Central Washington University Board of Trustees May 19, 2023 ACTION – Distinguished Faculty Awards
Since 1977, CWU has honored excellence in faculty teaching, service, and research or creative expression. The recognition, the highest honor for faculty at CWU, is embedded in the Faculty Code (Section III), which establishes awards for Distinguished Faculty and for Non-Tenure Track Faculty. Distinguished Faculty Awards are reserved for individuals who have, at a minimum, served for six years and have worked at least 135 WLU. The awardees are nominated by the Faculty Senate, which may choose not to make an award in any given category. Nominations are authorized by the Board of Trustees. Recipients of the annual Distinguished Faculty Awards in teaching, scholarship, and service receive a one-time $2,500 stipend. r Distinguished Teaching Awards are given for teaching excellence, as demonstrated by breadth and depth of knowledge; clarity in methodology and organization of materials, and effective methods of presentation; continued scholarship and integration of scholarship into course work; assistance to students in understanding the value and relevance of the subject matter and course materials, both within the discipline and in a broader context. Following are this year’s nominees. Eric Graham, Distinguished Non-Tenure Track Faculty for Teaching, Department of Biological Sciences. Dr. Graham came to CWU as faculty in the Biological Sciences Department in 2015 and is Senior Lecturer and director of the Craft Brewing Program since 2020. Dr. Graham has developed and teaches over 19 undergraduate and graduate courses in Biology, Craft Brewing, Environmental Studies, and STEP program. Additionally, his expertise in plant physiology and ecology reaches both lab and field-based applications of plant and brewing data collection that he incorporates into his Biology and Craft Brewing courses. It is evident that Dr. Graham’s approach of rigor, enthusiasm, and care to his courses is appreciated by students through consistently high student evaluations and their comments of wholehearted support. Dr. Graham’s dedication to student success is evident in his role as director of the Craft Brewing program. During the last three years, Dr. Graham has restructured the curriculum to be in line with industry standards, increased enrollment by three-fold, and diversified the program by reaching out to underrepresented groups through lifting barriers to students in non-science fields and creating Spanish language course materials. His mentorship extends to students outside of the program by guiding individual student research projects for SOURCE presentations, on topics such as the best yeast strains for bread making and a phone app for collecting plant phenology on CWU trees. Dr. Graham also serves on several Biology graduate thesis committees. Megan Walsh, Distinguished Faculty, Teaching, Department of Geography. Dr. Walsh is a Professor of Geography and the co-Director of the Cultural and Environmental Resource Management (CERM) Graduate Program. Dr. Walsh arrived at CWU in 2010, and since that time has built an impressive educational program for students inside and outside of the classroom. Dr. Walsh has
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