Career
I was always fascinated with computers growing up; our high school actually had a programmable calculator that a friend and I would work on in our spare time. I liked computing so much that I decided to earn a double-major in accounting and computer science, but computing was my favorite subject, and that’s what I pursued in graduate school.
Problem Solving
The way to learn problem solving is to solve lots of problems of various types. The student who does nothing between the end of one class session and the start of the next one will not succeed in computing courses. I attempt to model good practice in problem solving during class sessions so that students have an example of how to solve the problems assigned.
The Love of Teaching
I love teaching and working with students to develop problem-solving skills and the fundamental concepts involved with computing. Helping my students achieve success gives me a great deal of joy and professional satisfaction.
Buildings on Campus
I like Chapman Hall for its history, Bracy Hall for its classroom space and the big aquarium and the Kolenbrander-Harter Information Center (KHIC) for the outstanding library and computing facilities.
Computing Technology
Mount Union has much better computing facilities than other private schools of our size. The administration has maintained a commitment to keep our computer labs up to date with equipment and software that allows us to offer course content that applies directly to practices and skills used in the real world.
Preparing Students
Our preparation of all students is a major reason our graduates are often hired before graduates of large state schools. Our students have the ability to communicate and work with people, not just sit in a cubicle and program a computer all day. We survey employers to discover the skills they most desire in newly-hired employees and use that information to tailor our programs to be relevant to today’s employment scene.