Dale Steiner, PhD

Department of History
1974–2013

Praised by students and colleagues alike, Dale Steiner was for many the history professor against whom all others were measured. His teaching, advising, scholarship, and mentorship of faculty both in the academy and at K-12 schools set a standard for excellence over the span of his 40-year career.

Steiner was named the campus’s Outstanding Teacher in 1998, the year he also was named Chico Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Teacher. Among his many other accolades from Chico State are the 1995-97 Master Teacher Award, and the Outstanding Academic Advisor Award for 1995-1996. In 1996, he was also named Outstanding Academic Advisor by the National Academic Advising Association.

Known as a gifted classroom instructor who gave beautifully crafted lectures and led spirited discussions, Stoner honed his historian’s craft by staying abreast of trends. He was deeply committed to sharing his expertise with others, regionally and nationally. For 20 years he served in a variety of roles — resident scholar, principal investigator, co-director — for the North State History-Social Science Project. During this time he co-wrote the Teacher Leader Toolkit, a CD which was distributed to teachers by the North State History-Social Science Project.

Steiner was also executive director of the California Council for History Education from 2005 to 2009, and a member of the board of directors of the National Council for History Education from 2009-2016, serving as its vice chair in 2012 and chair from 2013-2016.

He supported his efforts to enhance history teaching through a series of grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the California Legislature. Much of Steiner’s scholarship also pertained to teaching. One of his books, Of Thee We Sing: Immigrants and American History, was used in history courses at Chico State and other campuses, and found a market among general readers as well. His book Test Manual for The American Past provided instructional tools for teachers who made use of the widely assigned textbook, The American Past. An earlier book, Historical Journals: A Handbook for Writers and Reviewers, assisted historians, professional and non-professional alike, in finding the journals most suited to publishing their articles and reviews.

Steiner did his undergraduate work at Western Reserve University. He obtained his master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.