CSUN faculty, former students and guests have gathered to celebrate the life of the late Boris Ricks, a political science professor at CSUN on Nov. 13. The event was organized by the CSUN Department of Political Science and held at Orchard Conference Hall.
Ricks’ family, guests and faculty gathered to celebrate his remarkable career that changed the lives of faculty members and former students who went on to pursue their careers after their careers with Ricks.
Yan Searcy, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, opened the ceremony by reflecting on how the CSUN community is still grieving the loss of Ricks and his impact with the CSUN community.
“The member(s) of the community felt the lost, it’s rough. Years to share the life of Boris being a welcoming person to all,” said Searcy.
Among those speaking at the event is Vice Provost, Office of the Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs Joy Borah; Lawrence Becker from the Department of Political Science and Cedric Hackett from the Department of Africana Studies.
Kaitlyn Corral, a graduate student from the Department of Political Science, got very emotional during her speech when she reflected on her time with Ricks to inspire her to keep on her academic journey.
“He gave me an 80 on my paper, and I didn’t know why I got that grade. When I went to his office, he asked me to keep on pushing myself very hard to get me very successful and has been a great professor,” said Corral.
Along with the event, opening remarks by other staff and former students who have been inspired by Ricks. They shared how he made them feel welcomed to the CSUN community and overcome the challenges happening in the world.
A slideshow celebrated the life of Ricks and showcased his contributions to those attending and it was very emotional for many as they watched pictures of him, and his success at CSUN. This included testimonials from former students of how he became a mentor to them to achieve their academic goals and pursue their careers.
Guest speaker, D’Andra Orey from the Department of Political Science at Jackson State University, reflects on his time to call Ricks about his day until his last time trying to talk to him.
“I called him and didn’t answer, try to call him back and still didn’t answer, when I got a call from his wife I knew it will be my last time to talk to him,” said Orey.
After the ceremony, there was a reception in the conference hall to have all the guests come together to reflect on the life of Ricks and to continue his legacy. Ricks mentored many students to continue on the challenges happening in the world at this pivotal moment.
Ricks died on Sep. 5, 2024, he has been a voice for social justice and help others to fight difficult challenges happening in this country and the world now more than ever.
Ricks got his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice at Mississippi Valley State in 1989, received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Mississippi in 1991, a Master’s Degree in Political Science in 1994 from USC and from there earned his Ph.D. in political science in 2003.
Ricks joined the CSUN community in 2008 as a professor of Political Science, where he mentored students and contributed to the community he loves within his peers to all faculty members to make our communities a better place.
Ricks’ family have organized the Dr. Boris Ricks Memorial Fund to continue his legacy by supporting CSUN students. The fund will award students with scholarships who are involved with the community and will be available during the fall semester, and the contributions can be made to the Dr. Boris Ricks Memorial Fund.
