Kim Hackford-Peer

Associate Chair, Gender Studies

Transformative Teaching Award

Dr. Kim Hackford-Peer, associate chair for Gender Studies, is the inaugural recipient of the School for Cultural and Social Transformation’s Transformative Teaching Award. The award recognizes faculty who exhibit excellence in teaching through the use of innovative and transformative pedagogical approaches; inspire critical and creative thinking skills; promote a classroom climate that supports diverse opinions; engages and sustains relationships with students beyond the classroom experience; and applies classroom concepts to real world scenarios, specifically as related to challenging inequality, and advocating for justice.

Dr. Hackford-Peer was presented with this recognition during the School’s convocation ceremony on May 5, 2021.

“This nomination is a long overdue recognition of Dr. KHP’s extraordinary contributions to student experiences in Transform,” says Dr. Wanda Pillow, chair of the Gender Studies division. “Overall, it is crucial to highlight that Kim is not only supportive of and responsive to the needs of a diverse student body, Kim fosters a diverse student body. This work often occurs ‘behind the scene’ and Transform faculty may not be aware that Kim has been and is a primary reason for the richness of student diversity in Transform.”

Dr. Marie Sarita Gayta, chair of the selection committee, says “Dr. Kim Hackford-Peer is a gifted feminist educator who provides transformative teaching experiences to students by developing innovative courses that link theory with real-world applications, by supporting learning environments that include the mentorship of career line faculty and graduate teaching assistants, and by fostering sustained networks that promote undergraduate pathways into Gender and Ethnic Studies.”

Dr. Hackford-Peer skillfully creates and support learning environments for all students, whether in a Business School Gender Studies or a Queer representations course. Indeed, Dr. Hackford-Peer’s popular course “Medusa & Manifestos” is an example of Dr. Hackford-Peer’s student-centered teaching. The course focuses on the development of the process for critical and self-reflective writing as a tool for putting ideas out into the world, by analyzing the ways that socio-historical context and power have an impact on their own social justice work.

Beyond the classroom, “Dr. Hackford-Peer’s generosity is not lost on her colleagues who frequently remark about her ability to provide sound advice on issues ranging from improving online class engagement, designing community-based group projects, or helping connect students to effective campus resources. They also note that she is an unwavering champion for the rights and success of LGBTQI, Disabled, Undocumented, Low-income, and/or, BIPOC students across the University,” says Dr. Gaytan.

The Committee, and the School for Cultural and Social Transformation are honored to recognize Dr. Kim Hackford-Peer as the inaugural recipient of the Transformative Teaching Award.

Wanda Pillow

Professor and Chair, Gender Studies

Graduate School Distinguished Mentor

Dr. Wanda S. Pillow, Gender Studies professor and chair, is one of the 2021 Distinguished Mentor Award recipients, honored by the University of Utah’s Graduate School. The award honors the considerable efforts and accomplishments of faculty who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. In addition, the award recognizes faculty who provide intellectual leadership and model a record of excellence in research and ensures that students master the content and skills of their discipline. make a broad impact on mentorship by facilitating communities or building infrastructure for mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

Dr. Wanda S. Pillow, Gender Studies professor and chair, is one of the 2021 Distinguished Mentor Award recipients, honored by the University of Utah’s Graduate School. The award honors the considerable efforts and accomplishments of faculty who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. In addition, the award recognizes faculty who provide intellectual leadership and model a record of excellence in research and ensures that students master the content and skills of their discipline. make a broad impact on mentorship by facilitating communities or building infrastructure for mentorship of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

Dr. Pillow “is an artist in the realm of mentor thoughtfulness,” says Dr. Kathryn Stockton, Dean of the School for Cultural and Social Transformation. She “is something of an oracle” on the topics of methodology and intersectionality. Her students know and absorb this, and as they pursue their own scholarship, become Dr. Pillow’s intellectual friends.

Dr. Stockton adds: “I’ve seen Wanda’s thoughtful care—her creative inspiration of student thought—up close and personal. I’ve been on committees that Wanda has chaired. She makes us joyous in supporting her students. And teaches us the highest value to embrace: research as relationship.”

William Smith

Professor, Ethnic Studies & Education, Culture & Society

Distinguished Scholarly and Creative Research Award

The Distinguished Research Award (DRA) recognizes outstanding achievements in research by University of Utah tenured faculty. Up to three awards for outstanding achievements in scholarly or creative research are awarded to University of Utah tenured faculty each year. Nominees are evaluated on the impact and significance of their career research or scholarly work to their field, as well as to the improvement and enrichment of the human condition.

“Dr. Smith has honed a wealth of Ethnic Studies and Education expertise. Racial Battle Fatigue, Black Males Studies, Multi-cultural/ethnic Issues in Higher Education, Multi-cultural Counseling, Racial Identity Development, and Student Transition and Persistence. William nails relevance,” says Dr. Stockton, Dean for the School of Cultural and Social Transformation.

This award recognizes Dr. Smith’s pathbreaking work on racial battle fatigue, along with his other scholarly endeavors and comes with a $10,000 grant to further pursue his research interests.

Annie Fukushima

Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies

2020-21 Presidential Leadership Fellow

The Presidential Leadership Fellows Program’s goal is to foster talented, emerging leaders with administrative potential. Fellows engage in the activities and work of the Office of the President and with the President’s Cabinet, with emphasis on their chosen area of interest, over the course of one academic year.

Dr. Fukushima was selected as one of two Transform faculty for the 2020-2021 academic year cohort.

Maile Arvin

Assistant Professor, Gender Studies and History

2020-21 Presidential Leadership Fellow

2021 Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS) Book Awards

In addition to being selected as a Presidential Leadership Fellow for the 2020-2021 academic year, Dr. Arvin’s “Possessing Polynesians” won honorable mention in the AAAS Book Awards history category, which recognizes authors and contributors in its Book Awards for titles of merit.

Ana Antunes

Assistant Professor (Lecturer), Gender Studies

2020-21 Faculty Teaching Award for Innovation in General Education

The Teaching Award for Innovation in General Education recognizes innovative approaches to general education. This year, the committee was most impressed by Dr. Antunes’ commitment to weaving community engaged learning, critical social justice and individualized attention in each of the General Education courses that she teaches. “This kind of integrated, applied, and student facing relevance is exactly the kind of pedagogical experiences that we hope all students will have in their General Education courses,” said Ann Darling, AVP for Undergraduate Studies.

David De Micheli

Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies and Political Science

Best Dissertation Prize from The American Political Science Association- Race, Ethnicity and Politics Section

Dr. David De Micheli was recognized for his dissertation titled “Back to Black: Racial Reclassification and Political Identity Formation in Brazil.”

Each year, the award recognizes a dissertation that makes an important theoretical contribution to our understanding of historical and/or contemporary processes of racial and ethnic information. In addition, the dissertation addresses critical substantive issues through which racial and ethnic politics are played out.

Lezlie Frye

Assistant Professor, Gender Studies and Disability Studies

Irving K. Zola Emerging Scholar Award in Disability Studies

University of Utah Faculty Fellow Award

Dr. Lezlie Frye was one of two winners of the 2020 Irving K. Zola Award for Emerging Scholars in Disability Studies, offered by the Society for Disability Studies. She has won the honor designated for junior scholars, specifically for her essay, “Cripping the ‘Crack Baby’ Epidemic: A Feminist Genealogy,” which was unanimously voted as “best paper” by the Society.

Dr. Frye is also a the recipients of the coveted University of Utah Faculty Fellow Award (2021).

Darius Bost

Associate Professor, Ethnic Studies

Gay/Lesbian/Queer Caucus of the Modern Language Association, Alan Bray Memorial Prize

Named in honor of a scholar whose two landmark books have been profoundly influential in gay and lesbian studies, the Bray Award will be given to the best book in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer studies in literature and cultural studies, all broadly construed. Dr. Bost was presented with an honorable mention for the 2020 Bray Memorial Prize for his award-winning treatise Evidence of Being: The Black Gay Cultural Renaissance and the Politics of Violence.

Jen Wozab

Student Success Coordinator & Advisor

NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, Outstanding Advising Award Certificate of Merit

The annual NACADA Outstanding Advising Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated qualities associated with outstanding academic advising of students or outstanding academic advising administration. As the U’s 2020 Outstanding Experienced Advisor awardee, Jen Wozab was the University of Utah’s nominee for this international recognition. Jen will be recognized at the NACADA 2021 conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.