The School held the investiture for the inaugural Reuben G. Soderstrom International Labor Relations Professorship on April 22,2022. J. Ryan Lamare was awarded the professorship for his outstanding scholarship in the field of labor relations.

This professorship was created to honor the legacy of Reuben G. Soderstrom as a pioneering leader in the labor movement in the state of Illinois and throughout the nation and his essential role in the founding of the School of Labor and Employment Relations. This professorship was created to inspire labor leaders to reach for the highest level of relief from human suffering and create political systems that empower individuals to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and to persevere though all odds.

Professor Ryan Lamare is a popular faculty member, known for his courses in Workplace Dispute Resolution and Game Theory. His research interests focus on Workplace Dispute Resolution, Labor and Employment Arbitration, Unions and Politics, and Comparative Politics and Industrial Relations.

Among his academic contributions, two areas of research stand out. He has done extensive work on the interaction between employee voice and politics. He has also researched the organizational adoption of private systems to manage workplace conflict. He has explored key research questions within these areas in both the U.S. and internationally and has developed a world-class publication record at the top journals in his field.

Ryan has been recognized on the UIUC List of Teachers Rated as Excellent numerous times and received the LER Faculty Teaching Excellence Award three times. He also performs admirable service to the field, and has been the Secretary-Treasurer for the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), the main academic association in the Industrial Relations field. He recently became the Editor-in-Chief for LERA journal.

At the event, Ryan was recognized by both Dean Fritz Drasgow, and Reitumetse Mabokela, the Vice Provost for International Affairs, and a 1993 master’s graduate of the then-Institute. Reuben’s grandson, Carl Soderstrom, and Carl’s son, Robert, made comments on behalf of the family.