SSW’s Renner awarded UMN Sara Evans Faculty Woman Scholar/Leader Award

SSW Professor Lynette M. Renner, Director of PhD Program and Director of Graduate Studies, has been awarded the Sara Evans Faculty Woman Scholar/Leader Award. This award recognizes women faculty who have achieved significant national and international accomplishments and honors and who contribute as leaders on campus. Dr. Renner’s research and teaching, as well as her national advocacy and research around interpersonal violence, reflect the outstanding scholarship and leadership this award seeks to recognize.

Dr. Renner’s research focuses on interpersonal violence occurring in home and school environments, with a particular focus on the effects of intra-familial victimization on children and adults. She regularly engages in community-based participatory research and maintains ongoing collaborations with partners such as the Domestic Abuse Project in Minneapolis, in addition to being highly published and a sought-after peer reviewer and conference presenter.

Dr. Renner has also distinguished herself as a social work educator who inspires her students to maintain deep commitments to social justice and their communities. She utilizes inclusive teaching strategies that follow the principles of transparency, belongingness, structured interactions, and critically engaging difference. This capacity has led to her appointment to many leadership roles within SSW, including Director of PhD Program (2021-present; Interim Director, 2018-2019), Director of Research (2019-2021), and Director of Graduate Studies (2021-present).

Since joining the University of Minnesota in 2013, Dr. Renner has established an exceptional record of service at the state and university levels. Appointed by the commissioner of the MN Department of Public Safety, Dr. Renner has chaired the Crime Victims Reparations Board since 2019. At the university level, she provides leadership as Chair of the Campus Committee on Student Behavior, serves as a member of the Senate Judicial Committee, Graduate Student Advisory Board, and was appointed by Provost Croson to the Dean Comprehensive Review Committee in 2021.

Dr. Renner’s research is dedicated to helping improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities that are affected by violence. Further, she plays an important role at the University by training the next generation of social work professionals by challenging and inspiring them to achieve their academic potential.

We congratulate Dr. Renner for her leadership and achievements recognized by this prestigious award!