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Teaching Fellows Program
The Teaching Fellows Program at the Center of Southwest Studies supports innovative, object-based curricular initiatives that deepen student learning and expand meaningful engagement with the Center’s collections.
As an academic museum, archives, and special collections library, the Center is uniquely positioned to support experiential learning across disciplines. Through the Teaching Fellows Program, faculty, staff, and regional educators collaborate with Center professionals to integrate museum objects, archival materials, and library resources into their courses in dynamic and impactful ways.
Rooted in Fort Lewis College’s commitment to Students at the Center, the program promotes active learning, critical inquiry, and dialogue through direct engagement with material culture. Object-based learning encourages students to discover, analyze, research, and interpret primary sources, making complex concepts more accessible while cultivating analytical skills and cultural understanding.
This program was made possible through the generous support of Dr. Henry Hooper.
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Apply for a Fellowship
Applications are now open for the 2026–27 Teaching Fellows Program. The fellowship supports educators in developing object-based assignments that engage the Center’s museum, archival, and library collections. The Fellowship is open to Fort Lewis College faculty and staff, educators across the Four Corners region, teachers at all grade levels, and collaborative teaching teams.
View Application Information and Apply
Current and Prior Teaching Fellows
The Teaching Fellows Program has supported educators across disciplines in developing innovative, collection-centered assignments and course experiences.
2025–26 Teaching Fellows
Betty Dorr, Ph.D. (Psychology, Fort Lewis College)
Developed object-based assignments for PSYC 330: Animal Behavior using Center collections to explore relationships between animals, cultural representation, and scientific perspectives across historical and contemporary sources.
Corey McCullough, Ph.D. (English, Fort Lewis College)
Expanded archival research integration in COMP 350: Rhetoric of Knowledge, guiding students in rhetorical analysis of primary sources from the Center’s collections.
Shaina Nez, Ph.D. (Native American & Indigenous Studies, Fort Lewis College)
Integrated Center exhibitions into NAIS 117: Diné Poetics, culminating in a public student reading of original creative works inspired by objects in the Center’s current exhibitions.
2024–25 Teaching Fellows
Marnie Clay, M.S. & RDN (Health and Human Performance, Fort Lewis College)
Developed an object-based assignment for HS 210: Nutrition and Culture using Center collections to explore connections between food culture, nutrition, and health.
Izzy Lamb, Ph.D. (Chemistry and Biochemistry, Fort Lewis College)
Integrated Center textiles into CHEM 365 Analytical Chemistry, where students analyzed and replicated historical natural dyes through spectroscopic and chemical research.
2023–24 Teaching Fellows
Paige Belinte, M.Ed. (Educator and Native American Advisor, Farmington, NM)
Designed a middle-school curriculum introducing students to Diné weaving traditions through Center collections, emphasizing cultural, spiritual, and artistic practices.
Candace Nadon, Ph.D. (English and Honors Program, Fort Lewis College)
Incorporated object-based learning into HON 210: Landscapes of Learning and HON 100: Introduction to Honors, using Center collections to explore place, identity, and community.