Memorial Academic Fund Honoring Dr. Mala Htun
Honor the Legacy of Endowed UNM Faculty Chair, Dr. Mala Nani Htun
APSA invites your support in honoring the legacy and contributions of Dr. Mala Nani Htun, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of New Mexico, who has recently passed away. Dr. Htun served as vice president of the APSA (2020-2021), was a former council member, and served as the chair on the APSA Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession and co-chaired the Presidential Task Force on Women’s Advancement.
This fund aims to institute an endowment that promotes academic programming and honor the legacy of Mala Htun’s profound contributions to the profession in gender equality, women’s rights, race and ethnicity, Latin American politics, and diversity and inclusion in the academy at the University of New Mexico. Please share with your colleagues.
About the Fund
Your support will honor memory and enduring legacy of Mala Htun’s profound contributions to advancing women’s rights, social inequalities, and promoting inclusive organizational climates in STEM at the Department of Political Science at UNM and service to the University. This fund aims to permanently honor her academic energy, passion, and outstanding achievements. It will also allow UNM to sustain her legacy by recruiting political science faculty of equally high caliber and commitment.
The Mala Nani Htun Endowed Faculty Chair funds will be awarded to a professor selected in a competitive national search who embodies the excellence and high standards Mala set and her exemplary research to expand equality.
About Dr. Mala Nani Htun Endowed Faculty Chair
Dr. Mala Htun was one of the leading political scientists in the world. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious learned societies in the country, she wrote three award-winning books and published numerous articles in the field’s top journals. Her research evaluating the effectiveness of reforms aimed at promoting equality yielded fresh insights and inspired innovative new approaches. She showed how men and women, and religious and secular leaders, found ways to work together to enact policies that advanced equality. Her scholarship provided a model of how it was possible to characterize the views and activism even of political opponents with fairness and respect. Mala brought enormous energy and passion to her work, which has had a deep impact within the scholarly community and has informed policymaking globally. She was a beloved mentor and colleague who collaborated with more than fifty co-authors over the course of her career. She used her research as the basis for working with engineers, social science, and humanities scholars to help the University of New Mexico and other universities to develop policies to improve their ability to attract and retain top faculty and graduate students.
Mala Htun was deeply committed to the University of New Mexico and chose to make her career there. The creation of a named Endowed Faculty Chair at the University of New Mexico is intended to permanently honor her academic energy, passion, and outstanding achievements. It will also allow UNM to sustain her legacy by recruiting political science faculty of equally high caliber and commitment.
When fully funded, the Mala Nani Htun Endowed Faculty Chair will be awarded to a professor selected in in a competitive national search who embodies the excellence and high standards Mala set and her exemplary research to expand equality.
From her Peers
““She was one of the world’s top scholars of gender and representation, [and] one of the most brilliant and outrageous women I’ve ever met while simultaneously being absolutely down to earth.”
– UNM Political Science Professor, Jessica Feezel
““Mala spearheaded the launch of the first-ever Climate and Inclusion Survey in our school’s history, aiming to foster a supportive and empowering environment for students, staff, and faculty. This initiative was designed to identify areas for improvement, celebrate strengths, and ensure our institution becomes a place where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and excel in their work and studies.
Besides being a great scientist, an educator, a champion of women’s rights, and a strong advocate for progress within the School of Engineering, she always sought to approach her work with kindness and a genuine desire to uplift those around her.”
– Christos Christodoulou, UNM Professor, Director of COSMIAC