College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Department:
Social Sciences and Cultural Studies
Specialization:
"My primary area of research interest is in how individuals become attached to particular places and landscapes and how those attachments influence environmental philosophies and actions. As the principal investigator for the project; “The Yellowstone Cultural Inventory—2006;” I oversaw interviews with over three hundred people living near the Yellowstone River. Over 200 of those recorded interviews were archived with the Western Heritage Center of Billings; MT; an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington D.C. I have also examined how local committees influenced development along the Upper Yellowstone; the Madison; and the Big Hole Rivers of Montana. Another focus area has been the superfund clean-up at Milltown; Montana. I have also studied water quality and community perceptions of risk to water resources in the Bakken area of eastern Montana. Of late; I updated the Yellowstone River Cultural Inventory via new interview data; and a book with my co-author was published in January of 2022: ""Bringing Sustainability to the Ground Level: Competing Demands in the Yellowstone River Valley."" My concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of communities are inextricably linked to my role as the Dean of the College of Business: businesses cannot thrive unless their communities have resilience and can balance their economic; social; and environmental needs--for the short-term AND the long-term."
