Campus Compact is pleased to announce that Samantha Francois, assistant professor at Tulane University’s School of Social Work, executive director of the Violence Prevention Institute, and co-director of the Center for Youth Equity, has been awarded Campus Compact’s Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement. The award, presented in partnership with Brown University’s Swearer Center, recognizes early-career faculty who practice exemplary engaged scholarship through teaching and research. Recipients are selected on the basis of their collaboration with communities, institutional impact, and high-quality academic work.
Francois is recognized for her deep commitment to community voice in both her research and teaching—elevating the expertise and knowledge of community members that complement and enhance traditional higher education. Her research, which is primarily focused on violence exposure, trauma, and mental health in Black adolescents and young adults, centers the voices of communities that are often pushed to the social margins, uplifting counternarratives to the status quo. She undertakes this work through an anti-racist and intersectional lens aimed at social transformation and community liberation. In her teaching, Francois emphasizes experiential learning that engages students with community members in a community-based setting, helping them to develop a sense of leadership, empathy, and social responsibility. In addition to her role as assistant professor, Francois serves as executive director of the Violence Prevention Institute at Tulane and co-director of the Center for Youth Equity, a CDC National Center of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention.
“Community-engaged scholarship has been the focal point of Dr. Francois’ research, teaching, and service and it is one strand that ties her work in these three areas together,” said Myriam Huet, assistant director of the Center for Public Service and adjunct assistant professor at Tulane University in a letter nominating Francois for the award. “Her teaching and research practice center the voices of communities pushed to the social margins to uplift and advance counternarratives to the status quo.”
In addition, Jennifer Carrera, assistant professor of sociology at Michigan State University, also received this year’s Lynton Award. Mark Congdon, assistant professor of communication studies and faculty advisor to PRSSA at Sacred Heart University, has been recognized as a Lynton Award finalist.
The Ernest A. Lynton Award for the Scholarship of Engagement is presented as part of Campus Compact's Impact Awards, which recognize the outstanding work of individuals and institutions in pursuit of the public purposes of higher education. Read more about the other awards and this year's recipients here.
Awardees will be recognized during a summer event series hosted by Campus Compact and IARSLCE to celebrate the recipients of each organization’s annual awards.
For more information contact:
Molly Leiper, Director of Communications, Campus Compact, [email protected]