Celebrating the Retirement of Professor Enrique S. Pumar
Wishing Professor Pumar Well
The Sociology Department wishes Professor Enrique S. Pumar well as he retires this year after joining Santa Clara University in 2017 as the Fay Boyle University Professor.
Holding a Ph.D. in Sociology from American University (1999), Professor Pumar's expertise spans several areas of sociology. His research interests include the intellectual foundations of national development policies, social mobility among ethnic groups, and the dynamics of immigrant communities. This extensive knowledge informed the courses he taught here at Santa Clara, including sociological theory, international migration, national development, and comparative sociology.
Professor Pumar's scholarly contributions are significant, with over 50 publications to his name. He recently co-edited a special issue of the journal Sustainability and is currently working on another for the Sociology of Development journal. His commitment to the field is further demonstrated by his service on the editorial boards of numerous academic journals, such as Sociological Forum, Contemporary Sociology, and Sociology of Development. He also serves as the Contributing Editor for Sociology for the Handbook of Latin American Studies published by the Library of Congress.
Beyond academia, Professor Pumar frequently shares his expert analysis of social issues with a wider audience through media outlets like CNN, Telemundo, and Univision. His leadership within the American Sociological Association is also noteworthy, having chaired the Sociology of Development Section (2021-2023) and served as a member of the Program Reviewers and Consultant Group.
Prior to his time at Santa Clara, Professor Pumar's distinguished career included a Fulbright Senior Scholar position at the University of Valladolid in Spain (2017) and a Visiting Lecturer appointment at the Cultural Institute Felix Varela in La Habana, Cuba. Notably, he also took academic leave from SCU between 2022 and 2024 to serve as Program Director in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Division of the National Science Foundation. He is also currently affiliated with the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University.
The Sociology Department gratefully acknowledges Professor Pumar’s time and contributions to our students and the university. We wish him well in his retirement and future endeavors.