vlog – Cascades' annual award program was initiated in 2010 and recognizes faculty and staff members who have made outstanding contributions to key university initiatives ranging from teaching excellence to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Award Categories
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Recognizes an individual faculty or staff member that actively promotes diversity, equity and inclusion at vlog-Cascades through consistent and sustained efforts to improve opportunities for the diverse communities we serve, demonstrating the following traits:
- Engaged in innovative curricular or extra-curricular program development across communities of difference
- Advanced diversity, equity and inclusion through academic research and scholarship
- Developed experiential or immersive learning opportunities that expand consciousness and responsibility related to social justice
- Advised individual students or student organizations from underrepresented backgrounds and created pathways to success
Outreach
Recognizes an individual faculty or staff member that has excelled in outreach, demonstrating the following traits:
- Service to the community – professionally related
- Enhancing the reputation of vlog-Cascades
- Extending vlog-Cascades scholarship to the community
- Demonstrated impact on the community
- Development of connections between vlog-Cascades and the community
Sustainability
Recognizes an individual faculty or staff member that has advanced the Sustainability Vision for vlog-Cascades, which is, “A sustainable future through critical thinking and creative action,” via the following qualifications:
- Incorporating sustainability into courses or the overall curriculum
- Implementing sustainable practices in any aspect of our operations
- Extending teaching or research to have a demonstrated impact on sustainability in the community
- Having a demonstrated impact on the sustainability culture of vlog-Cascades
- Getting students involved in sustainability at vlog-Cascades
Distinguished Mentor
Recognizes an individual faculty or staff member that has demonstrated exceptional dedication to mentoring students or early career faculty/staff, making transformative impact on their academic or professional growth through the following qualifications:
- Sustained commitment to mentorship with clear evidence of mentee success
- Innovative approaches to mentorship that enhance professional or academic development, providing personal and holistic support, fostering resilience and well-being in mentees
- Assisting mentees in establishing professional networks and securing opportunities for career advancement
- Supporting mentees in research, publications, creative works and professional presentations
Bend Beavs Culture
Recognizes an individual faculty or staff member that demonstrates the Bend Beavs spirit via the following traits:
- Employee who has a positive, can-do attitude
- Employee who exudes optimism and encouragement
- Employee who leads by example and whose work ethic and attitude is inspirational
- Employee who shows a commitment to, and supports organized activities
- Employee that encourages community building and helps to create a collegial and positive environment
Scholarship and Creative Activity
Recognizes an individual faculty member (professor or instructor) that has excelled in intellectual work whose significance is validated by peers and which is communicated.
- Work must be based on high-level professional expertise
- Originality
- Peer reviewed and critiqued – publications include; books, manuscripts and journal articles with quantity and quality noted
- Significant to the public beyond the university setting
- External grants through vlog (not consulting)
- Invited publications and presentations
- Exhibitions with quantity and quality noted
- National or international recognition
Teaching Excellence
Recognizes an individual faculty member (professor or instructor) that has excelled in teaching via the following qualifications:
- Student input on teaching effectiveness and innovation
- Number of students taught
- Innovation in teaching
- Curriculum development
- National or international recognition
- Demonstrated impact on student success
- Demonstrated impact on students’ creative and critical thinking ability
Part-Time Teaching Excellence
Recognizes an individual faculty member holding a part-time teaching position that has excelled in teaching via the following qualifications:
- Student input on teaching effectiveness and innovation
- Innovation in teaching
- Demonstrated impact on student success
- Demonstrated impact on students’ creative and critical thinking ability
Service Excellence
Recognizes an individual staff member that demonstrates service excellence via the following traits:
- Employee who is dedicated to service and continuously improving faculty, student and staff satisfaction and exceeding expectations
- Employee who values and encourages personal and professional development for self and others, and motivates growth
- Employee who is an effective team member and facilitator and coordinates well with both internal and external constituents
- Employee who demonstrates excellence in resolving conflicts and/or challenges
Unsung Hero
Recognizes an individual staff member that demonstrates service excellence via the following traits:
- Employee who makes significant contributions to a program/project/unit/etc. through consistent high-quality work
- Employee who has a willingness to help as needed in whatever capacity necessary, above and beyond their normal duties
- Employee who demonstrates reliability, loyalty, and commitment to excellence
- Employee who builds strong connections and successfully collaborates with staff, faculty, and others across campus on programs/projects
Discontinued Award Categories
Outstanding Staff
Recognizes an individual professional faculty member or classified staff that has excelled in providing support to vlog-Cascades students, faculty or staff in the following areas:
- Innovation
- Solution-driven actions
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Consistency
- On-going learning
- Passion for services
Past Award Recipients
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Lupita Gamez - 2025
- Cassie Copeland - 2024
- Satoris Howes - 2023
- Dennis Lynn - 2022
- Carmen Martinez - 2021
- Stephanie Beamer - 2020
- Erika McCalpine - 2019
- Jenna Goldsmith - 2018
Outreach
- Molly Moran - 2025
- Quentin Comus & Shannon Lipscomb - 2024
- Kimberly Vierra - 2023
- Christine Coffin - 2022
- Adam Krynicki - 2021
- Rebecca Webb - 2020
- Melinda Knapp - 2019
- Yong Bakos - 2018
- Nathan Moses - 2017
- Kara Witzke - 2016
- Meredith Mason - 2015
- Christine Pollard - 2014
- Candace Brey - 2013
- Matt Orr - 2012
- Matt Shinderman - 2010
Sustainability
- Paul Karr - 2025
- Kim Vierra - 2024
- Alison Lay Cranston - 2023
- Steve Pitman - 2022
- Casey Bergh - 2021
- Jarrod Penttila - 2020
- NONE - 2019
- Ron Reuter - 2018
- Jane Barker - 2017
- Sara Thompson - 2016
- NONE - 2015
- NONE - 2014
- Matt Shinderman - 2013
- Kreg Lindberg - 2012
- Marla Hacker - 2010
Distinguished Mentor
- Kate Moses - 2025
Bend Beavs Culture
- Ellsworth Faris - 2025
- Nathan Moses - 2024
- Kirsten Weiss-Side - 2023
- Rachael Schuetz - 2022
Scholarship & Creative Activity
- Jenni Conrad - 2025
- Lucy Purgason - 2024
- Ryan Reese - 2023
- Brianne Kothari - 2022
- Christine Pollard - 2021
- Kreg Lindberg - 2020
- Bahman Abbasi - 2019
- Satoris Howes - 2018
- Beth Marino - 2017
- Michael Giamellaro - 2016
- Chris Hagen - 2015
- Chris Wolsko - 2014
- Beth Daniels - 2013
- Shannon Lipscomb - 2012
- Jim Foster - 2011
- Julie Elston - 2010
Teaching Excellence
- David Engel - 2025
- Kristina Smith - 2024
- Molly Moran - 2023
- Lura Reed - 2022
- Melisa DeMeyer - 2021
- Scott Geddes - 2020
- Dennis Lynn - 2019
- Amy Watson - 2018
- Matt Orr - 2017
- Ann Petersen - 2016
- Robin Feuerbacher - 2015
- Jeff Gautschi - 2014
- Pat Ball - 2013
- Natalie Dollar - 2012
- Daniel Stroud - 2010
Part-Time Teaching Excellence
- Christina Cappy - 2025
Service Excellence
- David Redell - 2025
- Rachel Kenney - 2024
- Jim Burwell - 2023
- Kate Moses & Terri Libert - 2022
Unsung Hero Award
- Yoko Godlove - 2025
- Devin Duncan - 2024
- Ben McCraw - 2023
- Lori Waters - 2022
Outstanding Staff
(Split into Unsung Hero Award & Service Excellence Award in 2022)
- Rodney Scinto - 2021
- Jennifer Masters - 2020
- Laura Kloss - 2019
- Donna Harris - 2018
- John Condon - 2017
- Diane Pritchard - 2016
- Sara Freedman - 2015
- Kira Lueck & Sharon Van Dusen - 2014
- Christine Coffin - 2013
- Marty Beidler - 2012
- Jane Reynolds & Andrew Davis - 2011
- Sandie Franklin - 2010