Leon A. Henkin Citation for Distinguished Service

The Leon A. Henkin Citation for Distinguished Service is awarded by the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Campus Climate (DECC) of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate.  It is given in recognition of an “exceptional commitment to the educational development of students from groups who are underrepresented in the academy.”

Leon A. Henkin was an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics who was a founder of the Committee on Special Scholarships in 1963, a Committee of the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate whose goal was to enable students from underrepresented groups to attend and excel at the University of California, Berkeley.  Professor Henkin remained a member of this same but renamed Committee on Student Diversity and Academic Development until his death. (SDAD merged with the Status of Women and Ethnic Minorities to form the DECC in 2014).   Professor Henkin worked tirelessly throughout his career to increase equity and access to higher education, and to promote the academic, personal and professional success of Berkeley students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the academy.  He was the first recipient of this Citation from the Academic Senate, and the Citation bears his name as testimony to his distinguished service. 

The nominee for the Leon A. Henkin Citation shall be:

Any current or retired faculty member—or pairs/teams of faculty—Senate or non-Senate whose careers have been marked by a sustained effort to increase the academic success of students from groups traditionally underrepresented in academic disciplines.  DECC members are ineligible while serving on the committee.

Michi Taga
Professor, Plant and Microbial Biology

The Committee on Diversity, Equity and Campus Climate (DECC) has selected Professor Michi Taga (Plant & Microbial Biology) for the 2023 Leon A. Henkin Citation for Distinguished Service. The citation is given in recognition of “exceptional commitment to the educational development of students from groups who are underrepresented in the academy.”

In her letter of support for Taga’s nomination, Associate Dean Isha Ray of the Rausser College of Natural Resources describes Taga as a “fearless leader” who is “quietly, firmly, and tenaciously moving the needle of equity and inclusion.” The Chair and Associate Chair of the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology write that her example demonstrates “how UCB faculty can be at the top of their field and enact meaningful change to advance diversity, equity, and belonging.”

Within her department, Taga has spearheaded an impressive number of diversity- and equity-focused initiatives. In 2015 she established the department’s Diversity Committee, which she also chaired. She played a major role in transforming the faculty search process in PMB and was one of the driving forces behind the development of an emerging Inclusive Faculty Mentorship program in the life sciences, for which she also serves as a mentor. Taga also took the lead in replacing the department’s GRE-driven graduate admissions process with an evidence-based numerical rubric, approximately four years ahead of the rest of the campus. She has been successful in securing new funding for the training and mentorship of graduate students from underrepresented groups. Within her own lab Taga cultivates an inclusive, supportive, and safe environment for all. She was an early adopter of individual trainee development plans and yearly evaluations for graduate students and she integrates structured training in aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion into lab meetings, offering graduate students and postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to facilitate. Her students write: “Michi makes our campus more inclusive, honors our humanity and value as scientists, and jumps to action in our times of need.”

DECC is delighted to recommend Michi Taga for this year’s Henkin Citation. Professor Taga truly embodies the spirit of this award.