Dr. Martin Scanlan Receives Manresa Award for Research

Released: 7/8/08

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The College of Education congratulates Dr. Martin Scanlan, who has received a Manresa Project Research Award for his work, “Life Histories of Principals Committed to Serving Traditionally Marginalized Students.”  This $2,000 award provides seed money for travel, materials, research, and writing. In conjunction with the award, recipients are encouraged to make presentations on campus and at professional meetings and mentor departmental colleagues.   

Dr. Scanlan will focus his efforts on social justice leadership, which seeks to identify and directly combat inequities in society. His project examines the vocation to social justice leadership among elementary and secondary school principals. It focuses specifically on the lives of five principals who have worked for five or more years in schools which serve students marginalized by poverty, race, and language. The research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of what attracts and sustains social justice commitments in elementary and secondary school principals.  "We struggle to attract and retain good leaders at these types of schools," Dr. Scanlan comments, "So this is the beginning of looking at how and why these individuals choose to serve in these important roles."

The Manresa Project, originally funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc., is focused on the theological exploration of vocation. "Exploration" is the key word, because elements of Manresa are designed to help students, faculty and staff search for and ask important questions about meaning, purpose, life's journey and using one's gifts and talents to serve God.