As my brief bio in the “About me” section indicates, I have recently moved to MSU Denver. On this site, I’ll be blogging about my research, teaching, service and mentoring. But it is here where I want to emphasize one thing about MSU Denver: there truly are some world-class, internationally renowned faculty working for the betterment of our students and their own fields of interest. I am lucky to count myself among them and to have the chance to mentor excellent and motivated students coming from a variety of tremendously diverse backgrounds.
What prompted this initial post was a comment from a student today: “Why are you not at Boulder or DU?” My answer to this question was simply “because those places aren’t for me.” I care too much about helping students like me: first generation, without strong mentorship or direction and perhaps unaware of the many opportunities that lie beyond. I took a somewhat windy path in my education, and I’m better for it, but not everyone is as stubborn as I was (am?). I succeeded for a variety of reasons, but my main goal in teaching is to help others get to their finish line faster. I could apply to teach at a university with a lower teaching load. I could also be a lot richer working in finance or something more lucrative than teaching, but I wouldn’t have any sense of fulfillment.
MSU Denver is a place that reflects my own ethos and supports me in helping students as much as it supports students who need the help. What I want every person reading this entry to take away is that MSU Denver isn’t a place with a ‘big name.’ It’s a place with a big heart. Yes, there are places where maybe I could focus my energy differently, but my soul would not feel right. MSU Denver is a place where nearly everyone who applies is accepted, because the university believes that everyone deserves a chance to thrive. Yes, my degree and experiences says I’m a researcher, but my experience has taught me to be a mentor and MSU Denver is where I can allow both aspects of my professorial persona to prosper. As I’ve always said, my teaching informs my research and my research informs my teaching. And it is at MSU Denver where this reciprocal relationship between the two can flourish.