Four University of Illinois faculty and staff members will be recognized for their exceptional dedication to and success in promoting diversity and inclusion as the 2019 recipients of the Larine Y. Cowan Make A Difference Awards. This year’s recipients include:
Advocacy for LGBTQ Affairs
Amy L. Powell, Krannert Art Museum, for sustained action to bring forward LGBTQ voices in her work as Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and commitment to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) affairs at Illinois.
Excellence in Access and Accommodations
M.T. Hudson, Office for Access & Equity, for a career dedicated to expanding and improving the utilization of programs by persons with disabilities and advocacy to ensure access for all students, faculty, and staff to the opportunities available to them.
Teaching and Mentoring in Diversity
Monika Stodolska, Department of Recreation, Sport & Tourism, for impact on undergraduate and graduate student learning and dedication to interdisciplinary teaching and research on issues related to race, ethnicity, immigration, gender, disability, and leisure.
Leadership in Diversity
Ruby Mendenhall, Departments of Sociology, African American Studies, Urban and Regional Planning, and Social Work, for innovative research focused on the core processes through which race and social structures affect economic, educational, and holistic health outcomes for African American communities. Mendenhall is Assistant Dean for Diversity and Democratization of Health Innovation at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.
Named in honor of the past Assistant Chancellor and Director of what would become the Office for Access & Equity, the Larine Y. Cowan Awards were created to reflect the commitment to human rights advocacy, social justice, and diversity that defined her leadership for nearly 20 years at Illinois.
This year’s award recipients will be honored at the 34th Annual Celebration of Diversity, Friday, November 8, 2019 at the I Hotel.
