Why did you choose to attend Dickinson State University (DSU)?
I moved to Dickinson in the spring of 2000. I had been hired as the morning DJ for 92.1 FM (My radio name was Chris McCade). I decided to go back to school in the spring of 2001 and DSU was local and allowed me to keep my radio job.
In what year did you graduate and what degree(s) did you earn?
I graduated in the spring of 2006 with a double major: a bachelor of arts in political science and history and a minor in sociology.
Was there a certain professor who made a big impact on your life?
Several professors were instrumental in my college career. Keith Fernsler, Michael J.C. Taylor, and David Meier were some of my favorites. Rich Medlar was probably the most important teacher I’ve ever had. I had failed out of college the first time I went and when I started up at DSU, I had a lot of internal doubt about my abilities to succeed in higher ed. Rich instilled a lot of confidence in me. After my first night class with him, my GPA shot up. I give him a lot of credit for my growth in college. His wife Deborah was also a wonderful professor who had a tremendous impact on my college career.
What is a favorite memory you have of your time as an undergrad?
Definitely the summer of 2004 when I interned for Senator Byron Dorgan in Washington D.C. I took intern credits through DSU and wrote a weekly journal entry about my experiences. It’s fun to look back over them. I learned a lot working in the United States Senate, including my eventual decision to switch from political science to sociology in graduate school.
What are you most proud of when you look back at your time at DSU?
I loved being the president of the college democrat group. I was proud to be nominated as an outstanding senior for the social science department. I was also proud to be selected to present a paper at the Midwest Historical Society meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. More than anything, I was really proud to be the first recipient of the Deborah Medlar Scholarship. She has had a profound impact on me. She used to bring colored sidewalk chalk to class for me to give to my young son at the time.
What was the most difficult thing for you as an undergraduate, and how did you overcome it?
It was hard getting past the self-doubt that I learned in high school. Additionally, I worked nearly full time and had a young son. I was really busy in college. I didn’t get to do the traditional things like live in the dorms and go to football games. But I did learn to work really, really hard.
What did you enjoy most about being a Blue Hawk?
I just really loved DSU. I loved how small it was. I went to UND briefly during my collegiate career and came back to DSU after one semester. It just fit better. I also loved playing in a rock band all through college. Two of my bandmates were also players for the DSU football team.
What would you tell someone who is considering attending DSU?
I would tell them that college is what you make of it. DSU offers a lot of great programs for a cost that won’t leave them with a ton of debt. I’m really happy with my education at DSU. I would highly recommend anyone give it a year and see if they fall in the love with the culture on campus.
How did DSU help shape your decisions for your path after you graduated?
My instructors were so good that I eventually abandoned my plans for law school and shifted my goal to graduate school. I knew I wanted to be a professor. I really admired my professors and saw myself in that kind of position.
How did your time at DSU help you to be successful in your later pursuits?
The things I learned in undergrad really helped in grad school. More than anything, the way that DSU faculty fostered a love for learning helped propel me through six years of graduate school.
What are you doing now?
I am currently an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) in Chickasha, Oklahoma. I live in Norman, Oklahoma, where my two younger children attend school. My oldest son attends college at USAO. I was granted tenure in 2016 and I absolutely adore my job as a professor. USAO is a public, liberal arts school that offers a traditional liberal arts core curriculum with several core courses that are team-taught in an interdisciplinary fashion where two professors from different fields co-teach together. I mostly teach courses in sociology, but I also teach in the psychology and math departments. One summer I even taught a class on audio recording for music majors. I have published several peer-reviewed papers and I always have new ideas for research on the horizon.
Do you have any plans for the future you would like to share?
I’m working towards full professor right now. I currently play in a rock band based out of Oklahoma City. We play a lot of shows and have released three albums. We are currently writing new material and hope to have a new record out in a year or so.
