Thank You Dr. Sandra McGee Deutsch

Dr. Sandy McGee Deutsch
Retirement fall 2020

Dr. McGee Deutsch received her PhD from the University of Florida in 1979 and joined the History Department in 1984. Since joining UTEP she has enjoyed a prolific career that included research fellowships and visiting positions around the world. She served as a Visiting Professor at Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina during 2000, with funding from the Fullbright Foundation, and as a Visiting Professor at the Universidad de La Plata in Argentina, in 1998. She received a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies to conduct research in Chile and Brazil, and she also received a Social Sciences Research Council Grant for her work. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Historical Association, the American Philosophical Society, and the Littauer Foundation.

This scholarly output is impressive not only in quantity but in quality.  Dr. McGee Deutsch has published and co-editing over six books and dozens of articles.  Her insightful work on the history of women and right wing movements has helped generations of scholars understand the intersections of gender, democracy, fascism, and social change.  Of particular note is the recognition she received with the Best Book Award from the Latin American Jewish Studies Association for her 2010 monograph, Crossing Borders, Claiming a Nation: A History of Argentine Jewish Women, 1880-1955.  This scholarly output is impressive not only in quantity but in quality.  Dr. McGee Deutsch has published and co-editing over six books and dozens of articles.  Her insightful work on the history of women and right wing movements has helped generations of scholars understand the intersections of gender, democracy, fascism, and social change.  Of particular note is the recognition she received with the Best Book Award from the Latin American Jewish Studies Association for her 2010 monograph, Crossing Borders, Claiming a Nation: A History of Argentine Jewish Women, 1880-1955.  

The accolades she has received from her colleagues are inspiring.  Professor Federico Finchelstein from the New School for Social Research notes that “Professor McGee is one of the top 2 key historians of the history of fascism and anti-fascism in Latin American history today.”   Of her award winning book, Crossing Borders, Professor David Shenin of Trent University says it is “remarkable” and that it is “the most important analysis I’ve read in the past decade on the formation of community.”  More broadly, Professor Shenin says that Dr. McGee Deutsch is “a brilliant historian and one of a small handful of the most distinguished analysts of Latin America working today.”  Kathleen Blee, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Pittsburgh, notes that Sandy is “one of the major international scholars of far-right movements as well as political opposition to such movements.”  Finally, Professor Mònica Szurmuk from the Universidad Nacional de San Martin in Argentina says that she is “a stellar figure in the field of Latin American History whose publications are essential for an understanding of politics, gender, and race in the Americas in the twentieth century.” 

In addition, Dr. McGee Deutsch is a dedicated teacher and mentor to her students. She chaired ten dissertations and theses to completion, and she presently sits on the committees of several more PhD and MA students.  Dr. Cristobal Borges, who wrote dissertation on Puerto Rican notions of masculinity, whiteness and race, recalled her generosity: “Sandy enters every interaction, almost every instance, with the approach of being the best human being she can.”  Of her approach to teaching and her presence in the classroom, Dr. Borges notes, Sandy “was a model of who a professor can be to UTEP students.  She used her experience to make history accessible to students, but she also showed them a model of a female faculty, an expert, and a teacher.”   Many students echo these sentiments, noting her unwavering support for their success, and for her kindness and understanding as a human being.  

Her service to UTEP and the profession have been immense.  She is an External Editorial Board member for a Manchester University Press book series titled “Politics, Cultures and Aesthetics of the Radical Right”; and she is an External Editorial Board member for Anuario IEHS, published by the Universidad Nacional del Centro, Argentina.  She has organized two “teach-ins” while at UTEP and was a co-organizer for a public speaking series titled, “Lessons from the Past, Looking to the Future,” in collaboration with The El Paso Public Library.  For the past decade, she has overseen the History Department’s Friday afternoon seminar series, which brought us into conversation with graduate students, UTEP faculty, and scholars around the world.  Her colleagues recognize this long dedication to service to the profession and department.  Dr. Yolanda Leyva, who had the unique experience of being a student in her classes during the 1980s, and then her colleague a later, recalls her ability to stimulate conversation in graduate courses.  Dr. Leyva calls her a “renown scholar” and a “dedicated teacher and mentor” for her students.   Dr. Sam Brunk similarly sings the praises of Dr. McGee Deutsch, noting that her scholarship has raised the profile of the History Department and UTEP, even as she remained generous colleague.

Her exemplary contributions to the historical profession and to the students of UTEP resulted in several accolades of particular importance.  In 2000, she received the UTEP Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of her mentoring and leadership inside and outside the classroom, and in 2016 she received the UTEP College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Faculty Award in the Humanities, in recognition of her overall accomplishments in research, teaching and service. 

Fortunately, Sandy will still to play an active role in the life of the Department. She will teach a graduate class each year, chair and sit on some dissertation and thesis committees, and organize the History Department Seminar Series. 

On behalf of the Department of History and the entire UTEP Community, I want to thank you for everything you have done, and to congratulate you on your retirement.

Jeffrey P. Shepherd
Professor and Chair
Department of History