, A., McCartney, M., Bennion, E.A., and D.W. Simpson (eds.) Teaching Civic Engagement: From Student to Active Citizen. Washington, DC: American Political Science Association.
Civic Engagement Invited Lectures and Conference Presentations

“Teaching Sustainability through Campus and Community Engagement: A Case Study from Salisbury University (USA),” Institución Universitaria ITSA, Barranquilla, Colombia, November 3, 2017.

“Civic Engagement Across the Institution: A Perspective from the United States,” Jahrestagung des Hochschulnetzwerks Bildung durch Verantwortung e.V. mit dem Themenschwerpunkt „Europa mitgestalten – Shaping the Future of Europe,” Frankfurt, Germany, May 28-29, 2018 with Alexander Pope.

“Democracy Across the Disciplines: Engaging Students in the Study and Practice through an Interdisciplinary, Team-Taught course.” American Political Science Association Teaching and Learning Conference, Baltimore, MD, February 2-4, 2018.

“Scholar-Teacher-Activist: The long march through the institutions?” American Political Science Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA, September 1-4, 2017.

“Assessing Campus Culture for Civic Engagement,” ADP/TDC/NASPA Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting, Baltimore, MD, June 8-10, 2017 with Michael Webber and Maarten Pereboom.

“Students Helping Students to Vote: Does Engagement Lead to Efficacy?” ADP/TDC/NASPA Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting, Baltimore, MD, June 8-10, 2017 with Adam Hoffman.

“The Power Dialog as a Collaborative Regional Capstone/Keystone Experience, Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, Washington, DC, June 8-11, 2016 with Berry Munchnick.

“Innovations in Citizenship Education: Experiential Learning, Faculty Development and Assessment.” ADP/TDC/NASPA Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, June 2-4, 2016 with Alexander Pope and Maarten Pereboom.

“Engaging the Educators: Facilitating Civic Engagement through Faculty Development,” American Political Science Association Teaching & Learning Conference, Washington, DC, January 16-18, 2016 with Alexander Pope.

“Institutionalizing Civic Engagement through Faculty Development,” American Democracy Project National Meeting, Louisville, KY, June 5-7, 2014 with Alexander Pope and Maarten Pereboom.