2025 BOARD OF TRUSTEES DISTINGUISHED FACULTY AWARD
COLLEGE OF THE SCIENCES Susan Kaspari — Department of Geology PhD, Earth Sciences, University of Maine
The 2025 CWU Distinguished Faculty Awards Screening Committee agrees unanimously that Dr. Susan Kaspari, Professor of Geology, has met the rigorous criteria for this year’s Board of Trustees Distinguished Faculty Award. Dr Kaspari’s dossier provides ample evidence of excellence in all areas of teaching, scholarship, and service mentioned in the respective guidelines. Her nominator and accompanying support letters speak to 16 years of significant contributions as a role model for students and colleagues in all three areas. Especially pervasive in her dossier is the overwhelming recognition for her passion for her field of study and the resulting impact on students, colleagues, the university, the community, and her profession. TEACHING Dr. Susan Kaspari demonstrates depth and leadership in climate research and sustainability education at CWU. She has developed and led foundational courses, aligning objectives and assessments effectively. Her assignments, including field-based activities, are highly relevant and well-received. Over time, she has shifted from a “doom and gloom” narrative to empowering students toward climate action—an evolution that led to the creation of CWU’s Sustainability Certificate and Minor. Her passion and mentorship are widely recognized. She has advised over 65 student research projects, including 11 master’s students and 32 undergraduates, and co-advised 4 PhD students and a postdoc from international institutions. Her students have authored journal articles, presented at major conferences, and conducted research in China, Switzerland, and Iceland. Many have worked in her ice core lab or studied snow and glacier dynamics.
Her teaching materials on local climate impact earned "Exemplary" recognition from the Science Education Resource Center in 2011 and 2024. She has also contributed to pedagogical research, including a nationally adopted climate module and an upcoming book chapter on sustainability education. Letters from students and colleagues consistently highlight her commitment to student learning, innovation, scientific expertise, and care. Dr. Kaspari clearly meets the criteria for excellence in teaching. SCHOLARSHIP Dr. Kaspari has built an internationally recognized research program in climate science, specializing in the effects of light- absorbing particles on snow and ice melt and in reconstructing past climate using ice cores. Her work spans regions from the Cascades to the Himalayas and Arctic. She emphasizes translating research into action, aiming to reduce environmental impacts and promote sustainability. Since joining CWU, she has published 30 Category A journal articles—15 as lead or co-lead author—garnering 705 citations and an H-index of 15. Her work appears in high-impact journals such as Journal of Geophysical Research, The Cryosphere, and Geophysical Research Letters. She has secured 16 external research grants, including a $417,518 NSF award supporting graduate students and international collaboration. A Fulbright Scholar in Norway, she has conducted fieldwork on Svalbard, furthering global understanding of climate change. With 39 conference presentations since 2009, her scholarship advances both the discipline and CWU’s research profile.
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