The Michigan Society of Fellows has recently welcomed thirteen new senior fellows, all drawn from distinguished faculty across the University of Michigan. U-M Sociology is proud to announce that two of our own faculty members, Professor Elizabeth Armstrong and Professor Alford Young, are featured among this esteemed new cohort of Senior Fellows.

The Michigan Society of Fellows fosters interdisciplinary scholarly exchange by bringing together diverse early and senior scholars. Each year, the Society welcomes postdoctoral fellows and distinguished faculty as senior fellows to expand disciplinary thinking and research. The Society aims for representation from academic fields like Biological & Physical Sciences, Engineering & Public Health, Social Sciences & Education, and Humanities & Arts. In fact, U-M President Santa J. Ono dubs the Society’s efforts as “unique and vital” to communal dialogue taking place “across disciplinary and generational lines."

With much of her work focusing on sexuality and higher education, Professor and U-M Sociology Department Chair Elizabeth A. Armstrong has cemented herself in the critical conversations surrounding academic institutions’ responses to sexual assault. Armstrong has also been recently selected to take part in the Boost Program's newly-funded research team, “Building Trustworthy Environments: Advancing Knowledge about Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Universities, Healthcare, and Communities.” 

Likewise, Professor Alford A. Young, Jr. has made substantial contributions to ethnographic sociology, focusing on the lived experiences of African American men in urban areas. His research often delves into educational, occupational, and residential mobility and significantly adds to our understanding of social hierarchies. Young has also recently served as president of the Association of Black Sociologists (ASB) and was granted the University Diversity & Social Transformation Professorship for his exceptional contributions to DEI through research, teaching, and service. 

We're thrilled for Professor Armstrong and Professor Young and take pride in U-M Sociology's ongoing scholarly impact. Congratulations to both faculty members and all new Society fellows.