We're thrilled to celebrate Dr. Jeff Banister's Outstanding Service Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Felicidades, Jeff, so well deserved!

This award acknowledges outstanding and distinguished contributions by a faculty member to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the home unit:

Jeff Banister is the former director and an associate research professor at the Southwest Center (SWC), as well as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Southwest—roles he assumed during a time of unexpected transition. Since then, he has steadily reshaped the SWC into a more collaborative, outward facing hub for scholarship, teaching and public engagement, centered around the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and greater Southwest.

“As director, Dr. Banister daily goes above and beyond the ‘mere’ job description to support and cultivate faculty research, teaching, and outreach,” wrote Jennifer Jenkins, director of the Southwest Center and professor in the Department of English.  

Banister guided the SWC through its first-ever academic program review in 2019, using it as an opportunity to rethink and expand the Center’s mission. Under his editorial leadership, the Journal of the Southwest has transitioned to an all-digital format and seen a 30% increase in readership. Over the past six years, he has produced 24 issues of the Journal and overseen the publication of 15 books in the Southwest Center Book Series, averaging 2–3 peer-reviewed volumes per year.

Banister’s commitment to public scholarship is reflected in his outreach efforts. He co-launched the “Journal of the Southwest Radio Hour”— a podcast with nearly 9,000 plays in 16 countries and organized a wide range of programs including four NEH-funded teacher workshops, virtual lecture series during the pandemic, and more than a dozen field-based learning experiences that span the Arizona-Sonora border. His efforts have engaged hundreds of community members, K–12 educators, and lifelong learners. Beyond the SWC, he serves on multiple committees and external advisory boards and is often sought out for his thoughtful approach and collaborative spirit. 

“Colleagues across the university know him to be forthright and conscientious and seek out his service when the issue is of consequence,” Jenkins said. “His service to the unit, the College, the University, and knowledge and heritage communities in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands is exemplary, and worthy of the recognition this award represents.”