ALUMNI NEWS
Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson Recognized with Slesinger Award for Excellence in Mentoring D r. Jerlando F. L. Jackson (Kappa Iota 1993) received the 2020 Slesinger Award for Excellence in Mentoring dur- and faculty of color are now thriving as impactful researchers, educators, and leaders in our own rights largely owing to who he is and how he gives as one of the most transformative mentors, past, present, and future.”
ing a virtual ceremony on December 3. This award was created to celebrate the often hidden work of individuals who help women faculty members at Univer- sity of Wisconsin-Madison achieve their goals and reach their highest potential. The award includes $2,500 from the Women’s Philanthropy Council to direct to a UW–Madison initiative or program of the honoree’s choosing. “I’m deeply honored to receive the Slesinger Award and I do not take this distinction lightly as a male,” says Jackson, the Vilas Distinguished Profes- sor of Higher Education and chair of the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. “I’m dedicating this award to my mother, who inspired me to commit to disrupting gender disparities.” Jackson also is the Department Chair of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and Director and Chief Research Scientist of Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB), which is dedicated to examining how best to promote equitable and inclu- sive learning and work environments in higher education. Fueled by more than 125 publica- tions, Professor Jackson’s research on hiring practices, career mobility, work- force diversity, and workplace discrimi- nation has evolved into his focus on or- ganizational disparities. He has authored or edited six books and has established multiple groundbreaking initiatives. Xueli Wang, one of the people who nominated Jackson for the award, says that while many are aware of his impor- tant work in the realm of organizational
Rachelle Winkle-Wagner also spoke highly of Jackson in her nomination let- ter for the award. “Dr. Jackson played a crucial role in providing me an opportunity to grow my research to the next level and mentoring relative to my research on race, most of which has centered Black women,” wrote Winkle-Wagner, also a professor with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. “I sim- ply would not be at the University of Wisconsin–Madison had it not been for him recruiting me here. Dr. Jackson was a key member of my mentoring commit- tee toward tenure and promotion, and he took that role seriously, offering ad- vice and mentoring that was far beyond expectations for that role.” Winkle-Wagner adds: “As a White woman, it has been absolutely impera- tive that I have had scholars of color mentoring me and closely providing me accountability on my work so that it is authentic and humanizing to the people involved in that work. … Finally, while many men who are scholars may fail to understand the deep strain that parents can face in the academy, Dr. Jackson has also been a consistence support of women who are parents and scholars.”
Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson (Kappa Iota 1993)
change toward promoting full participa- tion for underrepresented groups in so- ciety, they may not have been as familiar with Jackson’s equally impactful role as a mentor. “From day one when I started as a new assistant professor, knowing next to nothing about how to navigate the world of academia, Dr. Jackson has been on this journey with me every step of the way,” Wang — who is the Barbara and Glenn Thompson Professor in Educa- tional Leadership with the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis — said during the awards cer- emony. “It was also through this journey that I’ve closely watched Dr. Jackson in action as an extraordinarily impactful mentor for countless others across the country and the globe.” Wang highlighted Jackson’s ability to “provide support by honoring our own holistic identities without losing sight of the incremental steps that take us where we aspire to be.” “Jerlando’s mentoring transcends identities, cultures, geography, nation- alities, and much more,” adds Wang. “Many of us who are women faculty
Here's to Brother Jackson!
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