Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize for Excellence in Public Service/Outreach

Four SBS Faculty Receive 2026 University Awards of Distinction

Established through the generosity of Henry and Phyllis Koffler in 2000, the prizes recognize outstanding accomplishment in the areas of teaching; research/scholarship/creative activity; or public service/outreach. 

Elizabeth Oglesby
Associate Professor, School of Global Studies, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Elizabeth Oglesby is a critical human geographer with a joint appointment as Associate Professor in the School of Global Studies and the School of Geography, Development & Environment, in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS). Her areas of expertise include human rights, forced displacement and migration, international development, and transitional justice, particularly in Central America.

She has built an outstanding public service and outreach record since coming to the University of Arizona in 2002, with high-impact practices at every level, from the U of A campus and campus-community partnerships to national and international human rights collaborations. In 2015, she received the American Association of Geographers’ most prestigious Public Service Honors in recognition of her contributions to human rights research and practice.

Oglesby is well known for her contributions to international human rights research and outreach. She is a world-renowned expert on the genocide in Guatemala, and she is recognized for her key role as an expert witness in the Guatemalan genocide trials and other international human rights cases.

In Spring 2025, in recognition of her exemplary outreach work, Oglesby received the Distinguished Faculty Outreach Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. She has been recognized for her enriching integration of outreach and teaching. She received the Excellence in Advising and Mentoring Award from the University of Arizona Honors College in 2013, as well as two SBS Excellence in Upper Division Teaching awards (2015, 2022). In 2022, she received the inaugural Teaching Award from the international Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers.

Through her faculty position in the Center for Latin American Studies (within the School of Global Studies), Oglesby has organized more than 100 outreach activities, including large, high-profile events with leading international human rights leaders reaching thousands of people in southern Arizona every year. She is a prolific public writer and speaker, and in 2018, the international Latin American Studies Association asked her to be its media spokesperson on U.S. border issues. She collaborates deeply with organizations in southern Arizona through impactful student internships, community-based lectures and seminars, K-12 curriculum, and innovative dissemination of her knowledge and research.