 "Photo: Alicia Schuster / UCD Advocate")
In order to win the Thomas Jefferson award, a professor has to “advance the ideals of Thomas Jefferson.”
No, not father illegitimate children and own over 600 slaves. The other ideals: Embrace the arts and sciences; support higher education; demonstrate a sense of civic duty; commit to the welfare and rights of the individual.
This year, the University of Colorado awarded the Thomas Jefferson Award to three UC Denver faculty members: Gillian Siverman, assistant professor of English; Andrés Lema-Hincapié, assistant professor and advisor for Spanish majors; and Stephen Hartnett, associate professor and chair of the communication department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Reading through Hartnett’s syllabus for his course “Communication, Prison, and Social Justice,” a person could understand from the course description why Hartnett was nominated and won: “We are thus witness to a revolving door where the prison system does not rehabilitate prisoners, instead cycling them through our jails and prisons like cattle. We can help to stop this revolving door by extending the skills and experiences of our campus out into our community, thus putting the university and its talents at the service of social justice.”
Tough first day of class for the students who thought they were going to coast to graduation. When was the last time you showed up to collect a syllabus and were called to social action?
Hartnett has only been at UCD for two years. He moved here from Illinois, where he was working with incarcerated women. The project educates women in prison systems and strives to give them hope and aspiration.
His work with abused women in the prison systems in Denver is what garnered Hartnett the nomination for the Thomas Jefferson award.
Harnett is far from glowing in the spotlight of recognition.
“I’m a little embarrassed about the whole award thing,” he said.
Even if he is shy about the award, Hartnett is still humbled by the nomination and win. “It’s a huge honor to have your colleagues and peers acknowledge that this kind of work is valuable,” he said. “I am very grateful.”
Gordana Lazic, a teaching assistant in the communication department, first heard Hartnett speak during a conference in Fort Collins (before he came to work at UCD).
“His speech was one of the most touching and moving speeches I had ever heard,” she said. “Specifically because he was talking about social justice, and was so passionate.”
Lazic also said that she was incredibly happy that Hartnett was being recognized for his efforts.
“Any kind of acknowledgment, especially when it illuminates a little more about the department, is good.”
Hartnett, when he’s not trying to rid the world of injustice, spends his time skiing, biking, hiking—enjoying the many outdoor reasons he moved to Colorado in the first place, and hopefully the reasons he continues his work in our state.
More coverage on Harnett’s projects with incarcerated women will appear in the Feb. 10 issue.
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