CEL for Faculty

The Office of Undergraduate Studies is proud to celebrate the winners of the 2025 Community Engaged Learning Faculty Awards. These outstanding faculty members have demonstrated exceptional dedication to fostering meaningful connections between the University of Utah and the wider community. This year’s Public Service Professor Award recipient is Dr. Udita Gupta, Associate Professor (Career Line), Urban Institute for Teacher Education (UITE), College of Education. The Distinguished Faculty Service Award honors Dr. Sonia Salari, Professor, Department of Family and Consumer Studies, and Dr. Leslie Francis, Alfred C. Emery Professor of Law, and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy.

Lily Alavi, an associate instructor in the Department of World Languages and Culture, has made community-engaged learning a cornerstone of her teaching. Her journey into this field began shortly after moving to Utah in 2009 when she attended a Bennion Center conference introducing her to service learning.

Dr. Akiko Kamimura, an Associate Professor and Interim Chair of the Sociology Department at the University of Utah, is renowned for her exceptional contributions to community-engaged research and student mentorship. Her journey into community engagement began with a public health degree from the University of Michigan, where she developed an interest in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR).

For her Public Service Professor project, Dr. Kamimura will be working with Understanding Us - a grassroots (501) (c) non-profit organization that provides Tai Chi and physical activity programs to persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) in Salt Lake City. In 2013, Dr. Molina expanded the resident-led partnership and with the support of the University of Utah, founded Latino Behavioral Health Services (LBHS). Randy L. Dryer's service both on and off campus is a testament to his lifelong commitment to community engagement.