Criminal Justice professors Callie Rennison and Mary Dodge at the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs are the recipients of awards from the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA) for two textbooks that were published in 2019. Their co-authored textbook, “Introduction to Criminal Justice: Systems, Diversity, and Change,” is among 14 textbooks receiving the TAA’s Textbook Excellence Award for 2020. This award recognizes excellence in current textbooks and learning materials. One judge remarked that the textbook “gives an excellent insight into our world of crime fighting and justice! I have rarely read a textbook that incorporates the use of stylized visuals and current events so successfully. This book is so engaging, students might not realize they are reading such a substantively well-structured and competent text, but they will definitely learn a lot from it.” 

“Dr. Rennison and I are honored to receive this prestigious TAA award. We have strived to develop a comprehensive textbook with real world case studies that guide students through the complex criminal justice system,” said Dr. Dodge. “Our goal to explore diversity, current issues, and policy offers a unique perspective that, we hope, engages students to think critically about important societal/cultural issues. This award shows that our efforts to educate the next generation of professionals is a worthwhile goal.”

In addition, Professor Rennison and co-author Dr. Amy Bonomi of Michigan State University are recipients of the TAA’s Most Promising New Textbook Award that recognizes excellence in 1st edition textbooks and learning materials. Their textbook, “Women Leading Change in Academia: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Cliff, and Slipper,” is among eight recognized in this category. A judge in this category remarked that theirs “is an important new textbook charged with tackling a significant problem in higher education in the U.S. The wisdom and advice in this book come from women who have been working in academia for decades, and whose thoughts, explanations, and shared experiences will no doubt enlighten and educate any reader. It demonstrates top notch writing from an impressive group of women who share their experiences in academia in an engaging manner, giving students the opportunity to learn from their personal successes and challenges.”

“This award is meaningful because it honors all of the strong women who work every day and rise in academia, whether students, staff or faculty,” said Dr. Rennison. “The award is also meaningful because it acknowledges the incredible authors who contributed to this one-of-a-kind volume. We are all leaders who, in spite of structural impediments and cultural biases, are succeeding. My ultimate hope is that academia does the work needed to embrace and honor diversity. We won’t stop fighting until this happens.”

The Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA) provides a wide range of professional development resources, events, and networking opportunities for textbook authors and authors of scholarly journal articles and books. Works in each of their award categories are judged by textbook authors and subject matter experts for their merits in four areas: pedagogy, content/scholarship, writing, and appearance and design. The awards will be presented during an awards luncheon at TAA’s 33rd Annual Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference in San Diego, CA, June 12, 2020.