Campus Compact is pleased to announce the recipient of this year’s Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award. The award recognizes senior faculty who practice exemplary engaged scholarship through teaching and research. The awards are presented in partnership with Brown University’s Swearer Center. Recipients are selected on the basis of their collaboration with communities, institutional impact, and high-quality academic work.

The recipient of the Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award is Enrique Murillo Jr., professor of education at California State University, San Bernardino. He is the founder and executive director of LEAD (Latino Education and Advocacy Days), which offers programming, publications, and events for Latinx educators, administrators, leaders, and students. Murillo is recognized for his “Netroots” approach to scholarship that combines awareness-raising, education, promotion, advocacy, activism, analysis, discussion, critique, and dissemination to advance understanding of educational issues that impact Latinx populations.

Murillo is the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Latinos and Education and the Handbook of Latinos and Education. He is founder of the National Latino Education Network and currently serves as president of the Southern California Consortium of Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

“We believe that Dr. Murillo exemplifies the same ‘sí, se puede’ (yes, we can) attitude, which is a personal and organizational spirit that promotes confidence, courage, hard work, and the belief that we can do the impossible,” says Ana I. Gonzalez, president of the Chicano Latino Caucus of San Bernadino County. “Enrique has integrity, recognizes and respects the inherent worth of all people. He is generous, kind, innovative, and gives freely of his time and resources to serve our communities in the Inland Empire. He keeps our focus on educational equity and achievement, including attending college and beyond.”

In addition, the following faculty have been named Ehrlich Award finalists: Cheryl Grills, professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University, and Eric Galm, associate professor of music at Trinity College.

The Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award is presented as part of Campus Compact’s Impact Awards, which recognize the outstanding work of individuals and institutions in pursuit of the public purposes of higher education. Read more about the other awards and this year’s recipients at compact.org/2020-impact-award-recipients.

All award winners will be recognized at a virtual Awards Celebration in the spring of 2021.