The recipients of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Academic Leadership Fellows award were announced Tuesday, April 18. One of the ten fellows who were granted the award is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of East Asian Studies, Constance Kassor.
Kassor received her undergraduate degree at Smith College, where she studied philosophy. Following her undergraduate program, she received her PhD at Emory University where she studied religious traditions, focusing on Buddhism. Kassor has expressed that after initially planning to study biology in the hopes of becoming a biomedical engineer, she fell in love with the subject matter of philosophy following the completion of a humanities course with a Buddhist monk at Smith College. From then on, she followed her passion post-graduation in India where she studied Tibetan philosophy at The Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies. In addition, she studied Buddhist philosophy. Kassor split her research time between the United States, Nepal, and India before landing a teaching job at Lawrence University seven years ago as a religious studies professor.
Funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, the ACM launched its inaugural Academic Leadership Fellows program this year to award tenured faculty members at ACM colleges who demonstrate abilities in leadership, are committed to diversity and equity and will utilize their leadership skills in making change at their respective institutions. Kassor was nominated by Provost and Dean of the Faculty Peter Blitstein and President Laurie Carter to receive the two-year grant. The grant is designed to encourage faculty members in the humanities who have tenure and are in the middle of their career. During her two-year grant, she will split her time between teaching and working as a special assistant for Carter. Kassor said that during this time she will be working across the University and teaming up with students, faculty and staff to ensure Lawrence students are career ready by graduation. She hopes to utilize her voice to advocate for students.
“Part of this grant will be involved in conversations that happen at the high levels,” Kassor said. “Part of my job is going to be listening to people across all aspects of the university and trying to figure out what’s in the best interest of students, faculty and staff and what’s in the best interest of the university in terms of helping students to be prepared to go out into the world after they graduate.”
When Kassor was nominated for the ACM Academic Leadership Fellows award, she felt it was important that she demonstrated previous leadership experience. Kassor and Director of Academic Advising Jacklyn Fischer co-chaired and led one of five guiding coalitions that Carter unveiled when she first came to Lawrence. This coalition focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism, and developed a report that has since been passed to various levels of administration for review.
While her role as a fellowship recipient will not take effect until the summer, Kassor hopes to influence students in their success after they have graduated. She says this will be her main motivation.
“The most meaningful thing to me is seeing my students succeed, and seeing them go out after Lawrence and do really cool things,” Kassor said.