08 May, 2026
The Colorado State University Office of the Provost and the Institute for Shipboard Education have announced the academic deans, global teaching scholars and voyage leadership for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 Semester at Sea voyages.
Semester at Sea sails in the fall and spring semesters, offering a unique living and learning community through which students visit 10 or more countries spanning three to four continents. Semester at Sea has 73,000 alumni from 1,700 institutions, and since June 2016, CSU has been the academic partner and headquarters for the Semester at Sea program.
“Semester at Sea is a transforming experience for students thanks in large part to the remarkable teaching scholars and administrators from CSU who serve on voyages,” said Lise Youngblade, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. “In addition to my gratitude to these individuals for stepping into such integral roles, I’m excited for their opportunity to experience and learn alongside students on the months-long, multinational voyages.”
Leadership of the academic mission
The academic dean on a Semester at Sea voyage is pivotal in supporting students, faculty and the overall academic mission of the voyage. The Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 academic deans are:
- Ellie Moseman, professor and former department chair of Art and Art History, and
- Barry Braun, professor and former department chair of Health and Exercise Science.
Semester at Sea also extends its gratitude to Bob Kling, academic dean for the Spring 2026 voyage, who stepped in to serve as this voyage’s dean when the need unexpectedly arose. Kling is a retired professor and former SAS senior academic officer, and he has remained engaged with CSU and SAS for more than 25 years.
“Ellie, Barry, Bob and each of the exceptional CSU community members appointed to voyage leadership roles are extraordinary ambassadors, strengthening our university and, with Ram pride, shaping the world through the lives they touch around the globe,” said Fabiola Ehlers-Zavala, ISE’s Senior Academic Officer and a professor of English at CSU. “They lead with distinction and exemplify excellence in action, with far-reaching impact shaping a more interconnected world through transformative experiential learning across countries and cultures.”
Foundations of the living, learning community
The Loren W. Crabtree Global Teaching Scholars embrace and exemplify the voyage community values and teach three courses each on the voyage. The global teaching scholars for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 voyages are:
- Todd Gaines, professor of agricultural biology, College of Agricultural Sciences;
- Elizabeth Sink, faculty in the University Honors Program and Lead for CSU’s Multifaith and Belief initiatives;
- Philip Tsang, associate professor of English, College of Liberal Arts;
- Bert Vermeulen, instructor in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering;
- Tanya Dewey, associate professor of biology and associate chair of undergraduate studies in the College of Natural Sciences;
- Patrick Mahoney, associate teaching professor of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts;
- Andrea Purdy, teaching professor of Spanish and undergraduate coordinator in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (soon to be Department of Languages and Global Studies); and
- Sasha Steensen, professor of English.
“I am simply delighted to work with the outstanding professors who have been selected as the CSU Global Teaching Scholars for the upcoming voyages,” Ehlers-Zavala said. “Each of them will represent CSU academics with the utmost distinction and will teach learners with the most caring approach conducive to both student and academic success. As their CSU colleague, I know they each will contribute to building an incredibly supportive living and learning community.”
Open applications for Fall 2027 GTS
In April, CSU and ISE announced a call for applications for global teaching scholars on the Fall 2027 voyage. GTS positions are open to CSU faculty, tenure-track and non-tenure-track, and faculty members on continuing or contract appointments that run through 2028. Applicants must hold a master’s degree and 10 years of successful teaching experience; preferred qualification is a Ph.D. or terminal degree in the field.
The deadline to apply for a Fall 2027 GTS position is May 26, 2026. More information is available on the GTS application instructions and under the Semester at Sea section of the Provost’s Office website. Ehlers-Zavala is the point of contact for questions, at fehlers-zavala@isevoyages.org.
Fall 2026 voyage leadership
Academic Dean
Ellie Moseman
Ellie Moseman has taught Art History at CSU for the past 20 years, and from 2020-25 she served as department chair for Art and Art History.
As a teacher and administrator, student success is her north star. While serving as chair, she led a diverse team of educators and students through the pandemic and helped the department emerge with increased enrollment and stronger retention by supporting inclusive pedagogy and access for all students, expanding faculty mentorship, steering equitable scholarship selection practices and increasing funding for student support.
She aspires to help every member of the shipboard community experience the transformative impact of Semester at Sea’s global comparative approach to immersive learning.
Global Teaching Scholars from CSU
Todd Gaines
Department of Agricultural Biology
Elizabeth Sink
University Honors Program
Philip Tsang
Department of English
Bert Vermeulen
Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering
Additional voyage leadership from CSU
Lindsay Mason
Dean of Students
Evan Welch
Assistant Dean of Students
Rosanna Bateman
Academic Advisor/Registrar
Jen Cooper-Miller
Counselor
Lisa Fyffe
Faculty in Occupational Therapy
Spring 2027 voyage leadership
Academic Dean
Barry Braun
Barry Braun joined CSU in 2014 as a professor and head of the Department of Health and Exercise Science.
He relishes helping students realize and reach for their full potential. One of the most rewarding aspects of his career has been the opportunity to be a mentor, guide, sounding board, the voice of rationality at times and the voice of wild exuberance at others. His favorite part of being department head was getting to experience those same opportunities with faculty and staff as well. He strives to create a culture in which people matter more than metrics, and everyone works toward greatness but not at the cost of stepping on, or over, others.
He is “wildly excited” to serve as the academic dean on Semester at Sea.
Global Teaching Scholars from CSU
Tanya Dewey
Department of Biology
Patrick Mahoney
Department of Sociology
Andrea Purdy
Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (soon to be Department of Languages and Global Studies)
Sasha Steensen
Department of English
Additional voyage leadership from CSU
Ben Schrader
Dean of Students
Carol Larson (CSU Pueblo)
Academic Advisor/Registrar
