Sociology Professor Wins Annual Distinguished Faculty Award
Longtime sociology professor Marisol Clark-Ibáñez has won the Harry E. Brakebill Distinguished Professor Award, which annually acknowledges a Cal State San Marcos professor who demonstrates excellence in teaching, research, creative scholarship and service to the university and region.
CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt made the announcement in a campus message Wednesday.
Clark-Ibáñez has been a faculty member at CSUSM since 2003, and she gained full professor status in 2016. In the sociology department, she serves as the associate chair of student success and student challenges, and was previously department chair, internship coordinator and graduate coordinator.
“I feel very overwhelmed and overjoyed,” Clark-Ibáñez said of winning the award. “Putting together the material for the nomination dossier was a big task – and it gave me meaningful reflection about how lucky I am to work with incredible colleagues and students since the moment I got here in 2003. I am really proud to contribute to many efforts creating meaningful change with and for students, for our campus, and in our communities. Thank you to the award committee and President Neufeldt for this humbling recognition.”
Clark-Ibáñez has served on committees at the college, university and California State University system levels, including as a member of the CHABSS Chicanx studies leadership committee (2012-18) and American Indian studies curriculum committee and advisory council (2012-16), as the faculty lead for the Hispanic-Serving Institutions grant Pathways to Academic Success and Opportunity (2015-17) and as a reviewer of sociology course descriptors from community colleges for the CSU Chancellor’s Office Lower-Division Transfer Patterns project (2006-08).
She also served from 2016-20 as Faculty Center director for the National Latino Research Center, where she and her team brought in nearly $10 million in external grants and contracts. Funded projects included civic engagement and leadership development for Latinx, immigrant and Spanish-speaking families as well as formerly incarcerated individuals.
Clark-Ibáñez’s research addresses critical social issues, with two major focuses: undocumented immigration and computer science education. Her work on undocumented immigration has resulted in published books, journal articles and practical guides that illuminate the educational experiences of undocumented and mixed-status students.
She co-led, with computer science professor Youwen Ouyang, a five-year, $1 million National Science Foundation grant project to provide scholarships, mentorship and career preparation for low-income computer science students, bridging gaps in student retention and the students' social capital and community cultural wealth.
“Over the past 21 years at CSUSM, Dr. Clark-Ibáñez has exemplified excellence through her impactful teaching, innovative initiatives to connect STEM fields and the social sciences, and dedicated service to the campus community, her colleagues and students,” Neufeldt said.
CSUSM has given out the Brakebill Award since 1998. It’s named for Harry E. Brakebill, a former executive vice chancellor of the CSU system and a valued adviser in the early years of CSUSM. The award was established by his daughter, Ann Bersi.
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