Andrés Castro Samayoa, an assistant professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, was named one of 11 Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders for 2021, the Institute for Citizens & Scholars has announced. He is the first Boston College faculty member to receive the honor.
Andrés Castro Samayoa (Gary Wayne Gilbert)
Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the MEFL awards support
junior faculty whose research focuses on contemporary American history,
culture, and society, and who are committed to the creation of an
inclusive campus community for underrepresented students and scholars.
Castro
Samayoa, a member of the Lynch School’s Education Leadership and Higher
Education department, was recognized for his work drawing from
sociological and historical methodologies focused on Minority Serving
Institutions, a subset of more than 600 federally designated colleges
and universities in the United States. His project examines how
administrative data and the construction of racial and ethnic markers
are used to develop policies to advance equity in education.
“We
are thrilled that Andrés has won this very competitive award,” said
Stanton E. F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch
School. “The honor recognizes both his highly regarded research on
access and equity in higher education and his exemplary character as a
university citizen. As much as any other colleague, Andrés brings
together faculty and students to build community and create substantive
engagements that benefit the entire school. We are grateful that he will
use this award to enrich our collective life further.”
The MEFL
award is designed to free the time of junior faculty working toward
tenure, including those from underrepresented groups and others
committed to eradicating disparities in their respective fields, so they
can engage in and build support for systems, networks, and affinity
groups that make their fields and campuses more inclusive. The awardees
were selected through a competitive interview process by a selection
committee of four former and current university leaders with various
academic and research backgrounds.
Established in 2015, the
MEFL program has now supported more than 50 junior faculty who represent
the next generation of leaders and scholars in the humanities and
social sciences, and who are poised to play a significant role in
shaping American higher education. Founded in 1945, the Princeton,
N.J.-based Institute for Citizens & Scholars, formerly the Woodrow
Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, administers the MEFL program.
Phil Gloudemans | University Communications | May 2021