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Between writing a paper analyzing the Reagan administration for an upcoming conference in England and teaching undergraduates about the tumultuous 1960s, UCLA Professor Joel Aberbach has something to celebrate – his recognition as a 2005 fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Based in Washington, D.C., the academy is a non-partisan organization commissioned by Congress to collaborate with federal, state and local governments on projects pertaining to issues facing various levels of government, from homeland security to the FBI’s human capital efforts.

Established in 1967, the projects the academy undertakes are all executed through the 600 elected fellows it houses, including current and former cabinet officers, members of Congress, diplomats and scholars.

Elected along with 45 other fellows to join a professional society that counts Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfield among its members, Aberbach and his colleagues are excited about his acknowledgement.

Aberbach modestly refers to his honor as “not that big of a deal,” but his colleagues disagree.

“It’s well deserved,” said Michael Darby, a UCLA Anderson School of Management professor of policy.

“It’s a great honor – in his field, it’s the top society to be in,” Darby said, adding that it is these types of honors that strengthen UCLA’s reputation.

Fascinated by public policy and politics since childhood, Aberbach first ventured out into the business field, only to find that academia would become his life’s profession.

“(Business) wasn’t for me. ... It didn’t interest me as much as this (does),” Aberbach said.

One of the things Aberbach enjoys most about teaching is seeing students become interested in issues they never found relevant before, he said.

Aberbach said he is looking forward to meeting other specialists in the field through the academy, in addition to beginning work and research for new studies.

For over 30 years, Aberbach has studied the politics within the executive branch, primarily focusing on political appointees and their relationships with other members of the political system.

Students in his courses always have the chance to walk away with knowledge from his experiences – and now hopefully from his experiences within the academy, too.

“If you are an active researcher, your research feeds into things you teach,” Aberbach said, emphasizing that he always tries to relate course material to his own research and experience whenever possible.

Concerned about the quality of student learning at both the undergraduate and graduate level, Aberbach is also the director of the Center for American Politics and Public Policy.

The center is an organization he spearheaded 15 years ago that fosters research and enriches student education regarding politics.

The center also sponsors a program that sends students to Washington, D.C., for a quarter and places them in internships pertaining to government organizations while remaining full-time students.

Amid research, numerous honors and several publications, Aberbach always seems to keep his students in mind with every new opportunity.

In addition to bringing back the knowledge he will gain from working for the academy back to the classroom, Aberbach says he hopes to help find opportunities for students through the diverse group of fellows with whom he will be working.

His colleagues do not hesitate to praise him for his excellence in scholarship and his ability to build a bridge between academics and research.

“He is a premier research scholar and yet still contributes institutionally and pedagogically at a premiere university,” said Mark Peterson, a UCLA political science and public policy professor.

“It’s no secret to us about Joel’s stature in the field.”