KENNESAW, Ga. | Aug 7, 2026

Kennesaw State University professor Erik Malewski has received a national award for his decades of contribution to teaching and learning.

A professor of curriculum studies in the Clarice C. and Leland H. Bagwell College of Education, Malewski has been selected to receive the Curriculum & Pedagogy Group Lifetime Award. The national honor recognizes scholars whose careers have made lasting contributions to curriculum and pedagogy through scholarship, mentorship, and leadership.

The award will be presented in October at the Curriculum & Pedagogy Group’s national conference.

“Dr. Malewski is very deserving of this recognition,” said Eric Moyen, dean of the Bagwell College of Education. “He is an accomplished professor whose recent scholarship on using study abroad to prepare student teachers is recognized internationally. He is often honored by individual students at our annual awards event for being the faculty member who inspired their passion for education and encouraged their professional growth.”

At KSU, Malewski teaches courses in curriculum history, curriculum theory, and qualitative research. He said mentoring students and emerging scholars has been one of the most rewarding parts of his career.

“Nothing excites me more than when our schoolteachers, who are our students, engage in research that transforms their classrooms and changes my own thinking about curriculum and pedagogy,” he said. “Teachers are often natural bridge builders between theory and practice, action and reflection.”

Malewski’s research explores curriculum and pedagogy, study abroad and the preparation of future teachers, students’ sense of belonging, peace studies and ignorance studies in education. His current scholarship focuses on epistemologies of ignorance, or how the production and teaching of knowledge can exclude other ways of knowing. He is also co-editing the “Routledge International Handbook of Ignorance Studies in Education” and a special issue of the journal “Curriculum Inquiry” examining the subject.

Prior to his current role, worked in administration as a part of KSU’s Office of the President. 

He holds a doctorate in curriculum and supervision and a master’s degree in education from Pennsylvania State University.

Before joining KSU, he was an associate professor of curriculum studies at Purdue University. He also has held several leadership positions in professional organizations, including serving as president and chair of the Curriculum & Pedagogy Group.

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.