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SPEA's Bingham is first to be named to Keller-Runden Chair in Public Service
Oct. 27, 1999
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University has named the first appointee to a new endowed chair. Lisa Bingham, an associate professor of public and environmental affairs, has been named to the Keller-Runden Chair in Public Service.
The new chair is funded by a $1 million bequest to the school from Eloise Beardsley, an IU alumnus from Savannah, Ga.
Named in honor of Beardsley's late husband, Robert Keller, and her daughter, Linda Runden, the chair "goes right to the heart of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs," according to the school's dean, A. James Barnes. Both Keller, who was killed in action in Europe in 1944, and Runden are IU alumni.
"Mrs. Beardsley's most generous bequest is the perfect gift to help us underscore and advance our service to the many publics the school serves in our state, our nation, and -- increasingly -- around the globe," Barnes said.
The new chair is intended to offer a SPEA faculty member the opportunity to focus a significant portion of time on public service, particularly service-learning that will involve students from the school.
Bingham, who received her law degree in 1979 from the University of Connecticut, joined the SPEA faculty in 1992 after practicing law for 10 years. Her undergraduate degree was earned at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. She has received several teaching awards from both IU and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, including membership in FACET, IU's coveted peer-reviewed teaching honor.
In 1997, Bingham co-founded the Indiana Conflict Resolution Institute within SPEA, and she now serves as its director. Her work in alternative dispute resolution includes consultation with such agencies as the United States Postal Service, the United States Air Force, and the National Institutes of Health.
Bingham said the Keller-Runden chair will assist the school with an ambitious program of new student fellowships for hands-on learning, while providing nonprofit and public agencies a critical new alternative to costly and lengthy legal dispute resolution.
SPEA, a nationally top-ranked professional school recognized for its interdisciplinary faculty and research, was founded in 1972. The school offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees on IU campuses in Bloomington, Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne, Kokomo, South Bend and Gary.
(Sandra Bate, SPEA, 812-856-5490, sbate@indiana.edu)