Jennifer Delaney, assistant professor in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership (EPOL), received the 2012 Scholarly Paper Award by the Journal of Education Finance for an article she co-authored with William R. Doyle, Vanderbilt University. The article is titled "State spending on higher education: Testing the balance wheel over time." She was recognized at an awards ceremony and presented her research during this year’s National Education Finance Conference, which was held in San Antonio on May 2-4.

Kern Alexander, Excellence Professor in EPOL, gave a keynote address at the conference titled, "Public Funding of Private and Religious Schools." He is currently working on a school finance book with Richard Salmon to be published in 2013 by Edward Elgar Publishing, and he takes active part in state school finance planning and litigation.

In addition, Walter McMahon, professor emeritus in Economics with a collaborative relationship with EPOL, won a 2012 National Education Finance Conference Distinguished Research & Practice Fellow Award.

The conference provides a venue for collaboration among legislators, postsecondary education, school district and state agency personnel, professional organizations, and researchers concerned with the importance of equity, adequacy, and efficiency concepts that affect state, local, and federal revenue generation, distribution, and expenditures.