UCI Comparative Literature Professor Emerita Jane O. Newman was recently named one of two recipients of the 2026-2027 Academic Senate - Better World Award. The Senate confers this award on faculty whose professional contributions have positively impacted the world in an extraordinary manner. It is among the most prestigious awards University of California faculty members can receive from their colleagues.
Newman expressed her gratitude for the award and added that the UC Irvine Scholars at Risk program has been able to thrive over the past near decade only because of the support of a small village of campus administrators, faculty, and staff who have stepped up in consistent fashion. This award recognizes not only them, but also the UCI at-risk scholars themselves from Afghanistan, China, Syria, Turkey, Cameroon, and Ukraine, whose intelligence and resilience has brought so much to the campus. They provide a model for us all.