Matthew Desmond Honored with Devah Pager Distinguished Alumni Award
The UW–Madison Sociology Board of Visitors is proud to announce that Matthew Desmond (PhD ’10) has been selected as this year’s Devah Pager Distinguished Alumnus.The award, named in memory of the late Devah Pager, a transformative sociologist and beloved colleague, recognizes alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship and a commitment to the Wisconsin Idea. Desmond, currently the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, is perhaps best known to the public as the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. As a graduate student at UW, he investigated the intersecting barriers of housing, race, and criminal justice, laying the groundwork for what would become a career dedicated to illuminating the systemic nature of American poverty.“Matt embodies exactly what this award represents,” the Board of Visitors committee noted in their selection. “His work doesn’t just analyze the world; it demands that we make it better. To see his name alongside Devah’s is a powerful reminder of the intellectual legacy that continues to flow from this department.”During the 2016-2017 academic year, Matthew Desmond’s book Evicted was selected for Go Big Read, UW–Madison’s prestigious common-reading program. The initiative, which engaged thousands of students and community members in a shared dialogue about housing insecurity, was especially significant as the book grew out of Desmond’s doctoral research. Chancellor Rebecca Blank noted at the time that the selection provided a vital opportunity for the campus to confront the profound implications of poverty and the “little-understood epidemic” of eviction.
The Wisconsin Alumni Association has his Alumni Profile with more information.
The UW–Madison Sociology Board of Visitors is proud to announce that Matthew Desmond (PhD ’10) has been selected as this year’s Devah Pager Distinguished Alumnus.
The award, named in memory of the late Devah Pager, a transformative sociologist and beloved colleague, recognizes alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary scholarship and a commitment to the Wisconsin Idea. Desmond, currently the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, is perhaps best known to the public as the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. As a graduate student at UW, he investigated the intersecting barriers of housing, race, and criminal justice, laying the groundwork for what would become a career dedicated to illuminating the systemic nature of American poverty.
“Matt embodies exactly what this award represents,” the Board of Visitors committee noted in their selection. “His work doesn’t just analyze the world; it demands that we make it better. To see his name alongside Devah’s is a powerful reminder of the intellectual legacy that continues to flow from this department.”
During the 2016-2017 academic year, Matthew Desmond’s book Evicted was selected for Go Big Read, UW–Madison’s prestigious common-reading program. The initiative, which engaged thousands of students and community members in a shared dialogue about housing insecurity, was especially significant as the book grew out of Desmond’s doctoral research. Chancellor Rebecca Blank noted at the time that the selection provided a vital opportunity for the campus to confront the profound implications of poverty and the “little-understood epidemic” of eviction.
The Wisconsin Alumni Association has his Alumni Profile with more information.