“Jerome Lewis exemplified what it means to be a consummate colleague, consistently generous with his time and thoughtful in his advice. His unwavering commitment to the state of Delaware, as well as to the students at the Biden School and the staff of the Institute for Public Administration, was evident in all aspects of his work. Jerome frequently took the time to mentor students, offering guidance that helped shape their academic and professional journeys. New staff members and faculty benefited from his thoughtful counsel, and his dedication left a lasting impact on everyone with whom he interacted.”

“Jerome and I were colleagues for 35 years, until my retirement in 2008. My daughter, Kristin, was an MPA student who worked as a research assistant at IPA. Throughout those years, I found him to be a wonderful person to work with. He founded IPA and helped strengthen the quality of Delaware’s state and local governments. He was central to the development of the MPA program, and through that program and IPA’s support, Jerome helped hundreds of students build a foundation for productive careers. He was a thoughtful, generous person who never sought accolades for himself but was most gratified by the success of those who worked with him and the students who prospered under his leadership. I will greatly miss him as a friend and former colleague.”

"I met Jerome in 1970, when I enrolled in his first class at UD. Over the next 55 years, he was a teacher, friend, mentor, collaborator and colleague. While Jerome's contributions to public administration in Delaware and beyond are immeasurable, I most admire his commitment to his students. He was a model and inspiration to thousands of students, and they carry forward his commitment to good government and public service."

“I am honored to write a personal remembrance of the life and career of Dr. Jerome R. Lewis, my colleague and close personal friend. We met in the fall of 1969 when we both joined the UD Division of Urban Affairs. We worked, played, traveled, laughed, shared and sorted our challenges together over the next 55-plus years. Jerome was a constant in my life for which I will always be grateful.  

“Jerome’s legacies are many. Principal among them was his enthusiasm and commitment to others. Jerome inspired others by pursuing a life filled with activity that was dedicated to a single mission — the integration of his roles of teacher, mentor, university administrator, family man and friend with a commitment to helping others. His pursuit of public service in support of the people and public institutions of Delaware was part of what came to be referred to as “the Delaware Model” — interdisciplinary, interdependent public administration committed to public service.

“Jerome used that approach in his first assignment as advocacy planner for neighborhood groups confronted by a prolonged period of destabilization in Wilmington and maintained it in the design and management of the Institute of Public Administration. It was his way of fulfilling the philosophy of the 1961 Ford Foundation grant that established the Urban Affairs program at the University. As a result, faculty extended their academic disciplines and graduate students were better prepared for meaningful careers.

“Jerome’s father was a leader of the cooperative movement in Minnesota and took his son to meetings where the concept of serving the public good became part of Jerome’s life. In transmitting those values to his students and to his own children, Jerome passed the torch that his father had given him. His service in his professional field in Delaware and beyond and his generosity to all who knew him and many who did not but benefited from his efforts are further examples of his selfless and thoughtful approach to helping others reach goals they might not have attempted without his encouragement.

“He was single when we first met and was welcomed as a member of our family. After giving our children a purple minibike with ‘easy rider’ handlebars, Jerome showed them how to ride it, and in the process demonstrated how to deal with a challenge with self-assurance —  the same approach he had taken to earn degrees at the University of Minnesota and NYU. That was part of his ability to identify a need, devise a way to meet it and encourage others to take part and share in the satisfaction of accomplishment.

“Over the years, Jerome helped innumerable elected and appointed state, county and local government officials meet the needs of the people they were to serve, and encouraged staff, students, faculty and administrators to do the same, all while applying the quiet leadership style that was his trademark.

“Jerome was reunited with our daughter, Laura, at a Biden School celebration of scholarship event and met her son, Max. His reputation had preceded him. Max enjoyed hearing the purple minibike story again and spontaneously gave ‘Uncle Jerry’ a big hug.  Faculty, staff and students who loved Jerome and many others who understand the importance of his work will extend his legacy by ensuring learning and university public service work are honored and extended. I’m sure Jerome would approve.”

“Jerome Lewis was a prolific institution builder. This October, Jerome distributed the Institute for Public Administration’s 2024–2025 annual report. I thought I had extensive knowledge of the institute’s work since I was the former director of the School of Public Policy and Administration (now the Biden School). Yet, I was so overwhelmed by all the accomplishments of the institute—the scope of its programs, the involvement of graduate and more recently scores of undergraduate students, its impact on policy areas from public education to the General Assembly staff support—that I sent him a personal thank you and congratulatory note. Along the way Jerome cofounded and was a major force behind the state chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the University’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program and the joint University-Delaware General Assembly Legislative Fellows program. 

“Jerome was an amazing innovator, constantly generating ways to make the MPA program, institute and school better and expand opportunities for students, staff and faculty. We coauthored an article about the Legislative Fellows program and joined two other faculty in writing an article about The Delaware Model of experiential education, involving professional staff in teaching students in regular and mini-courses focused on professional development, and generating student support through technical assistance contracts in the state. These were just two of the many innovations he helped to design and implement. When I was director of the school, I kidded that I needed to put a sign over my door saying “Please, No more good ideas today” because of Jerome. 

“Jerome was the ultimate ‘can-do person.’ Early in my career, he involved me in the state chapter and ASPA. I remember attending a regional conference in Pennsylvania where Jerome chaired a session with the chief financial officers of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. I was amazed he could get these extremely busy leaders on the same stage at the same time. I wanted to know his secret. Jerome told me, ‘I asked them.’ I have quoted him and cited his lesson to students and grandchildren many times. Jerome was a wonderful mentor to me in my various roles at the UD. Soon after I arrived at the University, he encouraged me to become involved in the MPA program and the field of public administration. He encouraged me to become the director of the program for several years. He was a constant source of practical, financial and action support for the program during my decade as school administrator. He introduced me to NASPAA, the international organization of academic leaders of schools of public policy, affairs, and administration. Thanks to Jerome, I became a leader in NASPPA and was able to help the University’s MPA program be recognized as one of the best in the nation. 

“Jerome believed in, advocated for and worked toward significant University public service. He ensured the institute, the school, and the University played a positive role in a multitude of governments, agencies and organizations. On a personal note, he helped my research have an impact in Delaware. For example, he not only suggested that the institute have conferences and workshops built on my empirical research on public school teacher recruitment and retention, but he also helped design, implement and support these efforts. Jerome was a wonderful teacher, not in the traditional ‘sage-on-the-stage’ sense, but in understanding what motivates students and helps them learn. When we talked about the content of his introductory graduate course in the MPA program, he explained that his goal was to excite students about government and public administration. He brought speakers to his classroom (‘Just ask!’), took students on trips to exciting places including Washington, D.C., and gave students opportunities to participate in the institute’s work thus leading the way in experiential education. Student research and public service assistantships, the Legislative Fellows program, and his work supporting a summer professional development program for civics teachers were just a sampling of his expanded teaching portfolio. 

“As I look back at the contributions of Jerome Lewis, I appreciate greatly that he taught me in so many ways, exposing me to the field of public administration through conferences and meetings, finding opportunities for me to hone my skills in government, formally and informally pushing me forward for leadership positions in the University, state, and nation. I am but one of so many faculty, staff and students who owe him a great deal and will miss his creativity, support and excitement about public administration and state and local government, the Institute for Public Administration, the Biden School, and the University of Delaware.” 

"Dr. Lewis was a dedicated leader, educator and mentor who helped to shape generations of public servants both here in Delaware and throughout the region. The Legislative Fellows program inspired me, like so many others, to pursue a career in politics and government. Dr. Lewis's leadership of that program has made an enormous impact, and his legacy will live on through the public servants he inspired and the future generations of students who will benefit from the meaningful opportunities he created."

“After serving three tours of duty in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, I moved to Delaware to earn an MBA at the University of Delaware and — fortunately— took one graduate course in UD’s Urban Affairs program. That course was taught by Jerome Lewis, who would inspire generations of Blue Hens to serve others and pursue careers in public service. Jerome would become a close friend and a lifelong source of encouragement and wisdom during my years of service as Delaware’s Treasurer, Congressman, Governor, and U.S. Senator. Martha and I join the entire UD community in mourning the loss of our friend, Jerome.”

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Jerome Lewis, a man I knew well and deeply respected. Over the years, I had the privilege of consulting with Jerome and guest-teaching a handful of his classes over the years alongside him in the University of Delaware’s Master of Public Administration program, which gave me a firsthand appreciation for his intellect, generosity, and unwavering commitment to public service. For more than five decades at the University of Delaware, Jerome was a towering figure in Delaware public service and higher education, devoting his life to preparing the next generation of public servants and strengthening state and local government across our state."

"As the founding director of the Institute for Public Administration and the MPA program, Jerome’s leadership, integrity, and belief in the power of good government left an indelible mark on Delaware. His legacy lives on in the students he mentored, the institutions he built, and the communities he served. While his impact was recognized with honors such as the Order of the First State, Delaware’s highest honor, those who knew him best will remember his humility and unwavering commitment to the public good. Annie and I will be keeping his wife, Linda, his children, grandchildren, and all who were fortunate enough to learn from and work alongside him in our thoughts during this difficult time.”

“I join so many Delawareans in mourning the loss of Dr. Jerome Lewis, a true giant in our state. I knew Dr. Lewis for decades, first as a student and then in my various roles in government. Whenever I’d hear the words ‘public administration,’ ‘policy,’ or ‘public service’ at the University of Delaware, I thought of him. He will be sorely missed and I’m praying for his family and all those whose lives he touched.”

“Dr. Jerome Lewis shaped Delaware’s public service for generations, helping build the backbone of our state’s public sector through his teaching, mentorship and research. His impact can be seen in the countless public servants he inspired, and in the stronger communities they serve. Beyond his professional legacy, Jerome was a kind and deeply decent man, and he will be dearly missed.”

“Over the past 40 years, there are few people in Delaware who have made a more permanent mark on Legislative Hall than Dr. Jerome Lewis.

“On behalf of my colleagues in the Senate, we owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Lewis for the profound impact he has had on public policy in Delaware and for his dedication to mentoring generations of future policy leaders through the Legislative Fellowship Program.

“Under his leadership, beginning in 1982, and every year since, an esteemed cohort of students from the University of Delaware — and now Delaware State University — have been chosen to work with members of the General Assembly and the Division of Legislative Services to help craft policy that changed the lives of Delawareans for the better. For generations, graduates of the Legislative Fellowship Program have gone on to do great things — many becoming full-time members of staff or even elected lawmakers themselves.

“Dr. Lewis’ legacy is self-evident, and he will be deeply missed. Our thoughts are with the Lewis family, the Biden School and the countless public servants whose lives and careers he influenced for the better.”