Cynthia Kaufman has worn many hats throughout her career — professor, author, activist and director of the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action. For Kaufman, work has always been personal.
“It’s my religion. It’s what I do,” Kaufman said. “It’s what gives my life purpose and meaning.”
Kaufman prepares to retire this quarter after 34 years, leaving behind a legacy of leading VIDA and helping develop programs focused on civic engagement and social change.
Kaufman was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, where her grandparents worked for the ultra wealthy. She moved to San Diego when she was 6 years old.
After losing interest in college, Kaufman dropped out and spent her early 20s in Los Angeles working random jobs and spending time in the punk scene. During this time, she began to develop an interest in politics and activism.
“I read an article about U.S. support for the dictatorship in El Salvador and I was horrified by that, so I decided to volunteer and got involved in politics,” Kaufman said. “It was so great for me.”
After organizing educational events and for the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador and quickly moving into leadership roles, Kaufman saw the potential of activism among young adults on college campuses and decided to return to school.
Kaufman later enrolled at UC Berkeley, where she studied development studies before earning a Ph.D. in philosophy from University of Massachusetts Amherst. She began teaching at De Anza College in 1991.
Kaufman said she was hired at De Anza in part to address the lack of diversity at the time, despite being fully qualified. She said being the only woman in the philosophy department created tension in the male-dominated environment.
“They tried really hard to get rid of me and I fought really hard not to let that happen,” Kaufman said. “I would drive home, and on the way home, I would say ‘I could just quit and be a waitress.’”
This lasted throughout the four-year tenure process, until another woman at De Anza worked and succeeded in changing Kaufman’s tenure committee so she would have a fair evaluation.
Kaufman became involved in broader efforts to reshape De Anza’s approach to equity and community engagement.
Kaufman said during her first years at De Anza, the college focused on academically advanced students, with less emphasis on supporting those from underserved backgrounds.
“A lot of us did a lot of work to make this more of an equity-oriented college and to actually do outreach to lower-income communities,” Kaufman said.
In 2006, Kaufman and other faculty helped lead a yearlong effort to explore how the college could better support civic engagement, eventually laying the foundation for VIDA.
Kaufman said those programs allowed students to advocate for changes on campus, including the creation of De Anza’s undocumented student resource center.
“The idea is, if you actually pay students to realize their visions, you’re going to actually have the school serve their needs,” Kaufman said.
Robert Stockwell, full-time political science instructor and division chair, spoke during Kaufman’s retirement party on March 18 and praised her for her civic engagement on campus.
“She was my mentor.” Stockwell said. “She was the one who introduced me to civic engagement, I believe, and she was the one who helped me bring it into my classes.”
Kaufman said the leadership certificate later became a national model, with its curriculum used by community colleges across the country.
In addition to her work at VIDA, Kaufman also helped to establish De Anza’s first women’s studies program, and co-wrote one of its first courses.
Dani Plascencia Delgado, program coordinator for VIDA and Higher Education for AB 540 students and former De Anza student, said she worked closely with Kaufman.
“Not only is she a really great advocate on campus and off campus, she’s a very caring person,” Delgado said.
Adam Nguyen, who took one of Kaufman’s classes in 1993 and is now a finance director for Contra Costa County, said she helped students develop critical thinking skills.
“That ended up having a really long-term impact on me,” Nguyen said.
Daisy Castillo, 20, photography major, met Kaufman through her internship at VIDA and classes at De Anza.
“Cynthia encouraged me to open up, to outreach, to communicate with others and make connections, which can go a long way,” Castillo said.
At 69, Kaufman said she is not stepping away from activism in retirement and will continue her work. She has plans to finish her seventh book, spend time with her son and is looking forward to hiking and playing jazz.
“We’re all co-creating and shifting and changing and making this world as we live through it,” Kaufman said. “One of my goals in life is to help people see that and to have the skills to do that.”
