Brian Catlos was selected as Faculty Awardee for his work on Mediterranean Studies and with the CU Mediterranean Studies Group (since 2011) and the Mediterranean Seminar, both of which he founded and directs (the latter with Sharon Kinoshita of UCSC). The CU Mediterranean Studies group is an interdisciplinary collaborative group which brings speakers to campus, organizes conferences, workshops and events, and supports faculty and graduate students through works-in-progress workshops, as well as conducting outreach with the Front Range community. As practiced by the Group, Mediterranean Studies works to move beyond Eurocentric narratives relating to the origin and emergence of the Modern West (broadly defined as the Abrahamic cultural sphere) and to integrate the histories of Europe, Africa and West Asia, and Christian, Muslim and Jewish societies and cultures. This approach is reflected in his recent textbook The Sea in the Middle: The Mediterranean World, 650-1650. The Group actively works to include narratives relating to historically marginalized groups and perspectives and to support junior scholars and those identifying with under-represented constituencies. The Group receives no regular support from the College or University and depends on the contributions of supporting departments and programs.
Students, employees and a unit are being honored for their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the University of Colorado Boulder College of Arts and Sciences. ASCEND Awards go to faculty, staff, graduate students and undergraduate students who have demonstrated a commitment to the principles and actions of diversity and inclusion in curriculum, creative teaching practice, community building endeavors and/or communication. The winners are the recipients of the third annual awards from ASCEND, or the Arts and Sciences Consortium of Committees on Climate, Equity, Inclusion and Diversity. The 2023 winners were selected and announced by the Diversity Committee of the Arts and Sciences Council, which is the primary representative body for the college’s faculty.