San Francisco State University College of Ethnic Studies
43rd Anniversary and Annual Program

2012 Exemplary Leadership Awards

The annual Exemplary Leadership Awards are given to individuals and organizations who embody the social justice values of the movements that gave birth to the College of Ethnic Studies, and who continue to serve our communities today.

Dr. Jacob E. Perea

Dr. Jacob E. Perea has served San Francisco State University for 37 years with determination and distinction. Having received a B.S. from New Mexico State University, M.A. from San Francisco State University, and ED.D from the University of California at Berkeley, his roles have included faculty and Chair for the Departments of Administration and Interdisciplinary Studies and Acting Chair for the Departments of American Indian Studies and La Raza Studies. These roles led to his recently retired position as the first American Indian (Mescalero Apache) Dean of the Graduate College of Education. Dr. Jacob E. Perea's commitment to social justice through education can be seen overtime in his development of Bilingual Teacher Training at SF State University, co-founding of the “Step to College Program” (a collaborative project with the San Francisco Unified School District, to provide access for under-represented groups in higher education), the joint tenure-track hiring program between the Graduate College of Education and the College of Ethnic Studies, the implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) at San Francisco State University, and the development of a rigorous cross-cultural teaching training program in China, which emphasizes language development and competency between English and Mandarin. A recipient of the “Global Educator Award” by World Savvy for his outstanding commitment to global education, citizenship, and youth in California, Dr. Jacob E. Perea leaves behinds a legacy of self-determination that reminds us how education can make social justice a reality.