November 13, 2026
Elliott Associate Professor of Rhetoric Sean Gleason received the 2026 Harris Award for Excellence in Instructional Technology at the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) Harris Family Faculty Awards Luncheon on November 4.
The Harris Family Faculty Awards, established through endowments by the family of H. Hiter Harris III ’83, recognize VFIC faculty members who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to excellence in undergraduate liberal arts and sciences education. Award recipients also receive a stipend to support their scholarly research and professional development.
“It’s always an honor to receive an award on behalf of the College,” Dr. Gleason says. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had at Hampden-Sydney to teach courses that blend local knowledge of landscapes with emerging technologies, such as drones, to collaboratively address community challenges in rural areas like western Alaska. The challenges I focus on—notably disaster response, search and rescue, and landscape analysis—require collaborative solutions that bring together computational approaches and traditional knowledge. I’m fortunate to work at an institution that allows me to pursue these projects while providing strong support for undergraduate research and mentorship.”
In addition to serving as a professor of rhetoric at Hampden-Sydney, Dr. Gleason is the head of research and development at Nalaquq, an Indigenous-owned technology startup specializing in remote sensing, GIS, and community-based collaboration. His teaching bridges liberal arts and emerging technologies, engaging undergraduates in digital mapping, artificial intelligence, and community-based research.
Working alongside Yup’ik partners in southwest Alaska, he integrates Indigenous knowledge with remote sensing to support cultural heritage preservation, environmental monitoring, and search and rescue efforts. His students contribute to a range of projects, from developing virtual museum collections to creating tools that help researchers understand the changing Arctic landscape.
Dr. Gleason joins Michael Wolyniak, Erin Clabough, Alex Werth, Helena von Rueden, Scott Sarr, and Jacob Euteneuer in the list of Hampden-Sydney Harris Award winners.
Read more news stories about Dr. Gleason’s work: "Preserving Culture with Technology," and "Climate Change Research in Quinhagak, Alaska"