2022. She has created and developed courses on sustainability, and is a CWU Sustainability Council member, collaborating with students, faculty, and staff to create and implement sustainability initiatives. She is a member of the ITAM Curriculum Committee, where she actively works to improve course and program assessments online. She participates in Community Outreach with local high schools, to raise Sustainable IT awareness, demonstrate project-based teaching, and, hopefully, attract new students to CWU. In addition to the course development and her work on behalf of her students and the ITM department, Dr. Rivera has authored and co-authored a total of twenty-four publications and two patents and has participated twenty-six presentations. The new courses she created reflect the diversity of the students she teaches: her course designs have been developed to include online, in-class, distance education, FlexIT, and hybrid modalities. As evidenced by her students' comments regarding their interaction with her as an instructor and mentor, she is present and responsive to their questions and requests for help and clarification. Her commitment to students includes advising, mentoring, and participating in conferences as either a mentor or as a co-presenter (WOHESC and SOURCE). In summary, Dr. Rivera's impressive contribution to CWU students, faculty, and staff cannot be understated. Her work as an instructor and a valuable colleague at CWU amply demonstrates an essential feature of her personal teaching philosophy: to model life-long learning and its attributes in her professionalism, curiosity, self-assessment, and problem solving. Her research, past and present, course creativity and design, participation beyond the expectations of the university as an institution, and her dedication to providing the best possible learning environment for her students epitomize the qualities of a Distinguished Faculty Award recipient. Lori Sheeran, Distinguished Faculty, Teaching, Department of Anthropology & Museum Studies. Dr. Lori Sheeran is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology. Since 2003, Dr. Sheeran has been an integral part of Central, teaching 17 distinct courses in anthropology, primate behavior, and primate ecology. These courses span from introductory to graduate levels. Her teaching prowess has garnered praise from students, who found her classes to be exceptionally well-organized and enjoyable. Dr. Sheeran’s positive energy permeates the classroom, and her genuine love for teaching enhances the overall experience. Students particularly appreciated the class discussions she facilitated, where diverse voices, lively exchanges, and fresh insights made every session memorable. The course content truly came alive through engaging presentations delivered by each student. This aspect of her teaching resonated with all students, creating a vibrant and enriching learning environment. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Sheeran has actively involved numerous undergraduate and graduate students in her research endeavors. She has chaired or co-chaired 43 master’s thesis committees and served on 58 others at Central. She co-authored 23 peer-reviewed articles with 29 students and collaborated on 61 professional presentations with 51 students. Many of her advisees excel in grant writing, with 27 receiving intramural awards and three securing extramural awards from prestigious institutions such as the National Science Foundation, the Rufford Foundation, and the Duke Lemur Center. The impact of Dr. Sheeran’s academic mentorship has gone beyond students’ lives at Central. At least twelve of her former advisees have enrolled in Ph.D. programs, and five of them have earned their doctorate degrees. Many others contribute to the field by working in zoos, sanctuaries, and research facilities focused on primate care. Dr. Sheeran’s dedication has altered the life trajectories of countless individuals, positioning them for success in both the competitive workforce and higher education.
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