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President's Message |
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 Outstanding Professor
He served as chair of the history department from 1997 until December 1999. Bryant’s consistent efforts toward creating a “community of scholars” were referred to frequently by his supporters for the award. He was commended for his commitment to the professional lives of others, his lively interest in and attentiveness to faculty and students and their work, and his contributions to creating a vibrant academic community. Bryant established an international scholarly reputation with the publication of The King and the City in the Parisian Royal Ceremony: Politics, Art, and Ritual in the Renaissance. Among his academic honors are membership in the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton and a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to the Folger Shakespeare Library. He has served as the president of the Society for French Historical Studies and as section editor for “France: 1450–1789” in the American Historical Association Guide to Historical Literature (Oxford, 1996). Bryant is the author of numerous articles on court ceremonies in medieval and Renaissance France. He has spent most of his career attempting to understand how people act in the public arena and how the performative aspects of Renaissance life have contributedto forms of modern political behavior. Bryant obtained his B.A. from Emory University in Atlanta and his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.
Outstanding Teacher
“I was deeply touched by the support of my colleagues and students,” says Guenter. “We’ve been working so hard over the last decade as a team. So, I accepted the award for all of my colleagues. As we all know, you do not teach alone. This is a collaborative effort.” Guenter means it. She uses an analogy to describe her teaching: “Teaching is like rock climbing and rappelling. You have to gauge and assess the route. Adjustments often are made—flexibility, endurance, and patience are requirements. The rappel is based on trust and the ability to risk. You must step back and let others move into the lead position. You must rely on them to assist you in reaching the bottom. And you must be mindful and alert when helping them climb up or rappel down. You do not rock climb or rappel alone.” Guenter traveled to Washington, D.C., in June 1999 to make a presentation to the U.S. Education Department and Teaching Advisory board at the Kennedy Center on interdisciplinary education. Education department chair Michael Kotar wrote of her: “Cris Guenter constantly innovates, applying new teaching strategies and methods to better meet students’ educational needs.” Her students describe her as enthusiastic, energetic, and having an infectious love of teaching and learning. Guenter’s teaching and professional contributions have brought her other professional awards, including CSU, Chico Master Teacher, California Outstanding Higher Education Art Educator, and the Douc Langor Award for teaching. Guenter’s published works include articles in ArtTalk, Open Mic: Journal of the California Subject Matter Projects, and Science and Children; and the book Portfolio Assessment. She continues to practice her own art and to exhibit in local galleries.
Outstanding Adviser
Bechtol credits his advisers when he was an undergraduate student at Chico State for setting the example. He has emulated the availability, openness, and commitment to students of his most admired advisers and teachers: Charles Monson, Lew Oliver, Lois Christensen, and Bruce Ogleby. “These people listened; they gave good advice,” he says. Bechtol’s dedication to students is evident in the time he devotes to advising and keeping in touch—from weekend meetings with current students to ongoing correspondence with former advisees decades after they’ve left Chico.
Outstanding Faculty Service Award
Patton, a fifth-generation sheep rancher, has been involved in state organizations throughout his career. All of his activities—including committee work, livestock growing, student advising, farm management, and community involvement—enhance Patton’s work with students. “That’s why I’ve always stayed involved in the livestock industry,” he says. “I can come to work every morning with a real example.” Patton has served on twenty-seven college or university committees since 1992 and is currently involved with more than a dozen. He refers to his university committee work as “a natural thing to do. Things need to be done, and I’m the kind of person who likes to know what’s happening. The best way to know what’s happening is to get involved in the decision making.”
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