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Arcadia Resident Receives Cal State Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award
Arcadia Weekly Aug 26, 2020
Prof. James Brady Photo by Robert Huskey/Cal State LA
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CalState L.A. anthropology professor recognized for mentorship, advancing studentsuccess
JamesBrady, an anthropology professor at Cal State L.A. and Arcadia resident, hasreceived the Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award for his mentorship ofstudents.
Bradyis one of only 25 faculty members in the California State University (CSU)system to receive the award, which recognizes faculty leaders who havedemonstrated extraordinary leadership in advancing student success.
“Iam deeply appreciative of the CSU honoring me with the Faculty Innovation andLeadership Award because it recognizes my efforts that are at the heart of whatI have done as a faculty member for the last 20 plus years,” said Brady.
Aselection committee comprised of faculty, student representatives from theCalifornia State Student Association and staff members from the CSU Office ofthe Chancellor reviewed hundreds of nominations to identify the awardees.
“TheCSU’s world-class faculty continue to advance bold, creative solutions toenrich student learning, despite the daunting and unprecedented challengesfacing higher education,” said CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White. “The awardeeshave demonstrated brilliance, ingenuity and adaptability, and their steadfastcommitment to student success is at the very core of the CSU’s educationalmission.”
ACal State L.A. alumnus, Professor Brady is recognized internationally for hisfield research and credited for creating a new sub-discipline of Maya cavearchaeology.
Throughresearch and other unique learning opportunities, Brady provides students withthe experience and knowledge needed to stand out as applicants for graduateschool. His Archaeological Field Program in Central America empowered studentsto conduct original research centered on Mayan archaeology and present theirfindings at professional conferences, including the annual internationalmeeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Students in the program havepresented more than 165 papers at professional meetings and 26 have been acceptedinto Ph.D. programs.
Bradyguides students to build a strong curriculum vitae through his academic writingand publishing course. Students also receive guidance developing theirapplications to postgraduate programs.
Brady’sstudents have garnered scholarships and fellowships, including the SallyCasanova Pre-Doctoral Scholarship, National Science Foundation ResearchExperiences for Undergraduates, and the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship forNew Americans.
Aspart of the CSU recognition, Brady will receive a $5,000 cash award and $10,000will be allocated to the Department of Anthropology in the College of Naturaland Social Sciences at Cal State L.A. to support ongoing innovation andleadership to advance student success.
Bradyhopes to return next year to his team’s investigation of Balamkú, an ancientMaya ritual cave system on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, which was named by Archaeology magazine as one of the 10most important discoveries of 2019. The cave system, containing a trove of morethan 150 ritual objects that are believed to have been left untouched for morethan 1,000 years, was also featured in the NewYork Times.
“Thesefunds will allow me to take students into the field,” he said. “This will betheir first steps on the path to doing great things. The publicity associatedwith our discovery demonstrates that CSU is a frontline research institution,changing the way we know the world.”
TheFaculty Innovation and Leadership Awards program was created as part of theCSU’s efforts to recognize faculty for their crucial work in improving studentachievement and their leadership towards reaching statewide GraduationInitiative 2025 goals.The initiative is part of a broader system-wide effort to eliminate opportunityand achievement gaps, and increase graduation rates for all CSU students.
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