Congratulations to our Faculty!

In April…

Dean Jannah Mather was honored as a recipient of the 2009 University of Utah Equity and Diversity Award. Octavio Villalpando, associate vice president of Equity and Diversity at the University of Utah, personally congratulated Dean Mather. “The Committee agreed that the substantial contributions you make to the College of Social Work and, indeed, to the broader University efforts to enhance equity and diversity are very impressive. The Committee also took special note of the strong letters of support you received from colleagues and students, and believes that your contributions merit the type of special recognition afforded by our Equity and Diversity Award.”

Dr. Hank Liese was recognized as the Lowell Bennion Center for Community Service’s Borchard Faculty Fellow, along with co-Fellow, Dr. Marissa Diener from the Department of Family and Consumer Studies. According to the Lowell Bennion Center for Community Service, “[t]his award is granted to a faculty member at the University of Utah who has demonstrated a thorough knowledge of civic engagement, has experience teaching service-learning classes and conducting community-based research, and is well prepared to assist others in better understanding and implementing civic engagement activities that connect teaching and research with the community.” Drs. Liese and Diener have organized a Community Engaged Faculty Institute, to be held in August, which will help faculty develop skills in community-engaged scholarship.

Dr. David Derezotes was selected as the University of Utah's honoree for the Utah Campus Compact Civically Engaged Scholar award. Utah Campus Compact links and supports Utah's colleges and universities in promoting civic engagement and preparing students for responsible citizenship. Dr. Derezotes was recognized for his tireless grassroots activism focusing on distressed families, counseling for minorities, peace and conflict, and bridging religious divides.