Dr. Jerlando F.L. Jackson—an expert on workforce diversity and workplace discrimination in higher education—and a prolific researcher on issues relating to Black males, was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award from the College of Human Sciences at Iowa State University.
The highest alumni distinction given by the College of Human Sciences, the alumni award recognizes alumni for meritorious service and/or distinguished achievements in areas such as business and industry, education, family and consumer sciences, and health.
“I am honored to receive this career award from the College of Human Sciences, but I have more work to do to fulfill my promise when I left Alabama to go to Iowa,” said Jackson, who is the Vilas Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and also serves as the director and chief research scientist for Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory. “I was inspired to attend Iowa State to become a part of its legacy with Black graduates like George Washington Carver and Frederick D. Patterson. I promised that I would leverage the opportunity to get my Ph.D. and use my gifts and talents to make a difference in the Black community.”
Jackson, who earned his doctorate in 2000 and joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that same year, previously received the Outstanding Young Professional Award from the School of Education and the Outstanding Young Professional Award from the Alumni Association in 2004 and 2012 respectively
The author of more than 100 publications, including books and journal articles, Jackson has spearheaded the International Colloquium on Black Males in Education for the past six years. Earlier this month, several hundred academicians, community and political leaders and students gathered in Toronto for the annual meeting.