Professor Stephen E. Cullenberg, a Marxist economist and institution builder at UC Riverside, passed away on February 28, 2021, at age 67 from complications of progressive supranuclear palsy.
Born in Louisiana in 1953, Cullenberg grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Antioch College in 1976. He earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1988 and joined UCR as an Assistant Professor that same year.
At UCR, Cullenberg held several leadership positions, including Chair of Economics, Chair of Physical Education, and Dean of CHASS. He retired in 2016. His scholarly work spanned economic methodology, international political economy, and Marxian theory. He co-edited numerous books and served as editor of Rethinking Marxism: A Journal of Economics, Culture and Society.
Known for his broad teaching interests, Cullenberg taught over twenty courses ranging from mathematics for economics to interdisciplinary seminars. He received UCR’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1998.
Beyond academia, Cullenberg was an avid sports enthusiast. He is survived by his father, siblings, and extended family.