The Grant Sawyer Center for Justice Studies helped facilitate research opportunities for faculty and graduate students by providing resources on topics including judicial decision-making, capital trials, jury decision-making and related areas. Center staff also provided grant-writing support to faculty and researchers. In addition to supporting justice studies research, the Grant Sawyer Center actively sought speaking engagements and public events to increase campus awareness of justice studies and judicial education.
The Center facilitated research by fostering an interdisciplinary community of scholars focused on the formal and informal dimensions of social justice, assisting in the development of proposals for externally funded research on justice-related topics, and providing opportunities for students across a variety of academic programs to conduct database research for theses and dissertations addressing justice issues. The Center was also committed to advancing justice research within global contexts.
October 2026 Update: The College of Liberal Arts is undertaking a thoughtful process to re-envision the future of the Grant Sawyer Center and determine how best to support its mission and long-term sustainability. This effort will involve the College of Liberal Arts Planning Committee and a University-level task force comprising internal university leadership, including representatives from the vice presidents’ offices, as well as external stakeholders. Together, these groups will evaluate opportunities to strengthen the Center’s mission, resources and organizational structure to ensure its continued relevance and impact. During this planning period, the Center will remain on hiatus as the College and University explore a sustainable path forward.