Maccolades for September 2024: NBA esteem, a Marvel comics debut, voting outreach, and more

Maccolades is a monthly round-up of the most recent accolades and accomplishments earned by members of the Macalester community. Below are highlights from September 2024.

A power player in the NBA

Macalester graduate Dave Lewin ’09 was named to the New York Times/The Athletic NBA 40 under 40 list, which highlights rising stars in the league. The list includes front-office executives, coaches, league officials, agents, and union staffers — media and active players were excluded. According to The Athletic, it recognizes those known for their intelligence, success, influence, promise, and talent. 

Lewin, 37, is the Boston Celtics assistant general manager and beginning his 13th season with the team. He started as a scouting coordinator and contributed to building the 2023-24 NBA champions. At Macalester, Lewin played football and basketball, interned with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and double-majored in economics and mathematics, statistics, and computer science.  

“Dave is brilliant and now works for one of the most well-known professional teams in all of sports,” said Abe Woldeslassie ’08, head men’s basketball coach. 

From Mac to Marvel

Macalester graduate Ashley Allen ’21 will write a new ongoing series for Marvel Comics, featuring Illyana Rasputina, also known as Magik. Over the years, Magik has risen to become one of the fiercest X-Men, and the series begins with a hunt for an ancient demon lurking beneath the Alaskan ice. Marvel calls Allen a “rising star” after her work on X-Men: Blood Hunt – Magik. 

“I’m beyond excited to be returning to write Illyana!” Allen said in a press release. “Supernatural stories featuring characters with hearts of gold are my favorite, so this series has been a dream to write! I can’t wait for readers to experience the adventure we take Magik on to slay some demons. . . and maybe accept some of her own.”

Allen honed her skills in a visual storytelling class with Professor Matt Burgess. The first issue will be published in January. 

A fresh perspective on food security

Dr. William (Bill) Moseley, DeWitt Wallace Professor of Geography, published a new book, Decolonizing African Agriculture: Food Security, Agroecology and the Need for Radical Transformation. 

“After more than 35 years of working on and studying African agriculture and food security, this book was my way to take a step back and look at the big picture,” he said. He draws on research in Mali, Burkina Faso, Botswana and South Africa.

“While this is my 11th book, it was my first single-authored monograph,” Prof. Moseley said. “It was a medium by which I could take a career of research (which mostly appeared in peer reviewed articles only read by specialists), knit it together via an overarching narrative, and make it accessible to a broader public.” 

The book includes research from many former student collaborators. Judith A. Carney, geography professor at the University of California–Los Angeles, calls it “essential reading for anyone interested in global food futures.” An open-access version is available online. 

Advancing liberal arts in the Midwest

President Suzanne Rivera will chair the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Board of Directors for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

“I look forward to working more closely with my colleagues across the ACM,” Dr. Rivera said. “Together, we will continue advancing the academic excellence our colleges are known for and promote the incredible opportunities a liberal arts education provides students.”

The boards are made up of presidents and deans from each of ACM’s fourteen member institutions. President Rivera will support ACM’s strategic direction and offer operational oversight to help develop and carry out the consortium’s policies, projects, and major initiatives. 

Going platinum with student voter turnout

Macalester was recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for nonpartisan democratic engagement efforts that fostered high levels of student voter engagement in the 2022 midterm elections. Macalester made ALL IN’s inaugural “Top Campuses by Voter Turnout” list for four-year private institutions and earned a platinum seal for a voting rate of 50-59%, based on the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement report from Tufts University. 

“ALL IN is proud to celebrate and honor top-performing campuses, like Macalester College, who demonstrate that nonpartisan student voter engagement is possible and effective,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. 

Grant fuels voter engagement

Macalester’s Community Engagement Center received a $700 Back to School for Democracy Collaborative Fellowship mini grant from Project Pericles, a consortium of colleges and universities that promotes civic engagement within higher education.

The grant will support enhancing voter engagement and education among BIPOC students at Macalester, with particular focus on Bonner Scholars. The consortium applauded Macalester’s efforts to empower students to use their voices effectively and engage in civic duties.

How to be considered for future Maccolades

If you or someone you know recently earned an award, fellowship, or honor and would like it to be considered for inclusion in next month’s Maccolades, please let Communications & Marketing know by filling out this Maccolades form. For recent book publications, please use this book publication form.