My roots with Michigan State University go really deep.

I've got two degrees here.

Met my wife here.

Both my kids went to school here for their undergraduate degrees.

It is kind of a home away from home Fieldwork is part of my identity.

That's why I got into this field is to study wildlife.

I have at least two components of my position.

I have my professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, where I teach undergraduate courses and working with graduate students, who are the next generation of wildlife biologist.

My other position as an associate dean in the graduate school working with graduate education topics related to professional development How do plants respond to their environment s. Really what teaching and learning should be.

is student centered, cooperative, engaging in the material.

A big turning point in my career was being involved in the Lilly teaching program the goal of it was to focus on relatively early career faculty So ultimately they become, you know, champions and leaders in teaching and learning at Michigan State University.

I finished it and my thought was I wish I would have had something like this as a graduate student.

So I kind of repackaged everything, and taught one credit department seminar, you know, in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife to grad students.

What Id like you to do is write the research question That youre working on for your dissertation.

That program ultimately became the Fast Fellowship Program, the future academic scholars in teaching program, that's now in its 17th or 18th year.

The goal of the Fast Fellowship program is really aimed at preparing the next generation of future faculty.

Thats a good part of that third objective, Its just a matter of if you want to kind of elevate it into your question.

one of the things that I really enjoy about being a professor is to see students succeed.

Having good mentors, has been instrumental to my career and I think I need to pay it forward.

One of the things that I always value about MSU is the commitment people make to the university, and to the students.

There are really smart, talented, professors at MSU now and certainly throughout the 30 some odd years I've been here.

To be named a University Distinguished Professor is extremely humbling.