Kevin Grisham, an associate professor and chair of geography and environmental studies and the faculty adviser to the Cal State San Bernardino award-winning Model United Nations and Model Arab League programs, has been named winner of the 2018-19 Golden Apple award, the university’s highest award for teaching. Grisham’s Social Sciences 165 class on April 22 was interrupted by a delegation led by university President Tomás D. Morales along with 25 senior administrators, selection committee members, and faculty members barging into his classroom to make the announcement.  The faculty awards notification “ambush” is a long-time and much-loved CSUSB tradition.  Grisham “has been nominated by his peers, by the faculty for the 2019 Golden Apple award,” said Morales as the lecture hall, nearly filled with Grisham’s students, burst in to loud cheers and applause joining the faculty and staff visitors. “Sorry to interrupt your class, but you are all part of the process,” Morales told the students. As the Golden Apple recipient, Grisham will receive a $2,000 faculty development grant for research and professional activities, acknowledgement and recognition at the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences commencement ceremony in June, and he also will be honored at the university’s Faculty Recognition Luncheon. Morales praised Grisham for his work with the university’s Model UN and Model Arab League teams as “solid evidence of his exceptional ability to teach and inspire his students.”“Kevin is indeed one of the most inspirational and successful educators in the classroom. Do you agree?” Morales asked Grisham’s students, who cheered and applauded their professor.Provost Shari McMahan called Grisham 'remarkable.' “Know that he has a vested interest in your success, because that’s what he does. He cares about you, we all care about you, but he’s in the classroom, feet on the ground and he sings your praises,” McMahan said. “We’re quite honored and delighted to have him as the Golden Apple recipient.” Grisham thanked his fellow faculty members. “You always encourage me personally and also just by watching work. Your mentorship of faculty on this campus and most importantly as everybody knows I do what I do because I was one of you,” Grisham said. “I went to this campus, had an amazing education.” He then thanked his students. “I live by what my grandfather, who had a third-grade education, used to tell me, ‘Do something you love. Do something that you are passionate about and do something to advance the world.’ So every morning when I get up no matter what’s going on in life, that’s the first thing I think about is I love the fact we’re changing students’ lives and that you will go on to do amazing things.”He then thanked his family. He said his oldest son is autistic as his one of his daughters. “It helped me become a better teacher and maybe more passionate about what I do,” he said as his voice trembled with emotion. “Because I know everybody is dealing with something.  If my son can get through the day and my girls can get through the day … then my life is pretty easy and so it makes me work harder to be a better teacher and better person, so thank you.” Grisham, an alumnus of CSUSB, began lecturing at CSUSB in 2008, was hired as an assistant professor in 2013 and became an associate professor three years later.  During this time, he developed eight different courses, including some requiring new prep, and honed a style of teaching which has resulted in high ratings by his students.  They have described him as “engaging, inspiring, and exceptional” and that he is a “remarkable and effective teacher.”  The nominating committee states that, “What is especially indicative of Dr. Grisham’s excellence in teaching is that numerous students note that he has engaged them to a high degree, and that as a result of taking his courses, they have changed their perspective about how they evaluate diplomacy and geo-political issues.” The nominating committee also summarized the high regard in which he and his teaching are held by his fellow faculty members: “Colleagues laud his ability to provide an exceptional learning environment, his course organization, and appropriateness of the content level.”  They highlighted a visitor’s observation that, “He has the most outstanding record of teaching that I have seen at CSUSB.”  He utilizes innovative elements in his classes, including “Ted Talks, Top Hat, and polling technologies such as Kahoot,” earning him third place in CSUSB’s 2015 Innovative Teaching Award. His commitment to students outside of the classroom is also an area of excellence.  For over 10 years, Grisham has served as the faculty advisor to CSUSB’s Model UN and Model Arab League resulting in the Outstanding Delegation Award (the highest honor bestowed by the MUN program) 14 times since 2008.  Early on in his engagement with the MUN program, he directed the first-ever international MUN conference in Chinese history, held in Xi’an.  His fellow faculty member who nominated him spoke to the extraordinary impact he has had on the lives of the students who have passed through these programs under his leadership, observing that the “MUN, unlike any other program at CSUSB, really reaches across all disciplines and all demographics and educates and inspires students more deeply and uniquely than any other one program we have.” Additionally, Grisham has served as an advisor to students on their course and career paths, resulting in the Outstanding Faculty Advisor award in 2015-16. As the nominating committee concluded, “This award recognizes outstanding teachers who excel in the profession of teaching and who have a significant impact on the students with whom they interact.  Dr. Grisham is an excellent example of a faculty member who embodies those qualities.” Grisham was awarded a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from CSUSB and a master’s and Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Riverside. For an electronic image of Associate Professor Kevin Grisham and more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit inside.csusb.edu.Photos by Rodrigo Pena/CSUSB

Grisham’s Social Sciences 165 class on April 22 was interrupted by a delegation led by university President Tomás D. Morales along with 25 senior administrators and faculty members barging into his classroom to make the announcement.
“Kevin is indeed one of the most inspirational and successful educators in the classroom. Do you agree?” Morales asked Grisham’s students, who cheered and applauded their professor.
Grisham, an alumnus of CSUSB, began lecturing at CSUSB in 2008, was hired as an assistant professor in 2013 and became an associate professor three years later.