BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Shaun Khurana, a Ph.D. candidate in public affairs at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, has been awarded the Lester M. Salamon Memorial Award for Promising Ph.D. Proposal in Nonprofit and Voluntary Research by the Association for Research on Nonprofit and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA).
The award, named in honor of Lester Salamon, a pioneering researcher of nonprofit organizations, is presented annually for a Ph.D. dissertation proposal that demonstrates the potential to advance the study of the philanthropic and nonprofit sector in innovative ways, with both theoretical and practical impacts on the field. Khurana’s proposal, “Cross-Sector Dynamics of Administrative Burden: Legal, Social, and Educational Nonprofit Support in Transgender Health,” studies the effect of nonprofit assistance on administrative burdens experienced by the transgender community.
“Khurana’s dissertation is set to make substantial theoretical and practical contributions,” ARNOVA said in a statement announcing the award. “It systematically investigates how nonprofits mitigate administrative burdens, a concept that is critical yet underexplored in public administration. By examining the role of nonprofits in legal support, social support, and educational initiatives, Khurana’s research offers a comprehensive analysis that bridges gaps in current literature.”
Khurana will be recognized during an awards luncheon to be held Nov. 22 during ARNOVA’s 53rd annual conference in Washington, D.C.
“I'm honored to have the intended contributions of my dissertation recognized at this stage by ARNOVA,” Khurana said. “I have learned so much through participating in the association's programs for underrepresented early scholars and dissertation fellowship. I hope that my research on how nonprofit interventions help administrative burden can be extended to additional vulnerable groups and inform practice. I’m grateful for the mentorship I’ve received from my dissertation chair, Dr. Amanda Rutherford, and committee members Dr. Beth Gazley, Dr. Jill Nicholson-Crotty, Dr. Allison Schnable, and Dr. Leonor Camarena. Their scholarly feedback and advice have been indispensable for realizing this project.”