Arizona State University: Professor Sharon Hall Earns Teaching Award In Natural Sciences

Press release from Arizona State University:

Dominique Perkins

May 6, 2021

As an Asian American interested in conservation and environmental science, still largely white-dominated disciplines in the U.S., Arizona State University’s School of Life Sciences Professor Sharon Hall always felt like a bit of an outsider.

Over the years, Hall has drawn on her experience and perspective to use her platform as a researcher and instructor to help change who is represented in biology, more specifically ecology and conservation biology, and inspire the next generation of conservationists.

Sharon Hall teaches ecology and careers in environmental science, and she has helped to develop the online conservation biology and ecology major. In addition to teaching and mentoring, she has been serving a special adviser for diversity and inclusion to the director of the School of Life Sciences, and chair of the school’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. Photo courtesy of Sharon Hall.
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Her commitment to teaching and inclusion has been recognized with the 2021 Zebulon Pearce Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Natural Sciences from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

“I am grateful to receive this award and humbled especially after such a challenging year for undergraduates and our community,” she said. “I’m excited to continue my work with students to fuel their passion for nature and help them build skills for their future careers.”

“Sharon is inspirational,” said Jennifer Fewell, associate director of faculty in the School of Life Sciences. “Her dedication to her students and to their success shines through in all of her interactions, from the classroom, to her mentoring, to her advocacy for students and for inclusivity at ASU. SOLS is becoming a stronger and more academically diverse community because of her energy and actions.” 

Hall teaches ecology and careers in environmental science, and she has helped to develop the online conservation biology and ecology major. She creates student-centered classrooms and tries to connect the material to real life as much as possible. Students report that she has a unique balance between rigor and empathy, providing them with the support needed to reach her high expectations. Her students notice how much she cares about them as people and how inspirational her own journey has been, with some even calling her an “icon in conservation biology.” She started Nature@ASU, a student-led organization to create community and broaden participation in environmental biology.

“I have been incredibly impressed by Professor Hall’s energy and innovation to create opportunities for student success in the School of Life Sciences,” said Kenro Kusumi, current director of the School of Life Sciences and newly appointed dean of natural sciences for The College. “She is a superb instructor and important leader in our undergraduate programs, and we are all proud to see her receive this recognition.”

In addition to teaching and mentoring, Hall has been serving a special adviser for diversity and inclusion to the director of the School of Life Sciences, and chair of the school’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. She has mobilized the unit to consider how to become more inclusive by coordinating myriad efforts with students, staff and faculty that focus on everything from inclusive teaching and curriculum reform to postdoc-to-faculty hires for candidates that will help the unit faculty become more representative of students. The work of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee was just recently showcased in a unitwide retreat that Hall and her team organized. 

“Sharon’s passion and commitment to diversity and inclusion is contagious,” said Sara Brownell, associate professor in the School of Life Sciences and director of the Research for Inclusive STEM Education Center. “Her energy, her thoughtful approaches to problems, her support of others, her organizational skills and her willingness to listen and to act on what she hears make her such an impactful leader. Her work in SOLS focused on inclusion has fundamentally altered the instruction of thousands of students and makes her so deserving of this teaching award.” 

“I’m committed to helping ASU live up to its inclusive charter, for undergrads, grad students, staff and faculty,” Hall said. “We’ll be better able to develop solutions to the planet’s most pressing challenges if we tap into the best ideas from across our diverse communities. To be recognized for efforts is surreal and makes me proud to be part of this institution.”

Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, called on the Cronkite School’s newest graduates to build their careers based on what inspires them, to be patient with themselves and to advocate for change in their workplaces.

Alcindor, who also is a political contributor for NBC News and MSNBC, delivered her remarks Monday, May 3, as the keynote speaker for Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s spring 2021 convocation.

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The virtual ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of nearly 500 graduates, many of whom joined the ceremony in real time on YouTube and Facebook Live with their families and friends. The ceremony followed an in-person event last week during which graduates walked across the stage in the school’s First Amendment Forum to receive their diplomas and congratulations from the deans.

During Monday’s ceremony, Alcindor reminded graduates that this is precisely the time in history — when people are grappling with a deadly pandemic, the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and other threats to democracy — that the country needs a “vibrant and diverse press that is allowed to dig for truth, to tell it like it is and to directly push back on leaders when they seek to mislead the public.”

“You picked an amazing time to dedicate your lives to being professional witnesses, to being the voice of the American people, to holding leaders accountable,” she said.

Alcindor also encouraged graduates to pursue their life’s passion and purpose and make career choices based on what they care about.

“What is inspiring you? What do you stress about that others overlook?” she asked. “You’re already quite certainly a class of problem solvers and survivors, so focus on the areas that move you.”

Alcindor said she started out working at a McDonald’s, a shoe store in Miami and as a telemarketer. She urged graduates to “stay the course” and give themselves time to succeed — and to occasionally fail.

“Even if you’re graduating into what you believe is your dream job, brace for it,” she said. “When I started my career in journalism, the setbacks came quickly, and they will come for you, too. So stay the course, drown out the noise and go forward despite the hurdles.”

Alcindor’s final piece of advice — to do the right thing when no one is looking — was inspired by the last essay written by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, which was published in The New York Times after his death last summer.

She referred to political journalism as her “good trouble,” a term popularized by Lewis, and implored future journalists to take a stand when they see something wrong. She encouraged journalists of color and members of other underrepresented groups to speak up and use their experiences to help improve their places of employment.

“You might be the only Black person on the social media team or the only person of color in the morning news meeting. Maybe you’re the only person from a rural town at a big city paper or the only woman on the editorial board. I tell you, speak up. Don’t be afraid to let your experiences allow you to make the places where you are better,” she said.

The convocation also paid tribute to Cronkite graduate Paulina Verbera, who died in a car accident in Mexico in January. Interim Dean Kristin Gilger remembered Verbera as a “great student and remarkable person” who was a leader on campus and always stepped in to help others.

Of the 496 graduates, 388 received bachelor's degrees, with 146 earning a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication, 61 in sports journalism, 128 in mass communication and media studies, and 53 in digital audiences.

The Cronkite School also awarded 107 master’s degrees. Eleven of those students received a Master of Mass Communication while two earned a Master of Arts in sports journalism. There were two graduates who received a Master of Science in business journalism and 92 who earned a Master of Science in digital audience strategy. One student was awarded a PhD in journalism and mass communication.

Dean Gilger congratulated the graduates and underscored the importance of a robust press during these pivotal times.

“You are living through historic times, times when truth — and democracy itself — are being tested, when social constructs are being challenged, when we are being asked to reevaluate and reorder the way we think about ourselves and others. Journalism is never more important than in moments like these,” she said.

Student convocation speaker Harrison Zhang praised his classmates for “trusting the process” as they negotiated a college experience quite different from the one they had expected.

“If the last few years have taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected,” Zhang said. “During our time at Cronkite, though, we’ve been shaped by the amazing faculty, friends, family and interview subjects to grow into the professionals we are today, ready to face the world ahead of us.”

This press release was produced by Arizona State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.