Ernest Morrell, the Coyle Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Notre Dame, died Wednesday (Feb. 4) after a long battle with cancer, surrounded by his wife and three sons. He was 54.
Morrell was a renowned literacy studies scholar who advocated for a radical reimagination of the relationship between students and texts. His work positioned literacy as a means of social justice, empowering young people to access information, exercise informed citizenship and participate fully in civic and cultural life. His scholarly interests also included critical pedagogy, postcolonial studies and global youth popular culture.
“On behalf of the entire Notre Dame community, we mourn the passing of Ernest Morrell, a beloved faculty colleague, dedicated administrator and cherished friend to many,” said University President “As a renowned scholar who made significant contributions to his discipline, a superb teacher who inspired and challenged his students, and a visionary administrator, he enriched the Notre Dame community and all who knew him.
“Ernest’s life reflected a deep integration of the life of the mind and matters of the heart. Our prayers are with his family, especially his wife, Jodene, and their three sons, Skip, Antonio and Tripp, and all who grieve his passing. We are grateful to God for Ernest’s life and presence among us, and his example will continue to inspire us.”
Father Dowd also announced that Morrell will posthumously receive the 2026 — which recognizes pioneering and visionary achievements in research, public impact, or creative endeavors that advance the University’s goals — in honor of his intellectually ambitious, socially consequential work centered on a humanistic vision of education.
At Notre Dame, Morrell was a faculty member of the and departments and the director of the Center for Literacy Education in the (IEI), and he served five years as the ’ associate dean for the humanities and faculty development.
Acclaim for Morrell’s work was widespread in academic circles. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest learned societies, in 2024, and he was also an elected member of the National Academy of Education and an elected fellow of the American Educational Research Association.
For the past decade, he has been included in the , an annual listing published by Education Week that highlights academics with the greatest impact on educational practice and policy. Last year, he , a prestigious honor from the National Council of Teachers of English given only 31 times since 1967, for his long-lasting impact on English language arts education.
“Ernest lived his vocation with extraordinary generosity and purpose,” said , the Hackett Family Director of IEI. “His scholarship, leadership and friendship shaped our institute in profound ways. He believed deeply in the power of education to transform lives, and he modeled that belief through his teaching, mentorship and unwavering commitment to the common good.”
Morrell came to Notre Dame in 2017 after faculty appointments at Columbia University’s Teachers College; the University of California, Los Angeles; and Michigan State University. Before pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, Morrell worked as a high school English teacher in Oakland, California, an experience that and shaped his lifelong commitment to supporting educators and students, particularly those historically underserved by educational systems.
Revered as a teacher and an adviser, Morrell approached mentorship as a collaborative partnership, frequently publishing with his doctoral students to help launch their careers before they even defended their dissertations.
“Ernest cultivated a true ‘family tree’ of scholars whose work began with his guidance,” said , a professor of the practice in Africana studies and education, schooling and society. “His former doctoral students are a testament to his efficacy as a mentor, as he allowed them to quickly become his peers, continuing the work of critical education studies and pedagogy at institutions across the country. They learned his lessons well about the importance of building and strengthening communities that support equity and justice.”
He is the author of more than 100 articles, research briefs and book chapters and he wrote or edited 17 scholarly books, including “Educating Harlem: A Century of 91Ƶing and Resistance in a Black Community” (Columbia, 2019), “Stories from Inequity to Justice in Literacy Education: Confronting Digital Divides” (Routledge, 2021), “New Directions in Teaching English: Reimagining Teaching, Teacher Education and Research” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) and “Critical Media Pedagogy: Teaching for Achievement in City 91Ƶs” (Teachers College Press, 2013), which was awarded Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association’s Choice magazine. His work has garnered more than 11,000 scholarly citations.
“Frederick Douglass said that ‘education means emancipation, it means life and liberty. … It means the uplifting of the soul to the glorious light of truth.’ I can think of no one whose life better reflected those words,” said , the John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law. “Ernest was a truly exceptional scholar and a tireless advocate for policies that would benefit kids most in need of the light of learning. But, more importantly, he was a beautiful soul. His deep faith and love for his family, his friends and colleagues and Our Lady’s University touched so many.”
Morrell is survived by his wife, , a teaching professor and associate director of the Center for Literacy Education, and their three sons, Skip, Antonio and Tripp.
A wake will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus, with Father Dowd presiding.
Condolences may be sent to the College of Arts & Letters Dean's Office, 100 O'Shaughnessy Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to literacy nonprofit .
“,” a colloquium celebrating Morrell’s scholarship, will be held April 7 at the UCLA James West Alumni Center in Los Angeles. The event’s title references a quote from Morrell’s latest book, “,” published last month with Nicole Mirra, Antero Garcia, Cati de los Ríos and Jamila Lyiscott
“We want to be engaged in revolutionary love and practice with beautiful and brilliant minds,” Morrell and his co-authors wrote, “that are in front of us to do something that is eternal.”