Ask any UCI social sciences alumnus to list his or her most influential professors, and odds are that Caesar Sereseres’ name will be near the top. A political science professor at UCI since 1972, Sereseres has served for the past 21 years as associate dean of undergraduate studies in the School of Social Sciences.  He’s credited with championing the highly effective five-week residential Summer Academic Enrichment Program which helps increase graduation rates among first-generation college students; the widely acclaimed Global Connect educational partnership program that provides secondary students a much needed yearlong course on global issues in the 21st century;  and numerous study abroad, internship, research and mentoring opportunities through which Sereseres offers up his time, extensive expertise, unending energy and real-world applied knowledge to the many students he serves.  An advocate for diversity and support for first-generation and low-income students, Sereseres was honored at UCI’s annual Celebration of Teaching awards ceremony in May as the 2011 Professor of the Year. The honor includes a $1,000 contribution to his professional development account and an engraved award.

Click here for a complete listing of Celebration of Teaching award recipients which includes cognitive scientist Lisa Pearl, recognized by social sciences dean Barbara Dosher for excellence in undergraduate teaching. Sponsors of the awards include Salinger, Frances Leslie, dean of Graduate Education; the Office of Information Technology; and the Teaching, Learning, & Technology Center.

Check out video from the award ceremony to learn what Sereseres’ students, colleagues, staff and friends wrote in support of his nomination for this campus-wide honor: 

-Video courtesy of UCI's Teaching, Learning & Technology Center