CTN Peer Mentor, Dr. Victor B. Sáenz, was recently appointed to Endowed Professorship in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. An endowed appointment is the highest academic distinction the college bestows on a faculty member, and an enduring tribute to the donor who establishes it. In appointing faculty members to an endowed professorship or chair, the university holds these individuals up to the world as representing its ideals of academic excellence and impact.

Victor Sáenz is the W. K. Kellogg Professor of Community College Leadership. Dr. Sáenz serves as Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. He also holds affiliated faculty appointments in the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS), the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, the Irma Rangel Public Policy Institute, and the Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis. His current work advances research-informed best practices and policy solutions that improve educational outcomes for underserved students in education, with a special emphasis on boys and young men of color. He is co-founder of Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success), to advance educational outcomes for male students of color.