Annie Wagganer Delivers 51st Underwood Memorial Lecture
August 25, 2026
Posted by STLCC in News Resources
Annie Wagganer, MA, assistant professor of sociology at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, delivered the 51st Annual David L. Underwood Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Terry M. Fischer Theatre.
Wagganer, the 2026 David L. Underwood Memorial Lecture Award recipient, presented “I’m Out of Shape, But So What? (And Other Sociological Questions),” inviting attendees to consider how a sociological perspective can begin with one small shift in thinking.
The Underwood Memorial Lecture Award is one of the highest faculty honors at STLCC-Florissant Valley. Recipients are selected by a committee of their peers and demonstrate excellence in instruction and a genuine, humanistic concern for students, faculty, staff and education. The award honors David L. Underwood, who was known for his love of education, dedication to students and staff, and service to the educational mission at STLCC.
“Annie Wagganer exhibits all of these criteria and more,” said Emily Lasek, MA, LPC, professor of psychology and the 2025 David L. Underwood Memorial Lecture Award recipient. “We’ve seen her living this on our campus.”
Rather than attempting to describe the full scope of sociology in one lecture, Wagganer explained her hope was to “tip the domino”— to offer enough insight that audience members might begin to see themselves, others and institutional systems differently.
In her lecture, Wagganer emphasized that theory taught in the classroom is not separate from what happens beyond those walls. Theory, she said, shapes the questions people ask, the answers they find and the ways they interact with others.
Her lecture also called on the audience to examine cultural assumptions, biases and institutional norms that can become invisible until questioned.
“You can only give yourself a chance if you give yourself space to interrupt your own thinking,” Wagganer said.
That pause, she suggested, helps people recognize the forces shaping their assumptions and responses. It also allows them to consider the systems that influence opportunity, behavior and belonging.
By recognizing those forces, Wagganer encouraged the College community to challenge assumptions and help create systems that protect and benefit the most vulnerable.
Wagganer also reflected on the importance of her students, colleagues and mentors at STLCC. “I am deeply thankful for all of my sociology students and my colleagues and mentors at STLCC,” Wagganer said. “Thank you to the folks that really make the magic happen.”
Wagganer joined STLCC in 2016. In addition to her faculty role, she currently serves as interim dean of the School of Education, Public Service and Social Sciences.
