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Global Group Honors UTEP’s Kathleen Staudt for Life’s Work

Last Updated on May 07, 2019 at 12:00 AM

Originally published May 07, 2019

By UC Staff

UTEP Communications

The Association of Borderland Studies (ABS) presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to The University of Texas at El Paso’s Kathleen “Kathy” Staudt, Ph.D., professor emerita of political science, during its annual meeting on April 26 in San Diego.

Kathleen “Kathy” Staudt, Ph.D., professor emerita of political science, was presented with the Association of Borderland Studies (ABS) Lifetime Achievement Award during its annual meeting on April 26 in San Diego.
Kathleen “Kathy” Staudt, Ph.D., professor emerita of political science, was presented with the Association of Borderland Studies (ABS) Lifetime Achievement Award during its annual meeting on April 26 in San Diego.

Organizers presented Staudt with a glass globe that showed the continents without country borders. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native said the recognition was significant to her because she was of the generation of women who worked very hard in academia in fields dominated by men. She recalled that she often was the lone woman on most panels at conferences at home and abroad. 

“I have worked hard with others to make ABS more receptive to women scholars, to participate in ‘gendering border studies’ panels, and to the development of new concepts that embrace the different experiences of men and women crossing over and living in borderlands,” Staudt said. “Thus, the award became a validation of this work.”   

UTEP hired Staudt in 1977 to teach political science. Her specialty was comparative politics and international development with interdisciplinary perspectives to include women/gender studies and, in the 1990s, border studies. She considered herself “blessed” to be able to conduct methodical research of comparative political-economic dynamics while living at home.

While at UTEP, she held numerous faculty and administrative positions to include being founding director of UTEP’s Center for Civic Engagement. The educator earned many accolades through the years such as the University of Texas Chancellor’s Innovation in Teaching Award. She retired in 2017 as the endowed professor of Western Hemispheric Trade Policy Studies.

In a congratulatory email to Staudt, University President Diana Natalicio called this recognition another validation of the important work that she has done and continues to do. Her research interests revolve around borders, violence, immigration, education, activism, and women/gender in international development.

“UTEP is honored by your association with us and your lifelong commitment to research on and advocacy for this U.S.-Mexican border region,” President Natalicio said.

Staudt said she has stayed busy in retirement. She is involved in a Canadian study of transnational civil society organizations in North American (Canada, the United States and Mexico) borderlands that deal with trade, human rights and immigration policies.