It is one thing for a professor to earn awards at their current university. But it is another to have their work deemed so impactful, that they are honored by a former one. C. Alejandra Elenes Ph.D. falls into this latter category. Although she left Arizona State University in 2020 to become the chair of the department of race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality studies at UTSA, she has recently been honored by the institution which she served for more than two decades. Elenes has been selected to receive the ASU Faculty Women of Color Caucus Outstanding Contribution to FWOCC Award. This award is bestowed upon Elenes for her involvement in the ASU Faculty Women of Color Caucus, as well as her scholarship at ASU, participation in feminist and ethnic studies organizations, and her mentoring of students and faculty during her time in Arizona.
The caucus was formed in 2014 in response to a widely publicized altercation between ASU professor Ersula Ore and campus police. Elenes, who is a founding member, explains how this event inspired the creation of the group.
“We got together and pressured the provost’s office in starting to defend our colleague, and then said, ‘Well this is a manifestation of systemic racism that is occurring within the institution,’ and that was the beginning of the caucus"
“We got together and pressured the provost’s office in starting to defend our colleague, and then said, ‘Well this is a manifestation of systemic racism that is occurring within the institution,’ and that was the beginning of the caucus,” she said.
Over time, the caucus gained support from the provost’s office and the office of diversity and inclusion, which in turn allowed for the group to invite guest speakers and host workshops. Today, ASU describes the FWOCC as, “a gathering of faculty from across all ASU campuses, working together to plan and host forums for students, staff, faculty, and administrators, to discuss vital issues, research, and ideas in critical, healthy and inviting settings.”
Despite having since moved on to UTSA, Elenes is still honored to have received the Outstanding Contribution Award.
“It meant a lot because I was given this award the year after I left [ASU], so to me it was a testament that my colleagues respected and valued all the work that I have done for that institution and the work that I brought to UTSA"
“It meant a lot because I was given this award the year after I left [ASU], so to me it was a testament that my colleagues respected and valued all the work that I have done for that institution and the work that I brought to UTSA,” she said.
Indeed, Elenes is excited to apply her experiences at ASU, particularly with the caucus, to her new position with UTSA.
“[Although] there’s a lot of innovation at UTSA in terms of diversity and inclusion,” she said, “I would like to be able to see something along these lines in the ways in which faculty women of color can find a space of support.”
For more information on ASU’s Faculty Women of Color Caucus, visit: https://inclusion.asu.edu/