Congratulations to Professor of Sociology, Charles Dickinson, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Faculty of Distinction for May 2022. Faculty at the College since the doors opened to students in 2009, Dickinson’s courses have included Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Ethnic Studies, Sociological Research, and more.
“In the past 20 years, I have taught over 8,000 students,” he said. “I teach as a way to pay forward all the support and mentoring I received as a student, to help make the world a better place, magnify a positive impact on society, and empower students as citizens, as workers, and as human beings.”
Dickinson loves the work faculty at CWI do to nurture students in helping them build confidence, skills, and opportunities for the future.
“CWI empowers students to grow to their potential. We provide students tools to build their own path. Because of CWI, more students have access to higher education in the Treasure Valley. Because of CWI, thousands of lives have been improved.”
As a professor, he sparks a passion for learning with students in the classroom.
“I found his class to be very important,” said one of his students, “I think everyone should be required to take sociology at some point. It isn't just crucial to learn about sociology for one’s degree, but for life in general.”
Dickinson keeps active at the College participating in Faculty Senate and serving on the Inclusive Excellence Committee. In 2021, he was named one of the Idaho GEM Innovative Educators of the Year.
Dickinson was born and spent his childhood in a small town in western Oregon and came to the Treasure Valley as a teenager. After graduating from Nampa High School in 1985, he spent several years working in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington before attending Boise State University (BSU), graduating with a BS in sociology from BSU in 1993, and he completed a masters from Idaho State University in 2002.
He and his wife of 23 years have two children, and they enjoy traveling on family trips to the beach. He said, “My favorite is the beach – whether it is cold water of home on the Oregon Coast or the warm water beaches of Florida, I just love the beach.”
