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College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Deans Awards
The College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Deans Awards recognize faculty and staff who have demonstrated excellence in their roles and contributions to MSU Denver. Winners are recognized during the CLAS Faculty and Staff Appreciation and Awards Ceremony, receive an award certificate and a monetary award incentive.
CLAS Deans Awards Categories
Excellence in Teaching: Adjunct Faculty
Excellence in Teaching: Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Excellence in Teaching: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Excellence in Research: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Dr. Ibon Izurieta Excellence in Service
Advisor of the Year
Staff Member of the Year
Chair/Director of the Year
Renaming the Excellence in Service Award in Remembrance of Dr. Ibon Izurieta
Dr. Ibon Izurieta started at MSU Denver in 2008 as a Spanish faculty member in the Department of World Languages and served as the associate dean for Operations, Policy and Personnel from 2017 until his passing in March 2024. Ibon was a dedicated Roadrunner, educator and academic as well as an enthusiastic ambassador and champion of Basque culture. He will be remembered by his colleagues for his love of and tireless work for MSU Denver and his Basque community. In April 2024, the College renamed the Excellence in Service Award for Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty to the Dr. Ibon Izurieta Excellence in Service Award to honor his lasting legacy and impact on the College. Although he is gone and dearly missed, we know he lives on through this special dedication.
Past CLAS Award Winners
Excellence in Teaching: Adjunct Faculty
Teague McDaniel, Art
Excellent in Teaching: Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Dr. Judith Strathearn, Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy
Excellence in Teaching: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Dr. Meg Frisbee, History
Excellence in Research: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Dr. Jade Luiz, Sociology and Anthropology
Dr. Ibon Izurieta Excellence in Service
Dr. Jonathan Dyhr, Biology
Advisor of the Year
Denise Daphne, Biology
Staff Member of the Year
Erika Lynn, Mathematics and Statistics
Chair or Director of the Year
Dr. Deanne Pytlinski, Art
Excellence in Teaching: Adjunct Faculty
Dr. Zane Cupec, Music
Excellent in Teaching: Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Dr. Michael Rhoads, Psychological Sciences
Excellence in Teaching: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Dr. Jeremiah Castle, Political Science
Excellence in Service: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Dr. Meredith Jeffers, Modern Languages
Excellence in Research: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Dr. Michael Kolb, Sociology and Anthropology
Advisor of the Year
Leah Butler, Mathematics and Statistics
Staff Member of the Year
Jessica Ovitz, Biology
Chair or Director of the Year
Dr. Sheryl Zajdowicz, Biology
Excellence in Teaching: Affiliate Faculty
Thomas deZauche, Philosophy
Excellence in Teaching: Lecturers
Simona Sansovini, Modern Languages
Excellence in Teaching: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Andrew Thangasamy, Political Science
Excellence in Service: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Emily Ragan, Chemistry
Chalane Lechuga Chicana/o Studies
Excellence in Research: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
Megan Filbin, Chemistry
Advisor of the Year
Adriana Kilday, Psychological Sciences
Staff Member of the Year
Wendy Ross, Art
Chair/Director of the Year
Layton Curl, Psychological Sciences
CLAS Faculty Excellence Awards
Excellence in Teaching: Lecturers/Affiliate Faculty
- Dr. Alycia Palmer, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Javier Flores, Art
Excellence in Teaching: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
- Leslie Boyd, Art
- MB Krueger, Music
Excellence in Service: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
- Dr. Cynthia Kuhn, English
- Dr. Sheila Rucki, Political Science
- Marin Abell, Art
Excellence in Research: Tenure Track and Tenured Faculty
- Dr. David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Political Science
- Jade Hoyer, Art
CLAS Outstanding Staff Awards
- Angela Rodriguez, Academic Advisor & Retention Specialist for Anthropology, Sociology, Chicano/a Studies, & Africana Studies
- Chandra Gregg, Theatre and Dance
- Dr. Josh McGrath, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
CLAS Deans Awards
Advisor of the Year
- Jennifer Kilian, Academic Advisor & Retention Specialist for English and Political Science
Staff Member of the Year
- Bob Mager, CLAS Deans Office
Faculty Member of the Year
- Dr. April Hill, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Chair/Director of the Year
- Dr. Andrew Bonham, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Department of the Year
- Chemistry & Biochemistry
College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Graduate Honorees
The College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Graduate Honorees are selected by the Department Chair/Director and the department faculty and staff for their exceptional academic achievements, leadership qualities and service contributions to MSU Denver and their communities. Graduate Honorees represent those who have achieved the highest student honor in the College.
The College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Graduate Honorees are selected by the Department Chair/Director and the department faculty and staff for their exceptional academic achievements, leadership qualities and service contributions to MSU Denver and their communities. Graduate Honorees represent those who have achieved the highest student honor in the College.
View Past CLAS Graduate Honorees
Department of Art
Hannah Hamid, Communication Design
Department of Biology
Naomi Jacquez, Biology
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Leah Procopio, Chemistry
Department of Chicana/o Studies
Angelica Aguirre, Chicana,o Studies
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Ian Ferguson, Environmental Science
Department of English
Natalie Gramer, English and Aviation
The Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy
Greta Schaaf, Gender, Women, and Sexualities
Department of History
Justin Guy, History and Biology
Department of Journalism and Media Production
Vanessa Cordova, Public Relations
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Brandon Lamson, Statistical Science
Department of Music
Samuel Cooper, Music Performance and Music Education
Department of Physics
Gerardo Perez-Llamas, Physics
Department of Political Science
Taylor Lucas, Political Science
Department of Psychological Sciences
Mirka Jara Rivas, Psychology Major
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Rhea Wiggins, Anthropology
Department of Theatre and Dance
Jenna LaDouceur, Dance
Department of World Languages
Sean Mulcahy, Spanish
Department of Africana Studies
Kelly Hall, Africana Studies
Department of Art
Phoebe Nguyen, Communication Design
Department of Biology
Julie Lee, Biology
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Helen DuBois, Biochemistry
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Studies
Chloe Rhodes-Barnes, Applied Geology
Department of English
Heather Ehrenstrasser, English
Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy
Ambria Lohaus, Gender, Women, and Sexualities
Department of Journalism and Media
Brenden Gillis, Broadcast Journalism
Department of History
Eve Bauman, History
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Parker Edingfield, Mathematics
Department of Modern Languages
Jay Angelo Drago, Dual Language Spanish and Italian
Department of Music
Ashley Stitt, Music Composition and Performance
Department of Philosophy
Ian Milton, Philosophy
Department of Physics
Kevin Stoeppel
Department of Political Science
Audrey Stevens, Political Science
Department of Psychological Sciences
Chloe Stemm, Psychology
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Lisa Mack, Sociology
Department of Theatre and Dance
Levi Franklin, Theatre
Department of Art
Taylor Cozart
Department of Biology
Shaye Page
Department of English
Olivia Ruffe
Department of Modern Languages
Olivia Burns Dunbar
Department of Music
Bianca Thomas
Department of Political Science
Alicia Montoya
Department of Theatre and Dance
Valeria Lupiah Savcedo
Department of Art
Emma Zimmerman, Art
Department of Biology
Michael Rector, Biology
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Kyle Tyner, Chemistry
Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies
Zinna Galán
Department of Communication Studies
Andrew Ortiz-Martinez, Communication Studies
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Studies
Taylor Black, Geography
Department of English
Mickayla Jones, English Secondary Education
Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy
Nastasia Santana, Gender, Women’s Studies
Department of History
Su Lan Sheehan, History
Department of Journalism and Media Production
Valeria Quiroz, Broadcast Journalism
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Colin Downs, Mathematics
Department of Modern Languages
Lisa McCorkle, Spanish Option I
Department of Music
Kalin Pena, Music Education
Department of Philosophy
James Knott, Philosophy and English
Department of Physics
Benjamin Jiron
Department of Political Science
Steven Vanhulle, Political Science
Department of Psychological Sciences
Abriella Olguin, Human Development and Family Studies
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Emily Seabold, Anthropology
Department of Theatre and Dance
Leonard Fox, Theatre and Business
Department of Africana Studies
Agazi Abay
Department of Art
Moussa Sakouk
Department of Biology
Isiah Newbins
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Laura Murphy
Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies
Myranda Valdez
Department of Communication Studies
Madeleine Ray
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Studies
Brian Marron
Department of English
Calista Donohoe
Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy
Aubreylin Shibata
Department of History
Nicolas Jones
Department of Journalism and Media Production
Annelise Grygiel
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Jamie Koning
Department of Music
Lily Conrad
Department of Philosophy
Leah Nez
Department of Physics
Gabriella Cecchini
Department of Political Science
Matthew Wicks
Department of Psychological Sciences
Rachel Nussbaum
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Julianna Zellner
Department of Theatre and Dance
Kalliesta Heafner
Department of Art
Diana Garcia
Department of Biology
Kaily Meek
Department of Biology
Maria Villagrana
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Karen Nunez Sifuentes
Department of Communication Studies
Michael Montoya
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Zachary Horning
Department of English
Denise “DJ” Lincks
The Gender Institute for Teaching and Advocacy
Samantha “Sammy” Chavez
Department of History
Fernando Ponce-Juarez
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Ryan Peterson
Department of Music
Justin Milner
Department of Physics
Thomas Johnson
Department of Political Science
Mayra Valdez
Department of Psychological Sciences
Nayeli Cisneros Saucedo
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Evelyn Edem Fiadonu
Department of Theatre and Dance
Will Melendez
College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Temporary Campus Location (March 16-August):
1041 9th Street Park
Mailing Address:
Campus Box 37
P. O. Box 173362
Denver, CO 80217-3362
Phone:
303-615-0600
Email:
