Campus News
Social Sciences faculty and staff honored at annual Fall Breakfast
Dean of the Social Sciences Division Heather Bullock and divisional staff and faculty presented awards to continuing lecturer Kate Monsen, professor Sikina Jinnah, program coordinator Ursula Oberg, and professor emeritus Jimmy Pepper for their dedication to teaching, research, and service.
Each fall, the UC Santa Cruz Social Sciences Division convenes at the Cowell Hay Barn to celebrate colleagues’ service and dedication and welcome the start of a new academic year.
On October 16, faculty and staff lined up for breakfast and presented four divisional awards to division members who have demonstrated excellence in their roles across our departments and programs.
Dean Heather Bullock opened the event with a welcome message, including congratulating Professor Elliott Campbell in the Environmental Studies Department and Professor Rebecca London in the Sociology Department on their new department chair appointments. Then, Stacy Philpott, Professor and Ruth and Alfred Heller Chair of Agroecology, delivered a guest speech.
Afterward, Bullock and the award committees invited awardees on stage to receive their plaques. Each nomination committee shared brief remarks about their nominee and how they have served the campus and community. Read on to learn more about each winner’s contributions.
Golden Apple Teaching Award
Continuing Lecturer of Environmental Studies Katie Monsen (‘08, environmental studies Ph.D.) received this year’s Golden Apple Teaching Award for creating an engaging learning experience and bringing a spirit of curiosity to the classroom. Over her two decades with the department, she has taught courses across the environmental studies undergraduate curriculum, including core courses in the agroecology program, interdisciplinary courses, and senior capstones.
A notable part of her commitment to pedagogical innovation includes her collaboration with UCSC’s Teaching and Learning Center, where she co-creates new course designs and assessments. This work has included participating in a statewide learning program and leading its implementation at UCSC. She has also taken part in course design programs for online environments and equity-based approaches. She has twice presented posters at the UCSC Teaching Symposium, disseminating her teaching innovations to the campus community.
In the classroom, Monsen has used a range of test-taking and presentation strategies to help students learn and retain material while building new skills. Outside of the classroom, she ensures students have the tools and resources they need to succeed in their internships and regularly uses experiential learning at the UCSC farm to deepen students’ understanding of course material. She incorporates creativity and relevant current events to round out her engaged learning approach. As her colleagues remarked: “One of the most impressive things about Dr. Monsen is how she is constantly changing her courses, innovating in almost every iteration.”
Her commitment to teaching regularly goes beyond her role as a lecturer. Monsen has proven herself not only as a highly regarded teacher among students, but also as an invaluable resource for other faculty members and mentees seeking pedagogical advice.
Martin M. Chemers Award for Outstanding Research
Professor of Environmental Studies and Associate Director for the Center for Reimagining Leadership, Sikina Jinnah, received this year’s Martin M. Chemers Award for her research on environmental and climate policy. Her work focuses on the politics of global environmental governance and how different actors shape technology and decisions on climate change solutions.
With seven books and 60+ peer-reviewed articles, Jinnah has earned numerous awards and rankings for her research on international environmental affairs and politics, U.S. trade policy, environmental justice, and public engagement. She has spoken at dozens of domestic and international events and has received extensive media coverage for her research.
She has served on several high-profile committees, including the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee for Atmospheric Methane Removal, Harvard University’s Advisory Committee for its high-profile, controversial proposed solar geoengineering experiment (SCoPEx), and the US Global Change Research Program’s 6th National Climate Assessment. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Global Environmental Politics and Environmental Politics. Jinnah is a senior fellow at the Earth Systems Governance Project and social science research advisor at Degrees Initiative.
As a dedicated mentor to junior faculty, Jinnah has supported early-career faculty across all five divisions through grant writing, teaching and mentoring, and merit review. Her work with the Climate Justice program has helped early-career faculty pursue interdisciplinary climate justice research, including creating two postdoctoral roles, developing an undergraduate program, supporting a graduate research project, and working with communities in Belize and Watsonville on climate change-related workshops.
Staff Award for Outstanding Achievement
Latin American and Latino Studies Undergraduate Program Coordinator Ursula Oberg received the Staff Award for Outstanding Achievement for her unwavering commitment to supporting students. Oberg is an integral part of her department’s undergraduate program, working with faculty and staff to serve its diverse, growing student population efficiently and effectively. She often goes above and beyond to meet students’ needs, from hosting virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic to creating an annual undergraduate research symposium.
Her colleagues recognize her holistic approach to helping students complete degree requirements while also engaging in experiential learning outside the classroom, building a stronger sense of purpose, and achieving their goals.
“Ursula recognizes that students’ academic experiences are shaped by factors such as family, community, culture, immigration histories, financial pressures, and the broader sociopolitical climate,” said one nominator, Xiomara Lopez.
One LALS student nominator expressed how Oberg’s guidance was indispensable as a first-generation student. “Navigating this university system would have been impossible without her, and I’m eternally grateful to have someone like her in my corner,” said Allison Duran.
Outside the department, she has served on several committees, including a Transforming Advising Initiative workgroup, the Power Users for Slug Success committee, and the Coalition of Department Advisors on the Undergraduate Academic Advising Council, where she contributes her knowledge to improving advising across campus.
Distinguished Social Sciences Emeriti Faculty Award
Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies James “Jimmy” Pepper received the Distinguished Social Sciences Emeriti Faculty Award to honor his 50+ years of teaching, mentorship, and environmental leadership.
As a founding faculty member of the Environmental Studies Department, Pepper has approached his teaching and research through an interdisciplinary lens to address environmental challenges and the effects of climate change. His career has helped cement environmental studies as a rigorous academic field, taught thousands of students, shaped Santa Cruz’s post-earthquake recovery, and informed dozens of public- and private-sector urban planning projects.
He has remained involved with his department and the university, recently launching the James and Sherry Pepper Founders’ Scholarship Endowment to fund student research and helping form the Environmental Studies Alumni Council.