After graduating from high school in 1967 in a small, rural town in southwest Minnesota, I decided to attend trade school. I wanted to build drag racers with my uncle and open a speed shop. We even had a sign made for the shop. My mother, however, was of a different opinion and she convinced me to go to college so I could make more money to buy speed parts for my racing cars. Money sounded good, so off to college I went as a Mechanical Engineering major. As do most students, I went to college to get a degree to make money. Little did I know what was to become of me.
I attend Southwest State University in Marshall, Minnesota, from 1967 to 1972, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Anthropology. Actually, I had declared a number of majors, but this was ultimately the one that stuck. I had never heard of sociology before I went to college, but the first course I took, Social Problems, hooked me for good. I decided not only to major in Sociology and Anthropology but to pursue graduate study, as well.
I went to Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, which I attended from 1972 to 1974, earning my Master’s Degree in Sociology. It was at CMU that my interests in sociological methodology, social inequality and social theory rally blossomed – they are still at the core of my interest in sociology. Since I had by then decided I wanted to teach at the university level, I needed to get a doctoral degree. Once again, I was off to graduate school.
I attended Purdue University from 1974 to 1977. I honed my writing and research skills and did an amazing amount of reading in social theory and social philosophy. Many people I talked to over the years look back on their time in graduate school as a bad experience. My story was just the opposite. I loved the intellectual challenge and stimulation I experienced in graduate school, even though it was a time of great economic difficulty for me and my family.
I was completely irresponsible as a high-school student, but I did well in both undergraduate and graduate school. I credit my mother, who taught me to read and do arithmetic when I was three, my teachers who tolerated and encouraged me every step of the way, and my wife and children (two sons) who not only put up with the craziness and privation of graduate school existence but helped me learn how to become a human being.
I became a member of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Sociology Department in January of 1979. Though I was hesitant to leave New England – I was teaching at Saint Anselm’s College in Manchester, New Hampshire – coming to Oshkosh was the best move ever made. It was here that I really learned the crafts of teaching and of being a professional sociologist – at least insofar as I have learned either.
I earned both tenure and promotion through the ranks to Full Professor – which essentially means I am eligible for every committee on campus. I served as Director of the University Learning Community for twelve years and Director of the University Honors Program for six years. My participation in these programs reflected my interest in teaching and my belief in the importance of a high-quality undergraduate education for UW Oshkosh students. However, as much as I enjoyed working with these programs, they required that I do a lot of administrative work rather than classroom teaching – which is what I love most.
Now I am very happy to say that for several years I have been teaching full-time in the Department of Sociology. I enjoy this much more than administrative work. I teach Introduction to Sociology (SOC 101) every semester, often in large lecture sections. I also teach Social Research (SOC 381) every semester and Classical Sociological Theory (SOC 303) each year in the Fall semester. Recently, I have been teaching Minority Groups (359) in the Spring semester.
These courses reflect my abiding interest in introducing students to the sociological perspective and teaching the intellectual skills essential to that perspective. The courses I teach also reflect my continuing interest in methodology, theory and inequality. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to walk into a classroom of students who are taking a sociology class. It is one of the most privileged and pleasant experiences of my life. I hope it shows.