Faculty Accomplishments: Dr. Jeremy Norwood

Dr. Jeremy Norwood ‘02, Professor of Sociology and department chair, received the McKenna Scholars Endowment Award, a $10,000 research grant awarded by SAU and determined by a faculty committee. It is supported by a generous endowment from the life and estate plan of David L. JC ’49 and Janet R. (Voorheis HS ’48, JC ’50) McKenna ‘74. Dr. Norwood received the award for his continuous work in human trafficking research and awareness.

His interest in the issue was born from encountering potential victims of human trafficking while on a Cross Cultural Studies trip to Cambodia and subsequent discussions of the matter held with students. Dr. Norwood even wrote his dissertation on the subject of occurrences of human trafficking among migrant farmer populations in Michigan. Over the last few years, he’s led a large number of training and continuing education workshops for a wide array of state and health care professionals.

Along with student organizers, Norwood has also spearheaded the annual Conference on Human Trafficking. Despite the challenges of the work, Dr. Norwood seems undaunted and tireless. “Really, I just love teaching,” he says. “It brings me a lot of joy and fulfillment.” Looking to the future, Dr. Norwood hopes to make good use of his grant, squeeze in a little time for writing and take and pass the Bar Exam.