Janelle Gilbert, an associate professor of psychology at Cal State San Bernardino, was in the middle of her organizational development lecture on Monday morning, Nov. 26, when the classroom door opened and in entered university President Tomás Morales.

Accompanied by a slew of faculty, administrators, students and staff that filled the small classroom and outer entrance, Morales was there to congratulate Gilbert on winning Cal State San Bernardino’s 2012-2013 Golden Apple Award for excellence in teaching.

“We’re here to recognize her (Gilbert),” Morales said. “This is kind of a tradition at CSUSB, an ‘ambush,’ because Janelle is one of our truly outstanding teachers, scholars and university citizens, we’re here to recognize her.”

The president was continuing a tradition started by his predecessor, Albert Karnig, in surprising Golden Apple recipients with the award during their classes so that the winner’s students could also share in the honor.

Morales thanked the students in the class and those who had come for the ambush for their written evaluations and nominations praising Gilbert. “It’s because of you and other students before you who have written to us about her.”

She’s an innovator in her traditional classroom lecture, but also in her online distance learning teaching, Morales said. “She’s an incredible citizen who has served on countless committees – 54 master’s theses. That’s an incredible, incredible service to her students.”

Andy Bodman, the university’s provost and chief academic officer joked that “one of the lovely things about this (the ambush) is that it leaves the most articulate instructors speechless and weak-kneed.”

In seriousness, Bodman said the Golden Apple was truly right for Gilbert as an example of the quality of the university’s faculty and for her excellence in working with students.

Gilbert, who looked stunned, thanked the president.

“Wow. I can talk to them (her students) for four hours and they can attest that I go over that and know I’m a little lost for words,” Gilbert said. “I’m truly humbled by this. Thank you.”

The Golden Apple is one of the two major university faculty awards given each year. The other honor, the Outstanding Professor Award, will be announced in the 2013 winter quarter.

Gilbert, who has taught at CSUSB since 1994, “has made a significant contribution in terms of instruction and service to students at our university.

Her service, professional scholarship, and especially teaching is outstanding,” wrote Stephen G. Tibbetts, a criminal justice professor and the previous Golden Apple winner who chaired the Golden Apple Award Selection Committee.

Gilbert has taught well more than a dozen different courses ranging from entry-level freshman courses to the most advanced graduate courses, Tibbetts wrote. She also recently developed online course versions some of entry-level and mid-level psychology courses. One of her online classes led her to winning an Outstanding Originator in Distance Learning Award from the university’s Office of Distance Learning. Tibbetts said that Gilbert is constantly incorporating innovative tools such as voice threads and student clickers into her classroom instruction.

Gilbert also supervises the psychology department’s master’s graduate thesis program and has chaired 54 master’s theses committees. “This is an extraordinary accomplishment, especially given the time and effort that goes into supervising graduate students’ theses,” Tibbetts wrote.

In addition, she has served as a committee member on many other master’s theses committees, as well as mentoring more than a dozen undergraduate honor students on directed independent study projects.

Gilbert has published many scientific articles during her tenure at CSUSB, in journals such as “Leadership Quarterly and Personnel Psychology” and she has presented numerous papers at various conferences, including many with students.

Her primary research area is in industrial/organizational psychology, but the many presentations and attendance at numerous professional workshops and conventions show her more eclectic range of scholarly pursuits.

Gilbert will serve as director of the MS Industrial/Organizational Program for Psychology for the next two years.

Gilbert earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from New York University and master’s and doctorate degrees from George Mason University.