Awards and Accolades
Book by Gary Nabhan wins a James Beard Media Award
Gary Nabhan, research social scientist emeritus with the Southwest Center, has won a James Beard Media Award for his book "Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals."
Gary Nabhan, research social scientist emeritus, Southwest Center
The book, co-authored with Philadelphia restaurateur David Suro Piñera, examines the collaboration among agave entrepreneurs, botanists, distillers, beverage distributors, bartenders and more to bring a diverse array of mezcals – distilled alcoholic beverages made from any type of agave – to the public.
The media awards, presented by the James Beard Foundation, recognize leaders in the culinary and food media industries. Nabhan's book won in the beverages without recipes category.
The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the people and organizations behind America's food culture. Winners of the James Beard Media Awards were honored in June at a ceremony held in Chicago. Honorees received a certificate and a medallion.
Meier named Friend of the Humanities
Tyler Meier, executive director of the University of Arizona Poetry Center, won the 2024 Friend of the Humanities Award from Arizona Humanities. The award recognizes "individuals who have made a lasting contribution to the cultural life of their communities through their active support of and involvement in promoting the humanities."
Tyler Meier, executive director, University of Arizona Poetry Center
The organization recognized Meier for promoting the humanities throughout his time at the Poetry Center through programming. The announcement of the award cited two efforts: the Art for Justice grants program, which commissions work from writers exploring mass incarceration and supports the work of incarcerated writers, and the Climate Change + Poetry series, which highlighted the role of poetry in the planet's climate future. The announcement also noted that Meier was an original organizer of the Poetry Coalition, a national consortium of about 30 nonprofit poetry organizations that promotes the cultural value poets bring to the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.
Arizona Humanities is a nonprofit that supports public programs "that promote understanding of the human experience with cultural, educational and nonprofit organizations across Arizona." The 2024 Arizona Humanities Awards will take place on Oct. 5. Details are being finalized.
Cork & Craft at the Student Union Memorial Center won the renovation of the year award from the National Association of College & University Food Services.
Arizona Dining honored by NACUFS
Arizona Dining – a unit within Arizona Student Unions that oversees the more than 30 dining options on campus – has won multiple Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards from the National Association of College & University Food Services. They include three silver awards in the categories of innovative dining program of the year, renovation of the year (Cork & Craft) and residential dining facility of the year (Radicchio). Arizona Dining won a bronze award in the retail sales single concept of the year category (Highland Grocery).
NACUFS is a membership organization with a mission to support and promote excellence in collegiate dining. A team of judges and a task force chair determined gold, silver and bronze award recipients.
The honorees will be recognized on July 20 at the NACUFS national conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
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