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.

G.Cristina Mora
Professor, Sociology

The Committee on Diversity, Equity and Campus Climate (DECC) has selected Professor G. Cristina Mora from the Department of Sociology, to be awarded the 2026 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.”

A first-generation Berkeley alumna herself, Professor Mora is recognized for her exemplary leadership in cultivating intellectually rigorous and inclusive environments that serve as a vital anchor for students and scholars from underrepresented backgrounds. A leading voice on the social construction of race and panethnicity, she is acclaimed for a pedagogy that balances high academic expectations with deep compassion. From her stewardship of the essential Latinx Sociology curriculum to her award-winning scholarship, she has fundamentally expanded the university’s engagement with Latinx social life.

Professor Mora’s impact extends well beyond the classroom through her dedicated leadership of campus-wide equity initiatives:

●      Institutional Leadership: As Co-Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS), she secured over $2.5 million for student programs, including critical stipend support for the Cal-in-Sacramento fellowship to ensure accessibility for low-income undergraduates.

●      Pipeline Development: She secured a $1 million federal grant to establish the Latinx Social Science Postdoctoral Pipeline Initiative, a first-of-its-kind program in the UC system designed to diversify the future of the professoriate.

●      Faculty Diversity: Professor Mora served as the Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Liaison and led the "Latinos and Democracy" cluster hire, resulting in the recruitment of seven new faculty members.

Beyond her administrative roles, Professor Mora is a dedicated mentor to students in the McNair, Firebaugh, and Underground Scholars programs. Her work ensures that students from all backgrounds have the resources and guidance necessary to thrive at Berkeley and beyond.

History of the Leon A. Henkin Citation