General Information

Named in honor of Dean Emeritus of the School of Social Work, this award was established in 1996. It recognizes faculty whose service goes above and beyond their regular duties and contributes to the development of a culturally and ethnically diverse campus community.

Nominations will be accepted for all regular instructional and research faculty, including librarians, curators, and archivists on the Ann Arbor campus (including the Medical School).

Nominations can be made by faculty, staff, and students, and must include a nomination letter, which should not exceed 2,000 words.

The nomination letter should explain the particular distinction that makes the nominee exceptionally qualified for this honor using one or more of the following criteria:

  • Public and/or academically oriented endeavors that demonstrate intellectual excellence and commitment to cultural diversity in service, teaching, scholarship, and/or creative activity
  • Efforts to increase diversity or improve the climate within one’s academic unit and/or the University
  • Efforts to use scholarly and/or creative work to enhance the success of students and faculty of diverse cultural and racial backgrounds
  • Willingness to serve as a mentor to students who have a commitment to diversity and social justice
  • Sustained effort and demonstrated outcomes to bring about equity in our community or society as whole

The nomination letter may incorporate quotations from former and current students, peers, faculty, and communities impacted by the nominee’s work.

Up to five awards are made annually, which includes a $5,000 stipend for each honoree.

Please submit your nomination from the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion portal. The nominator’s statement should include information about the nominee’s service and accomplishments in the areas described above, and a copy of the nominee’s curriculum vita.

Nominations are due on Monday, April 3, 2023.

If you have questions, please email Marionette Cano at canom@umich.edu.


Past Johnson Diversity Award Recipients

2022

Jonathan Ford Finks, Medical School

Gary Freed, School of Public Health

Odest Chadwicke Jenkins, College of Engineering

Ramaswami Mahalingam, LSA

Damani James Partridge, LSA

Charles Ransom, University Library

Sara Soderstrom, LSA, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, School for Environment and Sustainability

Lifetime Achievement Award: Henry Meares. School of Education

2021

Maisie Gholson, School of Education

Rogério Meireles Pinto, School of Social Work

Daicia Price, School of Social Work

Yeidy Rivero, LSA: Film, Television, and Media and American Culture

Herbert Winful, College of Engineering

2020

Rosario Ceballo, LSA, Psychology and Women’s Studies

Sarah Koch, LSA, Mathematics

Anne J. McNeil, LSA, Chemistry and Honors Program

Erika Newman, Medical School, Pediatric Surgery

Team Award: Medical School, Family Medicine, MDisability Program
• Oluwaferanmi O. Okanlami
• Michael M. McKee
• Lisa Meeks

2019

Valeria Bertacco, College of Engineering

Ron Eglash, School of Information and Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design

Marita Inglehart, School of Dentistry and LSA. (Lifetime Achievement Award)

Petra Kuppers, LSA, Stamps School and School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Chinedum Okwudire, College of Engineering

J. Frank Yates, LSA and Stephen M. Ross School of Business

2018

Sara Ahbel-Rappe, LSA

Elizabeth R. Cole, LSA

Nicolai Lehnert, LSA

Franc Nunoo-Quarcoo, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design

Allison Steiner, College of Engineering and LSA

Robert Joseph Taylor, School of Social Work

2017

Patricia Colemon-Burns, School of Nursing (Lifetime Achievement Award)

Ellen Arruda, College of Engineering

Anna Mapp, LSA

Karin Martin, LSA

Anthony Mora, LSA

Alisse Portnoy, LSA

Dawn Tilbury, College of Engineering

2016

R. Alexander Blackwood, Medical School

Omolola Eniola-Adefeso, College of Engineering

Arline T. Geronimus, Institute for Social Research and School of Public Health

Robert Jagers, School of Education

Nojin Kwak, LSA

Jennifer Linderman, College of Engineering

Ruby Tapia, LSA

2015

Sarah M. Aciego, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, LSA

Evelyn Alsultany, Department of American Culture, LSA

Linda Chatters, School of Social Work

Sandra Momper, School of Social Work

Lester P. Monts, School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Lisa A. Newman, Department of Surgery, Medical School

Nils Walter, Department of Chemistry, LSA.

2014

Ketra Armstrong – School of Kinesiology

Elizabeth James – Department of Afroamerican and African Studies

Mark Moldwin – Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, College of Engineering

Edward Sarath – Music Department (Jazz), School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

Amy Schulz – Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health

Denise Sekaquaptewa – Psychology and Women’s Studies, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and Research Center for Group Dynamics, ISR

June Manning Thomas – Urban Planning, A Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Residential College, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

2013

Letha Chadiha, School of Social Work

Leslie Hollingsworth, School of Social Work

Barbara Israel, Health Behavior and Health Education

Timothy R.B. Johnson, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

John Matlock, Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives

Paul Mohai, SNRE

John Vandermeer, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2012

Deborah Goldberg, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Barbra Meek, Anthropology and Linguistics

Juanita Merchant, Internal Medicine and Molecular and Integrative Physiology

Stephanie Rowley, Psychology and Education

Derrick Scott, Center for Engineering Diversity & Outreach

Dorceta Taylor, Environmental Sociology and Environment

Stephen Ward, Afroamerican and African studies and the Residential College

2011

Crisca Bierwert, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching

Deborah Carter, School of Education

Avery Demond, College of Engineering

James Holloway, College of Engineering

Martha Jones, College of LSA

Andrew Shryock, College of LSA

2010

Robin Means Coleman, Communication Studies

Carol Fierke, Chemistry

Elijah Kannatey-Asibu, Mechanical Engineering

Guy Meadows, Engineering

Robert Sellers, Psychology

Louis Yen, Kinesiology

2009

Kelly Askew, Anthropology

Tabbye Chavous, School of Education and LSA Lawrence La

Fountain-Stokes, American Culture/Romance Languages

Karin Muraszko, Medical School

Scott Page, Political Science and the Institute for Social Research

Daniel Washington, School of Music, Theatre & Dance

2008

Paul Allen-Meares, Social Work

Matthew Countryman, History/American Culture

Maria Cotera, American Culture/Women’s Studies

Carla O’Connor, School of Education

Bradford Orr, Physics

2007

Frieda Ekotto, Romance Languages and Literatures/Comparative Literature

Bruce Frier, Classical Studies/Law

K. Wayne Jones, Materials Science and Engineering

Janice (Janie) Paul*, School of Art and Design

Catherine Squires, Communication Studies

David Wooten, Business Administration

2006

Cleopatra Caldwell, School of Public Health

Larry Gant, School of Social Work

Sioban Harlow*, School of Public Health

Charles Smith, Pharmacology

Mieko Yoshihama, School of Social Work

2005

William (Buzz) Alexander*, English Language and Literature

Percy Bates, School of Education

Alec Gallimore, College of Engineering

Joseph Lam, School of Music

Jana Nidiffer, School of Education

2004

F. Muge Gocek*, Sociology and Women’s Studies

David Gordon, Pathology

Mark Lewis, Industrial Operations

Paul Rasmussen, Chemistry

David Scobey, Arts of Citizenship/Architecture and Urban Planning

2003

Robert L. Griess, Jr., Mathematics

María E. Montoya, History

Michael S. Spencer*, Social Work

Antonia M. Villarruel  *, Nursing

Alford A. Young, Jr., Sociology

Special Recognition:Gerald Gurin, Institute for Social Research

2002

Anthony W. England, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Carmen R. Green*, Medical School

Lemuel A. Johnson, English

Amy K. Stillman *, Music and American Culture

Marilyn W. Woolfolk*, Dentistry

2001

Bunyan Bryant*, School of Natural Resources and Environment

Harold Neighbors*, School of Public Health

Michael Savageau, Microbiology and Immunology

Kristine Siefert*, Social Work

Abigail J. Steward, Institute for Research on Women and Gender

Levi T. Thompson, Chemical Engineering

2000

Lorraine Gutierrez, Psychology and Social Work

James Jackson, Center for Afroamerican and African Studies

Terrence McDonald, History

Robert Megginson, Math

Emerson Robinson, Dentistry

1999

James A. Chaffers, Architecture

Charles J. Krause, Otolaryngology

Ann E. Larimore, Geography and Women’s Studies

Earl Lewis, History and Afro-American/African Studies

Margaret Scisney-Matlock, Nursing

1998

Patricia Y. Gurin, Psychology

Sylvia Hurtado*, Education

Richard Lichtenstein*, Health Management and Policy

Marilyn Roubidoux, Radiology

David R. Williams, Sociology

1997

Elizabeth A. Allen, Nursing

Charles N. Ellis, Dermatology

Robert M. Ortega*, Social Work

Willis C. Patterson, Music

Beth G. Reed*, Social Work and Women’s Studies

1996

Frances R. Aparicio, Spanish and American Culture

Mark Chesler, Sociology

Donald R. Deskins, Urban Geography and Sociology

Billy Joe Evans, Chemistry

Stephen H. Sumida, English and American Culture