WSU professor honored for positive impacts on campus, community
OGDEN, Utah — A long-time sociology professor at Weber State University is being recognized for inspiring her students through focused efforts on community engaged learning, undergraduate research and sustainability projects.
Carla Trentelman will receive the 2024 John A. Lindquist Award presented by the Center for Community Engaged Learning during CCELebration, an annual banquet that celebrates the life-changing work of campus and community partners.
This year’s banquet will be held at noon April 4 in the Shepherd Union Ballrooms at the WSU Ogden campus.
CCEL has also selected Steffine Amodt to receive the Ivory Prize, which recognizes excellence in leadership and community engagement.
Lindquist Award
For nearly 20 years at Weber State, Trentelman’s innovative teaching, research and service leadership have impacted the lives of students, faculty and staff, resulting in positive changes to the local community.
Trentelman’s extensive body of work started as a student at Weber State College in 1979, where she served with a Volunteers in Service to America program, better known as VISTA. Following graduate school, she returned to Weber State in 2005 as an adjunct professor, where she employed community-based research pedagogy in a research methods class for the first time. When she moved to a tenure track, she began work with the Community Involvement Center, which later became CCEL.
She has since taught over 55 classes using community engaged learning and three courses using community-based research, working with numerous organizations and developing close relationships with Catholic Community Services, Weber Housing Authority and Ogden School District.
Trentelman has used her expertise to assist with challenges facing the Ogden School District, served as a faculty researcher for the Ogden United Promise Neighborhoods project at United Way of Northern Utah, chaired the post-secondary education committee of the Ogden Civic Action Network, and conducted research on water conservation at Weber State that resulted in the creation of the Water Conservation Coordinator position. Since 2015, she has served regularly in the food pantry of Catholic Community Services.
Ivory Award
Steffine Amodt brings deep compassion and empathy to her work in the local community. As a social work undergraduate student at Weber State, she has focused on working with people who are unsheltered, particularly those affected by substance use disorders.
Amodt learned about policymaking from Utah State Rep. Steve Eliason through her legislative internship via the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service. Subsequently, she helped draft and advocate for what became known as the Code Blue policy, which allowed for zoning laws to be temporarily suspended when temperatures drop below a certain point, thus allowing for additional shelter when conditions are potentially deadly.
She has engaged in advocacy with the national ONE Campaign, which aims to end global poverty, and helped resuscitate the ONE chapter at WSU. She provided exceptional leadership and consultation to the Weber State Social Work Club and also interned with Utah Harm Reduction Coalition, where she aided in its mission to reduce health and social harms associated with substance abuse.
WSU colleagues said Amodt demonstrates unflinching dedication to meeting people and organizations where they are, and possesses a keen ability to influence social change in her communities.
More information on the Lindquist and Ivory awards is available on the CCEL website.
Marketing & Communications staff
- Contact:
Bryan Magaña, public relations director
801-626-7948, bryanmagana@weber.edu