VCU Professor Honored by the Women's Caucus for Political Science

By Mike Porter

M. Njeri Jackson, Ph.D., special assistant for diversity in the Office of the Provost and associate professor in the Department of African American Studies and the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, received the 2008 Women of Color Professional Achievement Recognition Award from the Women’s Caucus for Political Science.

The award was presented during the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association on Aug. 28 in Boston.

Jackson, a VCU faculty member since 1990, was honored for her work in race and gender and the provocative way she has introduced critical and controversial ideas in teaching and research. The award also recognized Jackson’s contributions to the intellectual environment at VCU.

“What makes this really important is that I was nominated for the award by my colleagues and former students who have become some of the leading scholars in the field of political science, and it’s so humbling to me. It really is,” Jackson said.

Former students and colleagues described her as “a force with which to be reckoned” who offers “hard-knuckled reality checks, incisive critiques and visionary perspectives”.

Jackson chaired the department of African American Studies at VCU from 1998 until 2007, where she shepherded the unit from a program to its current bachelor’s degree granting status. Under her leadership, the department added emphasis on health care issues among people of African descent.

“This award is a recognition for VCU as well,” Jackson said. “The university has given me the freedom and support to be creative and pioneering to do the kind of work that I do.”

Jackson has received numerous awards for her teaching and service to the profession of political science. She is the 2007 recipient of the VCU Presidential Award for Multicultural Enrichment and the Riese Melton Award for her contributions to enhancing diversity. 

The Women’s Caucus for Political Science is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the status of women in the profession of political science by promoting equal opportunity for women political scientists in employment, promotion and tenure decisions, as well as graduate school admissions and financial aid decisions.