Mid-Career Leadership Award
The Academic Council Chairs Award for Mid-Career Leadership in the Academic Senate is designed to honor a University of California faculty member at mid-career who has served the Academic Senate at the Divisional and Systemwide levels and demonstrated:
- Outstanding and creative contributions that impact faculty governance
- Exceptional promise in serving the Academic Senate
- Exceptional abilities in working across the university’s many and diverse stakeholders
Members of the Academic Senate at the rank of Associate to Full Professor, Step V or equivalent in other Senate titles are eligible.
2023 Award Recipients
Katheryn Russ, UC Davis
Katheryn (Kadee) Russ is professor and chair of economics at UC Davis and the vice chair of the Davis division of the Academic Senate. Her scholarship focuses on open-economy macroeconomics and international trade policy. Professor Russ started her Senate service at UC Davis in 2017 and has held several leadership positions on campus, including chair of the Senate General Education Committee, chair of the Undergraduate Council, and member of the Committee on Courses of Instruction and the representative Assembly. Currently she also advises the campus Planning and Budget Committee. At the systemwide level, she served on the University Committee on Educational Policy, including as its vice chair in 2021-22. In recognition of her outstanding service, she was awarded the UC Davis Academic Senate Faculty Distinguished Scholarly Public Service Award in 2020. Professor Russ’s exemplary leadership skills and her ability to work with different communities productively to build consensus has contributed substantially to the effectiveness of the Academic Senate and UC’s system of shared governance. Her rapid progression and increasing responsibilities within the Senate demonstrate her exceptional leadership capabilities and dedication. The UC Davis Senate and systemwide Senate look forward to continued contributions from this rising star in the years ahead.
Daniel Widener, UC San Diego
Daniel Widener is an associate professor of history at UC San Diego. His scholarship is on modern American history, particularly expressive culture and political radicalism. He is one of the most respected voices for diverse faculty and students on campus, known for his wise diplomacy and knowledge of the structure and workings of the university. Professor Widener has an impressive record of major service contributions to the San Diego campus and the UC system on a wide range of Senate committees. At UCSD, he served as chair of the Committee on Diversity and Equity, member of the Senate Committee on Admissions, and member of the Committee on Committees. At the systemwide level, he served as the UCSD representative to the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS), chaired the University Committee on Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Equity, and served on the BOARS Ethnic Studies A-H Working Group. He also served on the UC Press Editorial Board, and since 2014 has reviewed applicants to the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
2021 Award Recipients
Tara Javidi, UC San Diego
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dr. Tara Javidi came to UCSD in 2005 and was promoted to Professor in 2016. Professor Javidi has demonstrated a deep and sustained commitment to the San Diego campus and the UCSD Academic Senate, serving in various roles throughout the years. As vice chair of the UCSD Academic Senate in 2020-21, she served on Senate Council, Senate Administration Council, and Representative Assembly. She has actively helped the San Diego campus navigate the myriad issues around the return to in-person instruction in fall 2021 ("Return to Learn") and UCSD’s policies for handling the COVID-19 pandemic. She has served on various campus-wide oversight, award and fellowship committees, and on the UCOP systemwide review panel for the UC Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Professor Javidi has shown an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, replicating successful models of outreach/retention/recruitment in the School of Engineering to attract more diverse faculty, and working to broaden participation in STEM among women and URM students.
Steven Cheung, UC San Francisco
UC San Francisco Professor of Otolaryngology Steven W. Cheung embodies the values of shared governance and service on the UCSF campus, where he has an extensive record of service on the UCSF campus and at the systemwide level. His broad Senate committee experience includes research, academic planning, budget, and faculty welfare. He is an accomplished teacher and researcher, and has demonstrated a commitment to diversity and gender equity throughout his career. Professor Cheung has an extensive record of service on the UCSF campus and at the systemwide level. He is the 2020-21 vice chair of the UCSF Academic Senate, has previously served as chair of the UCSF Committee on Academic Planning and Budget, Committee on Committees, and Faculty Welfare. He has also served as a member of the University Committee on Planning and Budget (UCPB) and the Assembly of the Academic Senate, as well as on a Chancellor Stewardship Review committee and the UC Presidential Search committee. Dr. Cheung has also worked to reinvigorate Senate committees within the San Francisco Division, using leadership and mentorship skills to strengthen shared governance.
2019 Award Recipients
Onyebuchi Arah, UCLA
Dr. Onyebuchi Arah is Professor of Epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, who enthusiastically and effectively embraces service and faculty self-governance. He is dedicated to working with the Academic Senate at both the systemwide and divisional levels on maintaining the teaching excellence of programs. Dr. Arah’s Senate service includes membership on the Academic Council, chair of the Coordinating Committee on Graduate Affairs (CCGA), two joint Senate and administrative committees, Academic Planning Council, and the Graduate Education Working Group. At the divisional level, Dr. Arah was a member and vice chair of the Graduate Council, member of the Academic Council, chair and vice chair of CCGA at UCLA, and represented his department at the Undergraduate Programs Committee.
Sean Malloy, UC Merced
Professor Sean Malloy, a founding faculty member of UC Merced, has been enthusiastically and unselfishly involved in building faculty governance both locally on his campus and systemwide, where he played an important role in integrating Merced into the UC system. Professor Malloy’s Senate service has predominantly been at the systemwide level, where his record is one of continuous, deep engagement on many important initiatives. Specific examples include his service as a member and then chair of the University Committee on Faculty Welfare (UCFW). Professor Malloy also served as the Merced representative to the University Committee on Academic Freedom (UCAF), and as a member of the UCFW Task Force on Investments and Retirements (TFIR) and Health Care Task Force (HCTF).
