Honorary Degree Recipient and Keynote Speaker 2023
Aldon Morris
Aldon Morris is the Leon Forrest Emeritus Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Northwestern University. Morris is the author of the award-winning book, The Origins of the Civil rights Movement and the winner of the Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Award from the American Sociological Association. He is co-editor of both Frontiers in Social Movement Theory and Opposition Consciousness. Morris’ 2015 book, The Scholar Denied: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Birth of Modern Sociology, won numerous awards including the Prose Award from The American Publishing Association. Morris has won over a dozen awards for his scholarship, teaching, and mentoring. He was elected and served as the 2020 President of the American Sociological Association. Morris’s life and work were chronicled in the award-winning film, “Aldon Morris: The Scholar Affirmed.” Morris has appeared in documentaries, television and radio programs, and his work has been published in magazines and social media outlets. Morris is former Chair of Sociology, Director of Asian American Studies, and Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. Morris is committed to an emancipatory scholarship that addresses social inequality and points to solutions to achieve human freedom.
Student Speaker 2023
Holly Eva Allen
Holly Eva Allen is graduating with an MA in English with a concentration in American Studies. Holly also received the Women’s & Gender Studies and PFF College Teaching Certificates from CGU. She served as secretary for the Graduate Student Council in 2021-2022 and is currently serving as president of the Queer Graduate Union. Holly is a CAFÉ fellow and PFF course instructor at CGU and an intern in the Disability Studies division of the University of Michigan 1Cademy education project. She is the founder of Horned Things Literary Journal, the co-Editor in Chief of CGU’s Foothill Poetry Journal, and an assistant prose editor for Passengers Journal. Holly’s academic writing has appeared in journals such as Women’s Studies, Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, and Intersections. Additionally, her creative writing has been published in magazines, books, and sites such as Hare’s Paw Literary Journal, Farside Review, and On the Run Fiction. Some of her research interests include queer theory, American literature, horror, and disability studies. Holly aims to be a scholar and educator who centers accessibility and inclusivity in all things.