Worth Sharing: Staff, Faculty Honored with Fellowships and Awards

The following is a listing of professional achievements by Chico State faculty, staff, and students. Submit your professional achievements to ucomm@csuchico.edu. 

Awards, Honors, and Activities 

Chico State’s Professional & Continuing Education (PCE) has been honored with the 2023 California Teachers Association (CTA) State Gold Award. The University Credit Program, a collaborative initiative between the CTA and PCE, enables CTA members to earn Chico State credits by attending in-person or virtual conferences, thereby accumulating professional growth hours. To date, 12,045 teachers have benefited from the program, collectively impacting thousands of California students each year. Over one million professional development hours have been logged by educators, with a total of 82,356 units completed from winter 2021 through spring 2024. This has resulted in an average salary increase of $3,500 per year for participants.

University Photographer Jason Halley (Communication Design, ’05) was recently honored at the University Photographers’ Association of America (UPAA) Awards ceremony, which took place during the organization’s annual gathering in Utah. Halley claimed an honorable mention in both the “Annual Publications Contest: Viewbook” and the “Annual Photo Competition: General Features and Illustrations.” Sheryl Woodward, Assistant Vice President for Staff Human Resources, received the UPAA Board Appreciation Award, in recognition of a staff member who has made a significant impact on the profession of photography in service to higher education. In addition to these awards, Matt Bates (Journalism, ’06) placed first in UPAAs monthly photo contest in the “Personal Vision” category, with his photo of the Northern Lights over Lake Almanor.

Cynthia Klobodu an assistant professor of nutrition and food science, and Denise Crosswhite (Communications Studies, ’03; MA, Social Science, ’17), an advising and retention specialist with the College of Agriculture, were recently selected for the 2024 Class of E. Kika De La Garza Fellows. Both recipients spent part of the fellowship in Washington D.C., learning about various USDA agencies and their functions as well as funding and student internship opportunities. Klobodu spent a second week at the Western Human Nutrition Research Center in Davis, where she interacted with several researchers and toured sophisticated human nutrition labs in the facility. Established in 1998, the prestigious USDA program has hosted more than 400 faculty and staff, a key effort in strengthening relationships with Hispanic-Serving Institutions. 

Publications, Presentations, and Exhibits  

Gayle Kimball (professor emerita in the Department of Sociology) recently published her newest book, “World Religions in Microcosm: Family Practices Globally.” Kimball, a Nautilus award-winning author of 26 books, developed the Women’s Studies program at Chico State.