The American Council of Education Michigan Woman’s Network has honored Michigan State University Professor of Psychology Dr. Rebecca Campbell with the 2020 Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership Award for her groundbreaking work outside the scope of her formal faculty responsibilities.
This award honors Michigan women who have distinguished themselves by providing outstanding leadership to women in their institutions, in their profession and in society at large.
“I’m extremely proud of the work that Dr. Campbell has done around relationship violence and sexual misconduct,” said MSU President Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., M.D. “She not only has been integral in impacting how we as an institution respond to sexual assault but has made her mark around the nation as an advocate for change.”
Campbell is well known for her research around sexual assault and violence against women and children and the effects of treatment by law enforcement and medical staff on victims' psychological and physiological well-being. She also is the chair of MSU Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workgroup, where she has played a key role in improving policy, prevention and response to sexual assault at MSU.
She has served as the lead researcher for the National Institute of Justice’s Sexual Assault Kit Action Research Project, which helped Detroit develop evidence-based strategies for testing 11,000 unprocessed rape kits. Her findings also helped lead to the successful passage of the Sexual Assault Kit Submission Act, which requires all released sexual assault kits be submitted for forensic testing.
ACE Michigan was scheduled to present this award to Campbell at their annual conference this summer which has since been cancelled in response to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
The ACE Women’s Network is a national system of networks within each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia with the goal of advancing and supporting women in higher education. Their mission is to facilitate the networking of women interested in pursuing leadership opportunities in higher education.
