• About
    • Welcome From The President
    • Administration
    • Our Campuses
      • The Alpine Campus
      • The Del Rio Campus
      • The Eagle Pass Campus
      • The Uvalde Campus
      • Sul Ross @ Midland College
    • Campus Visit
    • Contact Us
  • Academics
    • Colleges
      • College of Agriculture, Life and Physical Sciences (ALPS)
      • College of Education and Professional Studies
      • College of Graduate Studies
      • College of Literature, Arts and Social Sciences (LASS)
      • Rio Grande College
      • Academic Affairs
    • Academic Calendar
    • Catalog
    • Graduate Programs
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Library
    • Research Centers and Institutes
    • Graduate Student Support Services
    • Law Enforcement Academy
  • Enrollment Services
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Bursar/Cashier’s Office
    • Financial Aid
    • Registrar
    • Scholarships
    • Student/Academic Advising
    • Testing Center
    • Veterans
  • Lobo Life
    • Students
      • Student Life and Portals
      • Residential Living
      • Dining Services
      • Career Services
      • Civic Engagement & Student Assistance
      • Counseling And Accessibility Services
      • Student Health Services (Nurse’s Office)
      • Student Organizations
      • SRSU Honors Program
      • Title IX
    • Faculty and Staff
      • Administrative Portals
      • Administrative Policy and Procedure Manual
      • Faculty Assembly (Alpine)
      • Faculty Senate (RGC)
      • Staff Council
      • Quality Enhancement Plan
      • Counseling And Accessibility Services
      • Physical Plant
      • Title IX
      • University Committees
  • Community
    • Alumni
    • Borderlands Research Institute
    • Meat Market
    • Museum of the Big Bend
  • Athletics
    • NCAA Athletics (Men’s and Women’s Sports)
    • NIRA Athletics (Rodeo)
    • Recreational Programs
  • News
    • Skyline (Student Publications)
  • Quick Links
    • Academic Calendar
    • Blackboard
    • Bookstore
    • Class Schedule
    • Directory
    • Email
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Lobo OnLine
    • Lobo Pass
    • LTAC (Tech Help Desk)
    • Title IX
    • University Police Department
  • Calendar
    • Giving
    • COVID 19
    • mySRSU
    SUL ROSS
    • About
      • Welcome From The President
      • Administration
      • Our Campuses
        • The Alpine Campus
        • The Del Rio Campus
        • The Eagle Pass Campus
        • The Uvalde Campus
        • Sul Ross @ Midland College
      • Campus Visit
      • Contact Us
    • Academics
      • Colleges
        • College of Agriculture, Life and Physical Sciences (ALPS)
        • College of Education and Professional Studies
        • College of Graduate Studies
        • College of Literature, Arts and Social Sciences (LASS)
        • Rio Grande College
        • Academic Affairs
      • Academic Calendar
      • Catalog
      • Graduate Programs
      • Undergraduate Programs
      • Library
      • Research Centers and Institutes
      • Graduate Student Support Services
      • Law Enforcement Academy
    • Enrollment Services
      • Undergraduate Admissions
      • Graduate Admissions
      • Bursar/Cashier’s Office
      • Financial Aid
      • Registrar
      • Scholarships
      • Student/Academic Advising
      • Testing Center
      • Veterans
    • Lobo Life
      • Students
        • Student Life and Portals
        • Residential Living
        • Dining Services
        • Career Services
        • Civic Engagement & Student Assistance
        • Counseling And Accessibility Services
        • Student Health Services (Nurse’s Office)
        • Student Organizations
        • SRSU Honors Program
        • Title IX
      • Faculty and Staff
        • Administrative Portals
        • Administrative Policy and Procedure Manual
        • Faculty Assembly (Alpine)
        • Faculty Senate (RGC)
        • Staff Council
        • Quality Enhancement Plan
        • Counseling And Accessibility Services
        • Physical Plant
        • Title IX
        • University Committees
    • Community
      • Alumni
      • Borderlands Research Institute
      • Meat Market
      • Museum of the Big Bend
    • Athletics
      • NCAA Athletics (Men’s and Women’s Sports)
      • NIRA Athletics (Rodeo)
      • Recreational Programs
    • News
      • Skyline (Student Publications)
    • Quick Links
      • Academic Calendar
      • Blackboard
      • Bookstore
      • Class Schedule
      • Directory
      • Email
      • Employment Opportunities
      • Lobo OnLine
      • Lobo Pass
      • LTAC (Tech Help Desk)
      • Title IX
      • University Police Department
    • Calendar

      Features

      • Home
      • News
      • NEWS AND FEATURES: Luna recipient of 2019 Outstanding Teaching Award
      • Categories Features,  News
      • Date September 25, 2019

      by Travis Hendryx, Office of Public Relations

      Dr. Ryan S. Luna’s impressive list of personal and program accomplishments now includes the 2019 Sul Ross State University Outstanding Teaching Award.

      Luna was honored with a plaque presentation ceremony and reception Wednesday at the Morgan University Center.

      The award is determined by a committee of university faculty, administration and students. Sul Ross President Bill Kibler made the presentation.

      “We have had teachers from Natural Resource Management who have received this award in the past,” said Dr. Luna. “So this is a real honor to follow in their footsteps and their examples.”

      It was those examples from his teaching peers, Luna said, that helped set the tone for his own career path in the classroom.

      “Coming on board with those folks, I was able to learn the ins and outs of what worked in a classroom and what didn’t,” he said. “They always had a great open-door policy so I was able to use that as a base and try some of those teaching methods on my own.”

      Luna added that intentional interaction and assisting students in taking ownership in their education is a key factor to student success.

      “As an educator, it’s important to be open with students’ feedback and engage them on a daily basis,” he said.

      Applied learning is also a major teaching element in Luna’s classrooms.

      “We take advantage of a lot of hands-on opportunities,” said Luna. “I was a hands-on learner so I try to incorporate those methods into my classes at some point in the semester.”

      “I think that helps students be able to put the ideas they learn in lecture into practice and conceptualize those ideas later on.”

      “Dr. Luna has served our University for a number of years with great distinction,” said Dr. Kibler. “He is an exceptional member of our faculty and many of our students have been positively influenced by his teaching and role-modeling.”

      Luna came to Sul Ross in 2013 as an Assistant Professor of Wildlife Management in the Department of Natural Resource Management. In 2017, he was appointed to the newly-created Kelly R. Thompson Professorship in Quail Research.

      Luna has also been a research scientist with the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI).

      Luna earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Texas Tech University before moving to New Mexico where he served as a game warden. He then returned to Texas to pursue his Master’s and PhD.

      He received his Master’s Degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio before completing his Doctorate at Texas State University.

      During his Master’s work, Luna performed behavioral assays for the University of Texas Health Science Center on Rhesus Macaque, a monkey species that inhabits Southeast Asia.

      While at Texas State, Luna was a Doctoral NSF Fellow working in a GK-12 program. When not in middle school classrooms sparking students’ interest in assignments, Luna worked on his dissertation focusing on body size and dietary nutrition of white-tailed deer.

      Previous recipients of the Outstanding Teaching Award since 1983 include: Metha Sprinkle (Education); Ernest Reesing (Range Animal Science); William L. Beatty (Business Administration); David L. Cockrum (Psychology); Jimmy D. Case (Political Science); Robie Golden (Mathematics); Bob Pannell (Education); Wayne Sheehan (History); Rex Wilson (Music); George Bradley (Communications and Theatre); Greg Schwab (Communications and Theatre); Daniel Vrudny (Industrial Technology); Keith West (Communications and Theatre); Ellen Boyd (Music); Abelardo Baeza (English and Spanish); Ray Beaulieu (Mathematics); Mark Saka (History); Patti Trietsch (Education); Jeff Pendergraft (Animal Science); Barbara Tyler (Education); Jesus Tafoya (Spanish); Dona Roman (Communication/Theatre); Sheehan; Martin Terry (Biology); Carol Fairlie (Art); Louis Harveson (Natural Resource Management); Sharon Hileman (Languages and Literature); Christopher Ritzi (Biology); Bonnie Warnock (Natural Resource Management); Amy Moreland (Political Science); Joseph Velasco (Communication); Robert Hunter (Criminal Justice); Christopher Estepp (Natural Resource Sciences); and Theron Francis (English).

      • Share:

      Previous News

      SRSU Psychology Department receives grant for student researchers
      January 24, 2023

      Photo streams & Albums

      • News Photostream
      • Sports Photostream
      • News Photo Albums
      • Sports Photo Albums

      Off-site Links

      • Athletics

      Weather Advisory

      SRSU in Alpine will have a delayed start tomorrow morning 2/2/2023.

      Offices will open at 10:00 A.M. and classes will begin at 11:00 A.M. Please use caution.

      Students on campus should take caution when walking across campus and use treated sidewalks whenever possible.

      logo-eduma-the-best-lms-wordpress-theme
      Alpine Campus
      East Highway 90
      Alpine, TX 79832
      Del Rio Campus
      205 Wildcat Drive
      Del Rio, TX 78840
      Eagle Pass Campus
      3107 Bob Rogers Drive
      Eagle Pass, TX 78852
      Uvalde Campus
      2623 Garner Field Road
      Uvalde, TX 78801
      Follow Us

      Administration

      • SRSU Administration

      Technology Resources

      • Support & Services

      Affiliates

      • Learning Network

      Campus Locations

      • Map & Information

      Required Links

      • Privacy & Security
      • Course, Cost & Faculty Info (HB 2504)
      • Open Records Act / Texas Public Information Act
      • Online Institutional Resume
      • Report Fraud & Abuse
      • Sexual Misconduct Resources
      • Mental Health Resources
      • State of Texas
      • The Texas State Auditor’s Office Hotline
      • Statewide Search
      • Compact with Texans
      • Texas Crews
      • Texas Veterans Portal
      • Homeland Security
      • THECB Student Complaint Process
      • SACSCOC Accreditation
      • Site Map

      member_texas

      Copyright © Sul Ross State University | All rights reserved | Proudly designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution since 1999.
      • APPLY
      • REQUEST INFORMATION
      • SCHEDULE A VISIT


      Quick Links

      Logins

      • My SRSU
      • Blackboard
      • LoboPass
      • Email

      Academics Schedule

      • Academic Calendar
      • Catalog
      • Class Schedule
      • Registrar

      Places & Department

      • Bookstore
      • Directory
      • Library
      • LTAC (Tech Help Desk)


      Quick Links

      Logins

      • My SRSU
      • Blackboard
      • LoboPass
      • Email

      Academics Schedule

      • Academic Calendar
      • Catalog
      • Class Schedule
      • Registrar

      Places & Department

      • Bookstore
      • Directory
      • Library
      • LTAC (Tech Help Desk)