For these and many other reasons, Dr. Chukuka Enwemeka, SDSU provost and senior vice-president, has received the President’s Award from the San Diego Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
“He has been consistent in his advocacy for student academic success,” said Dr. André J. Branch, president of the San Diego chapter of the NAACP and associate professor in the College of Education’s School of Teacher Education. “Dr. Enwemeka has put in place programmatic structures to support and to ensure academic excellence for San Diego State Students.”
Enwemeka has been in his current position since July 2014 and has about 25 years of academic leadership experience. He is credited with establishing the Provost’s Undergraduate Mentoring Program, Advising Initiative and Distinguished Lecture Program, and providing incentives to faculty and rewarding of faculty who provide extraordinary service to ensure academic student success.
“Because of Dr. Enwemeka's initiatives, San Diego State University has received national recognition for closing the gap between student of color academic achievement and excellence,” Branch added. “Closing the achievement gap between student of color achievement and excellence is important because no intellectual talent is dispensable.”
According to colleagues, Enwemeka has been a leader in advancing SDSU’s success in the areas of research and student success.
“Our educational institutions have long produced disparate outcomes for certain groups in comparison to others. His leadership has helped SDSU reduce those gaps, creating a better likelihood that all of our students will have greater economic and personal success,” said Dr. Idara Essien, a faculty in COE’s Department of Child and Family Development. “The award is a testament to his hard work and that of our community in seeking to fulfill the mission of our institution. It is a wonderful recognition from one of the most prestigious organizations in the Black community.”
According to its website, the NAACP’s principal objective is “to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority citizens of the United States and eliminate race prejudice. The NAACP seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes.”