Orlando L. Taylor, Ph.D., Honored as 2022 Marie Fielder Medal for Social Transformation Recipient on Nov. 17

President Katrina S. Rogers, Ph.D., and the Fielding community honored 2022 Marie Fielder Medal for Social Transformation recipient Orlando L. Taylor, Ph.D., at a virtual ceremony on Nov. 17 at 8 a.m.-8:45 a.m. PST/11 a.m.-11:45 a.m. EST on Fielding’s YouTube channel.

Based in Washington, D.C., Dr. Taylor has been a national leader in graduate education, including on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, for more than 40 years. He works tirelessly to continue to prepare the next generation of college and university researchers, faculty members, and leaders across the nation.

Currently, Dr. Taylor serves as the Distinguished Senior Advisor to Fielding’s President, and Principal Investigator and Executive Director of the National Science Foundation-funded Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership (CASL). Previous roles include previous positions as president, provost, and faculty member at other universities. He is also the Founding Director of the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education.

Orlando L. Taylor, Ph.D.

Dr. Taylor is the sixth recipient of this distinguished award and said receiving it is a full-circle moment.

“To receive an award in the name of Marie Fielder in and of itself is an honor because of the great contributions she made to the nation and disenfranchised communities during her lifetime as an educator and activist,” Dr. Taylor said. “It’s both humbling and rewarding to be recognized by my peers and colleagues at Fielding. There’s an expression about being a prophet in one’s own land. It’s very difficult, but to be awarded this medal by my colleagues and peers is quite special.”

The annual award recognizes an individual for a lifetime of achievements devoted to efforts that support educational access and success. Each year, the Center’s Advisory Council seeks contributions toward advancing Indigenous worldviews and ecological justice, as well as one or more of the following areas: social advocacy/activism, research, leadership, education, and public service.

“Dr. Taylor has been a national leader for many years on issues pertaining to diversity and inclusion in higher education,” said President Katrina S. Rogers, Ph.D. “He is a visionary with a singular focus on broadening participation in education so that all members of society advance in their professional and personal lives. His voice remains steadfast to broaden participation in our society, and his efforts advance the dream of an inclusive America that can only be realized through higher education.”

Past recipients of the Marie Fielder Medal for Social Transformation include Dr. Walter Bumphus, President of the American Association for Community Colleges; Dr. Gary Orfield, Co-Director of the Civil Rights Project at UCLA; Dr. Patricia Gurin, Nancy Cantor, Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Psychology and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan; American labor leader Dolores Huerta; and Professor Angela Davis, social justice activist, writer and scholar.