March 3, 2009

UCSB Sociologist Named Outstanding Latina Faculty in Higher Education, Elected President of Scholarly Association

Denise Segura, a professor of sociology at UC Santa Barbara, has received the Outstanding Latina Faculty in Higher Education award from the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE). In addition, she is president-elect of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS), the largest organization of sociologists dedicated to feminist studies.

"To have your research acknowledged by your peers is very gratifying," Segura said of the AAHHE award, which will be presented at the association's annual conference in San Antonio later this week. "These are scholars who, like me, are doing research around issues of pressing concern to Latino populations." Segura also is an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Feminist Studies, the Department of Chicana/o Studies, and the Program in Latin American and Iberian Studies at UCSB.

The AAHEE award recognizes Segura's pioneering research in social inequality, stratification and mobility among Chicano and Latino populations in the United States. Her work on Chicana and Mexican immigrant women workers has been widely published, and her early theories on "triple oppression" among Chicanas are widely cited. In addition, her analysis of "subjective mobility" among Chicana and Mexican immigrant workers offers insight into the mechanisms that maintain labor market and institutional inequality.

The AAHHE is a cross-disciplinary, higher education organization primarily focused on the need to develop Latino/a faculty and senior administrators. It also serves as a leading research and advocacy group for Hispanic higher education issues. Throughout its history, the AAHHE has been involved in numerous activities with the goals of increasing Hispanic faculty in higher education, bringing Hispanic issues to the attention of the larger academic community, and recognizing the achievements and accomplishments of Hispanics in higher education.

As president-elect of Sociologists for Women in Society, Segura's term continues through 2011. She is the first scholar from UCSB and the first Chicana to become president-elect of SWS. In addition, she is one of only two individuals from the UC system who have been so honored. The other is Francesca Cancian, a professor of sociology at UC Irvine.

SWS is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization of sociologists and others who are dedicated to maximizing professional opportunities for women in sociology, exploring the contributions of sociology to the investigation of current gender arrangements, and creating social change. The organization also publishes Gender & Society, a top scholarly journal in both women's studies and sociology.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.