Provost Communication, Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Good morning, Colleagues,

Below you will find an announcement about yet another of our exceptional faculty and staff being recognized for the extraordinary work they do at Humboldt. Additionally you will find an opportunity to nominate an exceptional alumni of Humboldt for the Distinguished Alumni Awards. Nominations of your colleagues for the various awards and other opportunities that come up at Humboldt, CSU, or outside of our university ecosystem are all outstanding ways to support each other and recognize the overall excellence that our students, faculty, staff, and alumni bring to this campus. Please keep up the good work, nominate your colleagues when inspired, and find time to celebrate each other with, or without, an award. 

Well Done Dr. Amy Sprowles, Department of Biological Sciences!

Dr. Amy Sprowles, Department of Biological Sciences has won this year's prestigious CSUBIOTECH Andreoli Service Award. CSUBIOTECH is the CSU faculty affinity group for education and research in biotechnology. The Andreoli Faculty Service Award honors a California State University (CSU) faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to the development of biotechnology programs in the CSU system. This award is made in honor of Dr. Anthony Andreoli (CSU Los Angeles) who had high expectations for everyone, especially students and colleagues.

Dr. Sprowles received the award in recognition of her numerous accomplishments - first and foremost for the extensive positive impact her work has had on students. Dr. Sprowles has served as the Director of the CIRM Bridges Program, a program that allows Cal Poly Humboldt students to participate in a yearlong research opportunity in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at a number of partner institutions, including UC Davis and Stanford University. Dr. Sprowles was also a key architect of the STEM PBLC program that over time grew to be the distinctive first-year experience for all incoming students at Cal Poly Humboldt. Dr. Sprowles leadership and mentoring has provided countless opportunities for students, and particularly transformative experiences for our  underrepresented students.  

Cal Poly Humboldt 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards Nominations are Open 

Distinguished Alumni are individuals recognized as leaders in their fields, and/or outstanding contributors to their community, nation, or Cal Poly Humboldt. Nominate someone you know for the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award, Distinguished Recent Alumni Award, or Distinguished Friend of the University Award. Criteria for each award can be found on the nomination form, linked here: 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards Nomination. Nominations can be made by any member or friend of the Humboldt community and are due by Friday, March 6, 2026.

More information about the Distinguished Alumni Awards, including past recipients, may be found on the Forever Humboldt Recognition page, linked here: Forever Humboldt Recognition. If you have any questions or have any trouble submitting your nomination, please reach out to forever@humboldt.edu or contact 707-826-3132.

Syllabus Repository Reminder to All Faculty 

A reminder to faculty that syllabi for spring 2026 classes were due to department offices on Friday, January 23, 2026. Your department coordinator will upload all syllabi to the campus syllabus repository. The campus Syllabus Policy stipulates that "[t]he Office of Academic Programs shall maintain a Syllabus Resources website with updated information about syllabus requirements, accessible templates, a link to the syllabus policy and the Syllabus Addendum website, and other relevant information" (Section II.A). The Syllabus Repository is accessible only to Cal Poly Humboldt faculty and staff. 

Have a great rest or your week, 

Shawna Young