Alumni Award of Excellence Recipient: Brian Lozenski
Brian Lozenski is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Educational Studies Department at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (2014) where he studied the social and cultural contexts of teaching and learning. His research explores the intersections of critical participatory action research, black intellectual traditions in education, and cultural sustainability. Prior to pursuing his Ph.D., Dr. Lozenski taught for over a decade in his hometown of Philadelphia, PA and then in St. Paul, MN. As a teacher educator and researcher he has worked with youth, educators, parents, schools, and districts to develop perspectives and strategies that aspire toward social justice while illuminating the historical realities that have created current educational disparities. He has publications in educational research journals such as Harvard Educational Review, Review of Research in Education, and Equity & Excellence in Education, among others.
Dr. Lozenski holds deep commitments to a community-engaged scholarship. In this effort he is affiliated with organizations such as the Network for the Development of Children of African Descent, Education for Liberation Minnesota, and the Minnesota Ethnic Studies Coalition.
Current job
Educational Studies Department Chair and Associate Professor at Macalester College
CEHD degree
PhD, Culture and Teaching
What is your favorite memory from the University of Minnesota?
My favorite memories are sitting in the Purple Onion with my classmates debating about what we were reading for class. It was such a time of intellectual explosion for me, and I loved the challenge of having to form thoughts and ideas about complex topics.
What professor(s) or course(s) were most influential during your time in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)?
I was fortunate to have several wonderful professors at the U. Bic Ngo's Critical Ethnography course really shaped my understandings of how power mediates research. Tim Lensmire's courses on Race and Literacy pushed me to deepen my approaches to racial theory. Cynthia Lewis's Critical Sociocultural Theory course expanded my thinking about agency and determinism. I was also so fortunate to take classes with Rose Brewer in Afro Studies that shaped my practice as a community-engaged scholar.
What was the impact and benefit of your educational experience in CEHD?
My time in CEHD altered the trajectory of my vocation as an educator. I came in planning to study cultural relevance in mathematics instruction, and emerged doing critical participatory action research with youth in the area of Black Studies. This speaks to how CEHD pushed me to expand my imagination and follow my passions as an educator and researcher. My advisor, Bic Ngo, provided a wonderful balance of care for me as a person and high expectations for my work. I learned to be more rigorous in my thinking and developed more courage to challenge my own tacit assumptions and presuppositions, as well as that of others.
What gets you excited about work?
I am always excited to teach. Education is about possibility, aspiration, and imagination. When we lose sight of this we fall into the trap of despair. Learning about the past of political struggle through rigorous study excites me because it gives me perspective on our current world. Working on projects and trying to build alternative systems is challenging and often frustrating work, but being able to strategize with other like-minded colleagues is definitely energizing.