Cynthia Feliciano, Chicano/Latino studies and sociology associate professor, and Jeanett Castellanos, Social Sciences Academic Resource Center director, are being honored by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) for their efforts in support of Latinos in higher education.

Fecliciano, who both studies and teaches courses on race, ethnicity and education, has been named as the Outstanding Latino/a Faculty in Higher Education at a Research Institution. She has been a faculty member at UCI since 2004 and is the author of Unequal Origins: Immigrant Selection and the Education of the Second Generation as well as numerous scholarly articles on topics of race and ethnicity. She currently serves on the editorial board of Contemporary Sociology and is working on joint Gates Foundation/UC ACCORD-funded study examining the opportunities and obstacles to postsecondary success among low income youth.

Castellanos is one of two recipients of the Outstanding Support of Hispanic Issues in Higher Education Award. The UCI alumna and lecturer has been the SSARC faculty advisor since 1999 and coordinator of the social sciences major and social science honors program since 2006.  Previous distinctions include the UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Chancellor’s Award in 2003, UCI Division of Undergraduate Education Teaching Excellence Award in 2004, the APA Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) 2007 Samuel M. Turner Mentorship Award, and in 2008, the National Latina/o Psychological Association Star Vega Distinguished Service Award.

Both women will receive their awards at the annual AAHHE national awards luncheon Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the Hilton Hotel in Costa Mesa.