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.
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.
Two faculty members receive funds to adopt free, open access course materials
Erin Jordan, an instructor in the Department of History, and Alan Van Orden, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, have been selected to receive funding this summer as part of a pilot program on open educational resources.
History Associate Professor Doug Yarrington publishes historical study of Venezuela in the first half of the 20th century
Doug Yarrington, an associate professor of History in the College of Liberal Arts recently published a sweeping history of Venezuela that explores the ways corruption and efforts to combat it shaped the national state during the years of its formation.
On the wagon for Dry January? Learn about its history and our relationship with alcohol
CSU History Instructor David Korostyshevsky discusses the origins of Dry January and humanity’s complex relationship with alcohol.
Duffy’s book explores impact of modern imperialism on environment
Andrea Duffy wrote The Nature of Empire: Modern Imperialism and the Roots of the Anthropocene, which traces the complex and conflicting ways that the environment transformed and was transformed by imperial ventures in five modern states: Britain, France, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Japan. It is a resource for anyone seeking to better understand the roots of today’s global environmental challenges.
Professor of History Robert Gudmestad publishes first full account of the Civil War-era Mississippi River Squadron
Robert Gudmestad, a professor of history and current chair of the Department of History in the College of Liberal Arts, recently published the first comprehensive story of the Mississippi River Squadron a Union naval fleet that patrolled the Mississippi river and its tributaries during the United States Civil War and played a significant role in securing both freedom for many enslaved people and a victory for the Union.
Three CLA employees receive City of Fort Collins Human Relations Award for 2025
Beth Seymour, Jessica Jackson, and Alexander Pittman are receiving a Human Relations Award from the City of Fort Collins in Dec 2025.
History Matters: faculty create hyperlocal history curriculum for Northern Colorado
Colorado State University’s History Matters project is transforming how local history is taught in Colorado classrooms by using a hyperlocal, place-based focus, the project builds equity-driven curricula that center the under told histories of Fort Collins, Northern Colorado and the state of Colorado.
History professor selected to Colorado Education Commission
History Assistant Professor selected to Colorado Education Commission.