Chuck Powers Retires
After more than two decades dedicated of a very meritorious career, our colleague Professor Charles H. Powers announced his retirement at the end of this academic year. Chuck, as he is affectionately called, plans to continue working on research projects that will take him to Japan and New Zealand. He is responsible for reinterpreting the work of many sociology classic theorists and for discerning the concept of role improvisation in his book Post-Industrial Lives which he published with Jerald Hage in 1992. Chuck’s numerous contributions impacted the fields of theory, organizations, and applied sociology.
His exemplary teaching, mentoring, and service earned him the distinguished Osgood T. Schmulkoff Award in 2012. Under Chuck’s leadership, our department also won the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award in 1998. His contributions extend far beyond our university, however, and have impacted the California and the Pacific Sociological Associations and the American Sociological Association as well as the various academic journals, like Sociological Perspective, which he edited. When our university president announced Chuck’s emeritus status, he stated: “I am grateful for your service to the students, your colleagues and peers, and the University community in so many ways.” We are delighted that Chuck plans to continue his research and look forward to learning about the many forthcoming insightful contributions he is finalizing. Thank you, Chuck, for your dedication and wisdom and for your commitment to our profession. For a full list of publications and services, consult Chuck’s faculty page.