The Tony Jurich Lecture on Social Justice honors Jurich, a professor who taught in the School of Family Studies and Human Services for more than 39 years before his death in 2010.
Jurich earned national recognition for his work as a leader in the field of family therapy. He believed in social justice and challenged his students and colleagues to value diversity, promote equality and endorse fairness, said Sandra Stith, University distinguished professor and head of the marriage and family therapy program.
In 2014, Jurich’s wife, Olivia Collins, and his brother, Steve Jurich, established the Tony Jurich Community Commitment and Leadership Student Awards, which recognize graduating students who demonstrate a commitment to the professor’s core leadership tenets.
The tenets — strive for resonance; assume value and be respectful; be compassionate; do what is right; seek out, affirm and utilize diversity; and lead by example — provide a road map for sustainable community change, said Marcie Lechtenberg, marriage and family therapist, instructor and therapist supervisor in the School of Family Studies and Human Services. She received a Jurich graduate student award in 2014.
“Tony was loved and respected as a dedicated therapist, an enthusiastic teacher and researcher, and a wise supervisor and mentor,” Lechtenberg said.
