By Carrie Click
When Tina Evans was growing up, her teachers had a significant impact on her. Her elementary school teacher Mrs. Harmon taught the power of good storytelling. Junior high social studies teacher Mrs. Jensen instilled a commitment to social justice. And through significant works of literature, high school English teacher Mr. Smalley introduced other cultures, both past and present.
“These windows opened by my teachers powerfully influenced my life,” said Evans, who now holds a doctorate and is a sustainability studies professor at Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs. “They’ve made me a lifelong seeker of knowledge and understanding.”
Evans received Colorado Mountain College’s 2017 collegewide full-time Faculty of the Year award during this, the college’s 50th anniversary year.
And Brad Moore, who teaches theater at Colorado Mountain College Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs, received CMC’s collegewide adjunct Faculty of the Year honors.
“I never intended to teach,” said Moore, “but I found early on that I loved sharing ideas. CMC students come from such diverse backgrounds with such a variety of ages and skill levels. I always love helping them unlock their true potential.”
Each year, students, staff and faculty at Colorado Mountain College can nominate one outstanding full-time and one adjunct faculty member from each of the college’s seven campuses and the online learning department. From those honorees, senior administrators then select a collegewide award recipient in each of the two categories, who then represent their peers across the span of the college’s 12,000-square-mile service area.
Recognition for sustainability studies, theater programs
Evans and Moore said they were both honored and humbled when their names were announced as collegewide Faculty of the Year. Both immediately thought of their disciplines and fellow faculty members.
“I’m very surprised,” said Moore, after receiving the award. “There are so many others who are so deserving, though I’m glad the award gives recognition to our theater program.”
“This award isn’t just for me,” agreed Evans. “This is great for our sustainability studies program and all who contribute to it.”
Last year, Evans received a national sustainability award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Her journal article, “Finding Heart: Generating and Maintaining Hope and Agency through Sustainability Education,” appeared in the November 2015 issue of The Journal of Sustainability Education.
Moore has an extensive theatrical background as an actor, director, set designer and stage manager, and an equally rich history as an educator, which includes being named Aspen High School Teacher of the Year in 2005.