The deadline for nominations for the 2025 Lee Founders Award is April 15, 2025.

HISTORY
Established in 1981, this award is made in recognition of significant lifetime achievements demonstrating a devotion to the ideals of the founders of the Society and especially to the humanist tradition of Alfred McClung Lee and Elizabeth Briant Lee. The award winner receives a plaque of recognition. Past winners of this award can be found here.

CRITERIA

  1. The nominee must have been an active member of the Society for some years prior to receiving the award.
  2. The nominee must have made significant achievements embodying the ideals of the founders of the Society. These achievements may be in the areas of scholarly research, teaching, or service leading to the betterment of human life. Nominees for the award must have demonstrated a commitment to social action programs that promote social justice. 
  3. The nominee’s achievements should reflect the humanistic tradition of sociology, as exemplified in the contributions of Alfred McClung Lee and Elizabeth Briant Lee, for whom the award is named. 
  4. The nominee’s achievements may be expressed in a body of work that provides understanding and insight for practical application and the development of social conflict, including one or more of the following:
    a.   Studies of peace and war, ethnic and/or racial conflict and social movements.
    b.   The role of mass media as related to social problems.
    c.   The role of propaganda in the creation of and the persistence of social problems.
    d.   The systematic study of social inequality (for example, problems of poverty, discrimination, racism, sexism, and unequal distribution of wealth).
  5. The achievements should include substantial community service at the local, state, and/or national level.
  6. It is assumed that the above achievements will have been accomplished by the nominees over a distinguished career and that they will reflect a long-term commitment to the ideals of the Lees.

NOMINATIONS
Nominations are now open for the 2025 Lee Founders Award. Members of the Society may nominate one or more persons for the award. Members of the Lee Founders Award Committee are encouraged to nominate. Nominations are eligible for the year of the nomination and the two following years, should the nominee not be selected for the award the first year.

All online nominations must be accompanied by supporting evidence sufficiently detailed for the committee to render a decision (e.g., a resume; additional supporting description of the nominee’s work demonstrating that the contributions meet the criteria for nomination). Please include supporting information not covered in a resume. List names of colleagues who would write supporting letters upon the request of the committee or include letters of support with your nomination.

All online nominations must be submitted no later than April 15, 2025. The 2025 award will be presented at the 75th Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, August 8-10, 2025.

Please address all questions to:

Dr. Anna Maria Santiago, Chair
Lee Founders Award Committee
santia63@msu.edu