Professor Sean Anderson

Camarillo, CA. - Sean Anderson, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at CSU Channel Islands (CI), will be recognized at CI’s Honors Convocation on Friday, May 6, and receive the President’s Award for Innovations in Teaching and Learning. The award is given in recognition of an individual who has made unique and significant contributions to the teaching mission of the University.

To be eligible for the award a nominee must have taught at least two years at CI and be full-time faculty, either tenure-track or lecturer. The application packages are judged by reviewers from outside CI on the applicant’s impact on and involvement with students; his or her scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contributions to undergraduate education, community and profession and support from colleagues and students.

Anderson was selected for his use of innovative strategies in teaching by using technology and service learning projects, such as the use of the iTunesU application, podcasts and lab exercises including conservation role playing. He has engaged his students extensively in service learning projects in his course “Restoration in New Orleans,” giving his students the opportunity to travel to New Orleans to engage in ongoing research, construction and cultural activities. The course also deals with environmental justice and policy. Anderson’s course “Ecological Restoration Design and Construction” is taught in partnership with the National Park Service where students are given extensive hands-on experience. His work with his students is characterized by classroom components, coupled with strong real world experience to illustrate the academic principles.

Anderson, as a teacher-scholar, has published in the field of ecological restoration and has also contributed to the scholarship of teaching and learning, describing in various articles his efforts to design innovative leaning opportunities for his students.

Anderson will receive not only the President’s Award but will also be nominated by CI for the Carnegie Foundation’s U.S. Professors of the Year Award, which honors those who excel as educators and influence the lives and careers of their students. Sponsored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, it is the only national program to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring.

President Richard R. Rush stated, “Dr. Anderson is an outstanding educator whose efforts in support of the mission and goals of the University have resulted in phenomenal student success. His enthusiasm for both his students and his academic field has been recognized both on and off campus, providing leadership for his colleagues through his innovations in teaching and practice.”

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research.