May. 22, 2018
CWU Names Four Educators as 2018 Distinguished Professors
Central Washington University’s Board of Trustees have recognized Laurie Moshier, Ian Quitadamo, Charles Reasons, and Lori Sheeran as the university’s newest class of Distinguished Professors.
The awards honor professors who excel in teaching, research, artistic accomplishment, and public service. Honorees names are placed on a continuing plaque and each will receive a $2,500 monetary award.
All four were recognized for their achievements by the Board of Trustees during its meeting on May 18 and will be honored during a ceremony and reception on May 21 in the Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC) Ballroom on the CWU campus.
“These four very distinguished educators exemplify the type of quality faculty we’re fortunate to have at Central Washington University,” said CWU President James L. Gaudino. “Each brings a passion for teaching, research, and service, and represent what is best about our faculty and university.”
Moshier, who is a senior lecturer in German and French in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, is the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Non-Tenure Track Faculty Award for Teaching. According to her colleagues, she commands the respect of students for her teaching effectiveness, clarity of expectations, and for creating a “safe and comfortable place to learn.”
Moshier, who began teaching at CWU in 2010, also advises both the German and French clubs, regularly mentors students for presentations at CWU’s World Languages Day, and is the coordinator and advisor for the German minor.
Quitadamo teaches in the Department of Biological Sciences and is the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Professor Award for Teaching. Affectionately known by his students as “Doctor Q,” he has taught at Central since 2002.
Respected for his deep knowledge base in both biology and science education, Quitadamo teaches around research-based, best practices in science teaching. Students and peers in Biology and science education hold him in high regard because of his personal concern for students and because he utilizes well-researched methodologies to convey the content.
Reasons, a professor in the Department of Law and Justice since 1999, is this year’s recipient of the 2018 Distinguished University Professor for Service Award. Reasons, who is a former chair of the Law and Justice Department, was cited for integration of research with service to the university, community, and to his profession.
Under his guidance, the department has established a community advisory board and he has created an alumni newsletter and placed increased emphasis on providing Law and Justice offerings at CWU’s university centers. He has gone to great lengths to promote diversity in student enrollment and previously worked with the Kittitas County Law and Justice Council.
He has also been involved in starting up a non-profit Immigration Law Clinic in Ellensburg and has worked on numerous occasions with the Ellensburg Police Department, the Kittitas County Advocates for Children, and other community organizations.
Sheeran, who is a professor in the Department of Anthropology and Museum Studies and director of CWU’s Scholarly Primate Program, is the recipient of the Distinguished Professor for Research/Artistic Accomplishment.
Since joining the faculty at CWU in 2003, Sheeran has published (as sole author or coauthor) 18 peer-reviewed articles and 15 book reviews, encyclopedia entries, and contributed papers. Her field work on Tibetan macaques has made her one of the world’s foremost experts on that species.
Additionally, Sheeran has undertaken extensive field research in China, spending some 40 months over the past 27 years in that country. Her work has garnered international recognition for the quality and credibility of her research, resulting in her being named associate editor of a prestigious scholarly journal.
Media contact: Richard Moreno, Department of Public Affairs, 509-963-2714, Richard.Moreno@cwu.edu.