University of Akron Department of Sociology

05/11/2026

We are tremendously proud that our very own Estrella Lemus was elected to be a commencement speaker in this year's ceremony. She is the first Sociology graduate at UA to accept this honor and responsibility. Estrella works a full-time job to sopport her college (and sometimes more), has led our Mu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta Sociology Honor Society, presented her research at North Central Sociology Association twice, and is a bright and shining star in our hallways (as her name suggests ;-).

You can check out her profile https://www.uakron.edu/graduation/responders/2026/lemus and speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Mpa0NrxLI
(start at minute 23) - We are sure to see her face, skill, and magic in academia (her chosen path) and beyond!

05/07/2026

05/07/2026

It is that time of the year to celebrate our team and students. Many of us are part of the cohort of the Akron Community Engegaged (ACE) Scholars within the fabulous The EXL Center for Community Engaged Learning. This year, we welcomed Jennifer J. Reed and Elena Popa into the ever-growing circle!

We had a marvellous time celebrating the accomplishments of my colleagues; congratulations to Stacey Nofziger for the Excellence in Campus-Community Collaboration Award for her pathbreaking collaboration with the City of Akron, and to Rebecca Erickson for her Lifetime Akron Community Engaged Scholar Award. We were pretty much crying all day as we see Becky float into retirement after this semester.

We have so much more to celebrate: Among other awesome things, our very own graduate and AKD president Estrella Lemus was chosen as the commencement speaker this year, Andrew Magons landed a job with "socioogy" in the title, and our Larry Payne was accepted into graduate school! Bam!

04/20/2026

We had a fabulous weekend at the NCSA conference in Pittsburgh, and we are so proud of our students! We had four students presenting their work (kudos to Lauren Holler, Brynn Lewis, Kellie Ann Hughes and Estrella Lemus!), several others joined and supported their colleagues and networked (Emma Bass, Andrew Magons, Carmen Meeker).

While we were there, we learned that Estrella was chosen as the Commencement Speaker to represent the college at the spring graduation ceremony! A Latina from Appalachian Ohio, she finances her studies through hard (sometimes more than full-time work) has led our AKD Sociology Honors Society chapter for the past year, and presented on sociology as mental health tool at NCSA. WE could not be more proud and will support her on her way to grad school! The committee really made the right decision. Congratulations!

03/13/2026

We had fun at our traditional March Midday Munchies this week. The Soc faculty traditionally cooks for Soc majors (and their friends) once a semester for some laid-back socializing and networking. It's typically a multicultural buffet infused with much appreciation for our awesome students and the AKD Sociology Club UA Sociology Club where we celebrate our culture of academic kindness and our relationships with each other!

05/09/2025

Faculty from the Sociology Department were recognized by The EXL Center for Community Engaged Learning for our community engaged research into the effects of policing on community mental health and wellbeing. Congrats to Drs. Peralta, Xi, and Jauk-Ajamie!

05/07/2025

Wishing you success on your final exams!!!!!! Go Zips!

05/02/2025

Congratulations to all the winners, including our own Dr Jauk-Ajamie for online teaching and Dr. Erickson for achievements in leadership.

🌟 Congratulations to our 2025 Buchtel College Awards for Outstanding Achievement 🏆
📸 Pictured, front row: Gary Bishop, Director of Operations & Technology, Dean’s Office; PJ Hargraves, 3D Technician and Ceramics Area Coordinator, Myers School of Art; Donray Bennett, Director of Community Engagement & Strategic Partnerships, Dean’s Office
📸 Pictured, back row: John Morrison, Digital Technology and Fabrication Technician, Myers School of Art; Dr. Dani Jauk-Ajamie, Dept. of Sociology; Dr. Mary Triece, School of Communication; Dr. Margo Gregor, Dept. of Psychology; Dr. Rhiannon Kallis, School of Communication; Dr. Nathan Blackerby, Dept. of Philosophy; Dr. Dimitria Gatzia, Dept. of Philosophy; Dr. Rich Einsporn, Dept. of Statistics; and Dr. Karl Kaltenthaler, Dept. of Political Science.
👏 Winners not pictured: Dr. Lauren Rudzinskas, School of Music; Dr. Phil Allen, Dept. of Psychology.

04/17/2025

The Sociology Department Celebrates Student Success! On April 11th, 7 UA sociology majors were inducted into Sociology's honor society, Alpha Kappa Delta. These students are amazing scholars, and oh, the places they will go! Thanks to our faculty advisor, Dr. Jauk Ajamie, for organizing the banquet celebration!!

04/17/2025

Congratulations to our Sociology Scholarship recipients! Your hard work is paying off. We can't wait to see what is next for you all!!

04/17/2025

Employment Opportunity - perfect for our sociology majors and minors! This opportunity was shared by one of our former students, Hannah Horrigan!

Do you have an interest in serving the community at a direct level ? This position works directly with families with children prenatal through age 5, and will be trained using an evidence-based curriculum to promote child developmental achievement, while also supporting families in goal setting to reduce barriers to self-sufficiency and breaking generational cycles of trauma.

The posting requires a Bachelor’s Degree, however students that are graduating this Spring would be considered for the role.

Service Coordinator – Early Childhood