Celebrate CLA! Faculty and staff recognized for outstanding contributions to teaching, research, and service in 2026
The College of Liberal Arts acknowledges the accomplishments and efforts of our outstanding faculty and staff for 2026.
Category Archives: CLA Community
CSU’s Joe Blake Center for Engaged Humanities Announces 2026-2027 Faculty Fellows
The Joe Blake Center for Engaged Humanities at Colorado State University has named four faculty members as Faculty Fellows for 2026-2027: Maura Velazquez Castillo, Johnny Plastini, Nabile Galván Garcia, and Sarah Cooper.
Sociology Professor Tara Opsal named William E. Morgan Endowed Chair in the College of Liberal Arts
Tara Opsal, a professor and current chair of the Department of Sociology in the College of Liberal Arts, has been named the William E. Morgan Endowed Chair in the College. A nationally respected public sociologist, Opsal advances community-engaged reform in the criminal legal system, examining how it produces harm and inequality and developing pathways for change. She is also the director of the Criminal Justice and Victimization Institute at Colorado State University. As Morgan Chair, Opsal will use dedicated time and resources to expand CJVI as a hub for community-engaged, interdisciplinary justice research across Colorado.
Cello professor releases new album Beyond Words
CSU Cello Professor, Meredith Blecha-Wells, releases Beyond Words: A Collection of Art Songs for Cello and Piano on Navona Records.
John Pippen selected for 2026 summer residency at the National Humanities Center
John Pippen, an associate professor of music in the College of Liberal Arts’ School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, has been selected to spend a month at the National Humanities Center this summer.
CSU Theatre students and faculty win multiple ACTF awards
Colorado State University Theatre students and faculty were widely recognized at the annual American College Theatre Festival regional competition in Pasco, Washington.
From the classroom to the cathedral: Fostering connection, conversation through Catholic studies
As the endowed Willette Chair of Catholic Studies, Joel Bacon has spent the semester exploring how religious studies can spark dialogue and bridge differences through music, education, new experiences and open conversation.
Dance Professor Grace Gallagher receives grant to create climate-focused dance work
The Sharon Prize, a $5,000 annual grant celebrating and supporting women and non-binary artists in Colorado, has been awarded to CSU Dance Professor Grace Gallagher for her innovative contemporary dance work, There is No Planet B, a multimedia performance that fuses art with environmental activism to address the urgency of climate action. This compelling dance and art experience will have its world premiere at the University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University on Nov. 21 and 22, 2025.
Orchestra director Rachel Waddell named 2026 GRAMMY Music Educator semifinalist
Following reviews by a panel of national music educators, Dr. Rachel Waddell, Colorado State University Director of Orchestras, was named one of twenty-five semifinalists for the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum’s Music Educator Award. Dr. Waddell was chosen from a national pool of 2,000 initial nominations and is the only semifinalist from the state of Colorado.
Celebration of 50 Years of Music Therapy at CSU!
The music therapy area at CSU is celebrating 50 years with an event on Saturday, September 27 from 1-4 p.m. at the University Center for the Arts. Learn about the journey of building one of the nation’s leading music therapy programs and the unexpected details that shaped its history from the leaders who helped establish the program and curriculum. From classroom memories to ground-breaking innovations, this celebration highlights the people, stories, and spirit that have made CSU’s program thrive for half a century.