California State University, Fresno faculty members Drs. Jerome Jackson, Jane Middleton and James Walton were honored by Assemblymember Juan Arambula for making a difference in people’s lives.
The three were finalists in the education category of Arambula’s 2006 African-American Heritage Award recognition. They were honored at a ceremony Feb. 23.
Jackson, a professor of criminology, has been teaching at Fresno State since 1990. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern University, a master of public administration from Texas Southern University and a doctorate from San Houston State University.
His research interests include issues concerning minorities and females in corrections and in law enforcement, social justice (peacemaking) and social determinants of criminal specialization among violent and non-violent gangs. He also has cultivated an interest in computer crimes and criminals.
Jackson has published numerous articles in national and international journals and is the author of the only academic study of active credit card criminals.
Middleton, who joined the faculty in 2000, has chaired the Department of Social Work Education at Fresno State for the past five years. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Temple University and her doctorate in social work from the University of Pennsylvania.
Her specialized areas of training include social welfare policy, disabilities, mental health and case management. Middleton has provided leadership in the development of Fresno State’s new Central California Social Welfare Research Training and Evaluation Center. The center will engage academic and community-based partners in research, training and evaluation to promote the social welfare interest and general betterment of the region.
Walton, chair of the English Department, came to Fresno State in 1990. He has a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Akron. He teaches courses in American literature and African-American literature. He also has taught Japanese literature (in translation).
Awarded a fellowship by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Walton has been an exchange professor in Osaka, Japan, and in Seoul, Korea. He has numerous publications and professional presentations on topics as broad as Langston Hughes, Malcolm X, Arthur Miller, August Wilson, Miles Davis, Ralph Ellison, standardized test scores and the Harlem Renaissance.
