Mark Kramer, a faculty member in the Dietrich School's Department of English, is a recipient of the 2019 Chancellor's Distinguished Public Service Award. In his award letter, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher noted Kramer's work with the University's Community Engagement Centers and the fact that Kramer developed partnerships with Homewood agencies for his first-year writing course. The Chancellor also noted Kramer's work as co-founder of The Corner, an arts and community center in West Oakland and the Hill District, and his book Dispossessed: Life in Our World's Urban Slums, stating that these efforts reflect Kramer's, "...commitment to racial and social justice and low-income communities."