Alan Llavore | Office of Marketing and Communications | (909) 537-5007 | allavore@csusb.edu
One of the hallmarks of the surprise announcements of the academic year’s top faculty at Cal State San Bernardino is the genuine gratitude displayed by the award recipients. That was certainly true when a group of administrators, faculty and staff walked into a lecture hall early Monday morning to announce that Lúa López-Perez, assistant professor of biology, is the 2024-25 recipient of the university’s Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award.
After the formal announcement and statements of congratulations, López, eyes wide with surprise, said, “Wow. I did not expect this … This couldn’t be more special. I’m so thankful to all of you who are here.”
A handful of people were already in the James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education lecture hall waiting for the College of Education’s annual Scherba Lecture to begin when Kelly Campbell, vice provost for Academic Programs and university co-chief diversity officer, led the group to the front of the room where López- Perez stood, chatting with a group that included guest speaker Kathleen Grogan from the University of Cincinnati, who, as it turned out, is López-Perez’s best friend (more on that later).
“Anybody who knows Lua, it's an understatement to say that Lua is full of energy, passionate about our students, active on the Faculty Senate, and a terrific human being who values diversity and works to enhance a sense of belonging and harmony,” said Sastry Pantula, dean of the College of Natural Sciences. “She is a champion also for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) women in our college. She puts our students’ success as the number one priority.”
The award includes a one year’s membership in the National Academic Advisors Association, covered by the office of Academic Success and Undergraduate Advising; being CSUSB’s nominee for national recognition by NACADA; $500 in travel funds; a one-year designated parking spot; and the addition of the awardee’s name to the CSUSB Outstanding Faculty Advisor Honor Plaque in University Hall, Room 397.
López-Perez, who began teaching at CSUSB in 2020, has a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and master of science and Ph.D. in biology from the University of A Coruña in Spain.
“Lua's selection for this award was based on evidence of effective advising qualities and practices that distinguished her as an Outstanding Academic Advisor,” Campbell said, reading from the nomination letter. “Lua has been very active in advising at all levels, including research and thesis advisor to the undergraduate and graduate students in her laboratory, academic advising for our general student community and incoming students, and even advising for potential students. Lua leads the Upward Bound weekend activities for high school students focusing on plant biology. She dedicates time talking with students about her own academic journey and those of her colleagues, showing students different pathways to college and to becoming a biologist, and offering herself as a connection at CSUSB to these prospective students.”
And there is her work with current students at CSUSB. “Students have cited her welcoming and inclusive nature for their reasons to see her for advising, including her faculty website that stresses her commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Campbell said. “Her impact and effectiveness as an advisor are enhanced by her ability to foster an environment of respect, comfort and trust with her advisees.”
Daniel Nickerson, a colleague and associate professor of biology who was the 2018-19 recipient of the award, nominated López-Perez. With his office next door to hers, he said he has first-hand knowledge of her interaction with students.
“If you actually could see what happens at Lua's office on a daily basis, you would see our students voting with their feet, sometimes, to Lua’s great inconvenience,” he said. “It is one of the criteria for the award to put students first. And Lua’s open-door policy, I think creates problems for her actually getting the multiplicity of things done that she needs to get done. But when students show up, she will put away whatever it was she was working on and give them her full understanding, undivided attention. And so many students have told me that meeting Lua, and knowing Lua, was their first experience with a faculty member where they felt like they had found a mentor and a role model.”
That López-Perez prioritizes students was also echoed in their comments that Campbell shared during the announcement. Reading quotes from students, Campbell said, “She has provided opportunity after opportunity to allow me to thrive within biology. Another stated, while some professors may think that mentorship is confined to the students in your own classes or lab, Dr. Lua Lopez-Perez shows that this is not the case. Dr. Lopez took me on as a mentee with no obligations. I was not her student, but she has a passion for student success. And finally another stated, it was under her guidance and mentorship that I was able to present my research at California State University's 35th Annual Student Research Competition and even present my early findings at The California Botanical Society's 28th Annual Graduate Student Symposium.”
When it came time for López-Perez to speak, and as she appeared to search for words, the Scherba Lecture speaker Kathleen Grogan reached out to her with a hug. The two best friends, Grogan said, talk daily, leaving messages of encouragement for each other. López-Perez, she said, “is unafraid and unapologetic, literally. What you may or may not know about her is that this is a woman who would literally put her job on the line for things that are important to her, for students that are important to her, for causes that are important to her.”
Still hugging López-Perez, she said, “I do not literally know anyone who deserves this award more than you. OK, now you can go back to talking.”
López-Perez responded, “Thank you. It's not easy to, like, you know, just completely change your life. Move to the other side of the world, start over from zero. And things right now are not super welcoming for many of us. And seeing this, just really, really, it's amazing. Just … Thank you. I'm going to stop talking and cry.”
And those in the room applauded her.
The members of the 2024-25 Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award (OFAA) Selection Committee include co-chair Eduardo Mendoza (Academic Advising), co-chair Sara DeMoss (Peer Advising), Ellie Gault (Academic Advising), Andrew Castillo (Academic Advising), OFAA Winner Dr. Sharon Pierce (Public Administration, 2023), OFAA Winner Dr. Julie Taylor (Communication and Media, 2024) and Stephanie Juarez (Peer Advising Student).
The award is normally announced by university President Tomás D. Morales, but because he was traveling, he was unable to be present on April 28.
