CHC Faculty and Staff Stories

Meet our faculty members, experience their intellectual worlds and find out why they love teaching. Along with that, learn what's in their fridge and their favorite movies. Staff members are also put in the spotlight as they share their journeys to the CHC and their guilty pleasures. 

person on climbing wall overhang with colorful grips
Planning the future: Staff spotlight on Alyssa Travis
Alyssa Travis, the new event coordinator for the CHC, has spent years turning special occasions into ways to build community.
Jesse Wilson with wife and son
Nature and nurture: Faculty spotlight on Jesse Wilson
As a child, Jesse Wilson loved being outside, his attention always focused on the world around him. Today, he seeks out the same joy for his students and his two-year-old child.
Kristen Rahilly teaching outside, standing among students
Finding her role: Faculty spotlight on Kristen Rahilly
CHC Instructor Kristen Rahilly looks to support others and seeks compassion from the people around her. She wants to spread that feeling to her students through making science inclusive.
king2
The Equestrian: Faculty spotlight on Marisa King
Marisa King has learned to approach every learning environment with care and compassion. It’s a lesson from her lifelong companionship with horses.
faye
From the ground up: Faculty spotlight on Jean Faye
Instructor Jean Faye joined the Clark Honors College this fall. He teaches natural sciences and relies on his vast experience researching the best ways the land can become resilient in the face of climate change.
Elin England strolling at her farm in Lane County
Making connections: Staff spotlight on Elin England
Elin England is set to retire later this year as the Clark Honors College director of alumni and community engagement. In this Q&A, she talks about stewardship, cooking, and the importance of nurturing community.
chc professor casey shoop teaching at front of classroom with thermos in hand
Turning the page: Faculty spotlight on Casey Shoop
CHC core faculty member Casey Shoop reflects on life, literature and grieving. 
ryan theiss portrait
The man who makes Chapman Hall go: Staff spotlight on Ryan Theiss
Ryan Theiss is the Clark Honors College office specialist who handles operations. He's also a talented artist in his spare time.
portrait of josh castellanos ramos in his office, surrounded by pop culture memorabilia
Accepting change and going farther: Staff spotlight on Joshua Castellanos Ramos
In high school, Joshua Castellanos Ramos learned how to ask for help. Now, the CHC first-year advisor is teaching students to do the same.
Rebecca altman teaching in a classroom
From spark to torchbearer: Faculty spotlight on Rebecca Altman
Through chemistry, Rebecca Altman saw the world in a new light, as well as resilience in times of self-doubt. Now, she leads a new generation to a love of science.
ulrick casimir gesturing while teaching at the front of a classroom
Unpacking narratives of revenge, darkness and chaos: Faculty spotlight on Ulrick Casimir
As a kid, he devoured Stephen King. After catching the writing bug, Ulrick Casimir is flourishing as a teacher who brings creativity into his CHC classroom.
nicole dahmen teaching in a classroom, gesturing at a poster of a new york times front page
Raising the standard: Faculty spotlight on Nicole Dahmen
Professor Nicole Dahmen explores how to improve the ways journalism and mass media serve the community, while also teaching students to consume them critically.
jesse feddersen with telescope on UO green, looking at the sky with eclipse glasses on
Exploring the cosmos: Faculty spotlight on Jesse Feddersen
In courses on eclipses and black holes, Jesse Feddersen wants his students to be able to grasp the wonders of outer space the way he did growing up in Indiana. 
ellen fitzpatrick teaching at the front of a classroom
Building community through humility: Faculty spotlight on Ellen Fitzpatrick
Ellen Fitzpatrick, a Fulbright Scholar, brings solutions to the table and then listens. She encourages her students to be a force for good in their own ways.
tobin hansen teaching in a classroom with students laughing at desks
From small-town beginnings to Mexico and back: Faculty spotlight on Tobin Hansen
Instructor Tobin Hansen found his educational passion when he left Gates, Oregon for the first time as a teen. But it was the Spanish he picked up in his hometown that eventually led him to discover anthropology.
robert mauro posing next to small plane on runway, wearing NASA cap
Problem solving on the global stage: Faculty spotlight on Robert Mauro
Associate Professor Robert Mauro is a pilot, a problem solver, and a psychologist who wants to make a difference with his interdisciplinary research. 
christopher michlig pointing at the board as he teaches a class
Wading through the slime: Faculty spotlight on Christopher Michlig
Art professor Christopher Michlig’s version of teaching can be a bit messy, but in breaking down the professor-student relationship, learning becomes a two-way street.
courtney thorsson gesturing while teaching in a classroom
Embracing life and literature: Faculty spotlight on Courtney Thorsson
Courtney Thorsson’s new book opens a window into the lives of Black women writers. It’s an expression of her efforts to celebrate the transformative power of this genre of American literature.
lydia van dreel teaching class on tykeson lawn with alpenhorn
Music from the heart and mind: Faculty spotlight on Lydia Van Dreel
Lydia Van Dreel’s lifelong love of brass instruments makes a meaningful impression on CHC students, whom they invite to explore music through sense and emotion.
Portrait photo of Dr. Kate Mondloch
Faculty Spotlight: Kate Mondloch
Art, Italy and understanding the human condition all guide this CHC professor as she helps students see what’s truly important in life.
Gantt Gurley underneath a tree with orange and yellow leaves
Faculty Spotlight: Gantt Gurley
The CHC associate professor's childhood influences how he engages with students.
Headshot of Jessica Price
Looking up, reaching out
CHC instructor Jessica Price owes her success in law and higher education to the women who helped shape her.
Headshot of Lisa Munger
Faculty Spotlight: Lisa Munger
For this CHC instructor, the ocean has always been calling.
Miriam Alexis Castellon Jordan
Honoring art and creating structure: Staff spotlight on Miriam Jordan
Miriam Alexis Castellón Jordan has spent a lifetime learning and she wants others to appreciate the colors that life brings.
Barbara Mossberg
Faculty Spotlight: Barbara Mossberg
Poetry, writing, and reading are what makes this celebrated CHC professor tick.