AX SHERMAN will retire from the deanship of the LBJ School at the end of August after a 14-year tenure as dean. When he came to the School in 1983, he brought a distinguished record of service in higher education and government that included seven years in the Texas Senate and four years as president of West Texas State University. This background, and a continuing commitment to the public service component of the School's program, has served the LBJ School well. In the words of former Dean Elspeth Rostow:
"Among Max Sherman's many contributions to the LBJ School during his long tenure as Dean, particularly notable has been his skill in narrowing the distance between the School and the public sector. At his behest, practitioners have contributed valuably to the School while, at the same time, students, faculty, staff, and alumni have had increasing opportunities to share in the work of government at all levels and to contribute their talents and their research to the solution of public problems. Through all these efforts, under Dean Sherman's direction, the School has gained an enhanced national and international reputation as an outstanding graduate program dedicated to public service in its fullest sense. The LBJ community, including its burgeoning network of graduates, owes Dean Sherman a great debt of gratitude for his patient and informed leadership over more than half of our first quarter century."
Dean Sherman's public service activities during his years as dean have been continuous and varied. In addition to holding numerous appointments to public boards and commissions, he has been active in national organizations that promote excellence in government, most notably the Ford Foundation's National Committee on Innovations in American Government and the National Commission on the State and Local Public Service. He has also been a leader in national organizations devoted to the profession of public affairs, including the National Academy of Public Administration and the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.
Dean Sherman has led the LBJ School as an institution in the direction of public service by supporting the sponsorship of professional development programs for state and local public officials, fostering partnerships with government and nonprofit groups to conduct research and sponsor public forums, and promoting student and faculty involvement in community service activities. On the international front, he has supported programs such as the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program for mid-career professionals from developing countries as well as professional and academic exchange programs with universities throughout the world, which not only make available the school's resources to international students and public officials but also enlarge and enrich the experience of LBJ School students and faculty.
The photographs here provide an overview of Dean Sherman's many activities and contributions during his years at the LBJ School.
LBJ School announces new Max Sherman Chair
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1 May 97
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