Professor Mylan Engel Jr.
To Philosophy Professor Mylan Engel Jr., the community is a classroom.
His students learn philosophy by doing. They plant, weed, mulch and tend NIU’s Communiversity Gardens. They harvest and clean produce donated to the Huskie Food Pantry. They pack food for Feed My Starving Children. And they volunteer their time at an animal sanctuary.
During all these activities and more, Engel is working right alongside them.
He wants his students to leave class knowing they can make a positive difference in the world.
“Moral problems, like global and local food insecurity, aren’t just abstract problems; they’re practical problems with practical solutions. It’s important not just to present students with the problems, but also to empower them with real-world actions they can take to help alleviate these problems,” he said. “I want my students to be actively engaged in doing philosophy, not just reading about it.”
In the words of those who know him, he exemplifies what it means to lead by example.
Because of his efforts to inspire Huskies and others to engage in the world around them and connect their research and interests with broader community impacts, Professor Engel, Ph.D., earned the 2023 NIU Presidential Engagement and Partnership Professorship. The prestigious honor is given to NIU professors with outstanding records of community engagement.
A Presidential Teaching Professor from 2018 to 2022 and awarded the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2009, Engel teaches Department of Philosophy courses on “The Philosophy of Food,” “Environmental Ethics” and “Animal Ethics” at NIU.
“There’s hardly enough words to express how lucky Northern Illinois University is to have a
professor like Mylan Engel,” said former student Autumn Martin in one of numerous testimonials written on Engel’s behalf. “He teaches for everyone…
“At the end of class, instead of an exam we were instructed to develop a food-related independent service project. During each presentation, you could physically see the passion and excitement everyone had on their face as they described how they could make a difference,” Martin remembered. “It was a feeling I will never forget.”
Along with inspiring Huskies, Professor Engel has taught abroad in partnership with the University of Maribor in Slovenia. He brought the first-ever animal ethics course to that country.
Testimonials written by former students, fellow educators and colleagues describe his contagious drive to engage with countless organizations, seminars, conferences and community programs and events.
“His passion and motivation to use philosophy as a tool to impact communities, especially around access to healthy foods never ceases to impress me,” said Michaela Holtz, executive director of Strategy, Impact and Academic Partnerships for the Division of Student Affairs.
“Mylan is well known in our community and has been recognized nationally thanks to his collaborative
nature, excellence in curricular practices and willingness to share ways faculty can connect their
research and interests with broader community impacts.”
Wherever Engel goes in support of his causes, he usually brings students along.
For instance, he’s taken close to two dozen Huskies to the five-day Vegan Summerfest, the leading vegan nutrition and vegan ethics conference in the country hosted each July by the North American Vegan Society.
There, one of his former students, Kristen Dawidiuk, remembers seeing Engel as not just a teacher, but also a leader.
“I was impressed by how much research he provided in his presentations and how thorough he delivered evidence-based information to listeners,” said Dawidiuk, who worked with Engel as a member of NIU’s Vegetarian Education Group. Engel has served as the faculty advisor for the group since 1996.
Dawidiuk credits her success as a dietitian today to the mentorship she found in Engel.
“Aside from lectures, Prof. Engel has also written countless publications dedicated to animal
ethics and global hunger that are made publicly available. His publications have created ongoing
discussions and demonstrates his genuine interest to share ideas with anybody willing,” she said.
“Prof. Engel sparked my sense of curiosity to learn more about global issues, to feel a sense of personal responsibility regardless of race or status, to accept other beliefs outside of my own and to give back to others. In return, I’ve received substantial knowledge that allows me to continue to inspire and educate
my community in the way Prof. Engel inspired me.”
Engel ’s reputation extends far beyond NIU, where students are eager to take his courses. Numerous leadership roles have contributed to his success.
He joined the Culture & Animals Foundation (CAF) Board in 2008, served as vice president from 2008-2016 and is now the board’s longest serving member.
A pioneer in his field, he has earned the respect of fellow philosophers and has been featured in publications, including a 2022 interview with Engaged Philosophy.
“As a philosopher, Dr. Engel is particularly well-known for his work on the philosophical and practical problems related to animal welfare and his belief that philosophy can be used to address social issues,” said Ramona Ilea, professor and department chair of the Philosophy Department at Pacific University Oregon and one of the founders of Engaged Philosophy. She has known Engel for about 14 years.
“Philosophy professors are sometimes caricatured as being stuck in their ivory towers, removed from real life, with their heads in the clouds,” she said. “While this image is increasingly outdated, it is true that in philosophy, community engagement is rare… Philosophers have recently started to see the value of community partnership and civic engagement. But Dr. Engel was one of the early adopters.”
