2026 President's Award for Teaching Excellence
Schannae Lucas, PhD
Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Chair, Criminology and Criminal Justice Department
BS, University of California, Irvine
MA, PhD, Washington State University
Schannae Lucas is this year’s recipient of the 2026 President’s Award for Teaching Excellence. This award was created in 1995 to recognize professors who are held in high esteem by their peers, students and the rest of the university community.
A tenured professor and chair of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, Lucas received her MA and PhD in criminology and criminal justice from Washington State University and her BS in social science from the University of California, Irvine. She is recognized for creating educational experiences that connect academic study with direct engagement in the criminal justice system.
In her Introduction to Criminal Justice course, students visit the Ventura County jail and meet with law enforcement officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys and community advocates, allowing them to engage with the people who work within the justice system.
Her Corrections course brings students into state correctional facilities, where they connect criminological theory with lived experience. Through her Family Violence course, students participate in a service-learning partnership with the Coalition for Family Harmony, exploring the relationship between academic inquiry, compassion and human dignity.
She also established the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, the first of its kind in Ventura County. The program brings incarcerated students and California Lutheran University students together in the same classroom, where they learn alongside one another as peers and engage in thoughtful dialogue across different life experiences.
Lucas’ teaching exemplifies the values of a Lutheran liberal arts education by integrating intellectual rigor with ethical reflection and compassionate engagement. She inspires students to wrestle with complex societal issues, develop informed perspectives and pursue lives of purpose and service. For her visionary leadership, unwavering commitment to student learning and dedication to the university’s mission, she is a most deserving recipient of the 2026 President’s Award for Teaching Excellence.