Rate My Professor Tobias Avalos

Tobias R. Avalos serves as Associate Professor of Anthropology and Department Chair of Social Sciences at Centralia College, a position he has held since 2017. He earned an A.A. from Truckee Meadows Community College, a B.A. from the University of Nevada, an M.A. from New Mexico State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. Avalos has transformed the anthropology program at Centralia College by expanding it to include dedicated courses in cultural, biological, material, and linguistic anthropology, fostering a holistic curriculum that bridges social and natural sciences. This initiative supports the Associate in Arts Degree in Anthropology and prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions. Under his leadership, anthropology courses maintain a 95.6% pass rate and an average GPA of 3.18. He has updated course outlines to align with college learning outcomes, incorporated diversity distribution requirements, standardized assessment rubrics for consistency across instructors, and explored online course delivery and Universal Design for Learning compliance.

Avalos's scholarly contributions include research in paleoanthropology and taphonomy, reflected in his co-authorship of 'Extreme modification of teeth and bones by porcupines (Hystrix cf. H. kiangsenensis and Atherurus macrourus), Lang Trang Cave Complex, northern Vietnam' published in Quaternary Research. He also authored 'The Black Gunners of Formosa' in the International Journal of Military History and Historiography. Avalos secured a $27,000 IDEAS grant from the U.S. Department of State in 2021 to develop a six-week study abroad program in Taiwan, partnering with Chinese Culture University, where students earn 15 credits in Chinese language, history, culture, and ethnographic survey. He received a foundation grant for acquiring a stone tool collection to support the biological anthropology laboratory. Avalos has presented on introducing a modern holistic anthropology program and continues to enhance student success through refined assessment practices and reduced attrition rates.