Profile

Bill is currently Interim Vice Provost at WSU, and he was formerly the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies in the School of Molecular Biosciences. In these roles, Bill helped lead the implementation of annual programmatic assessment, a focus on undergraduate research using innovative fast-track BS to PhD programs, and the introduction of project-based laboratories in the curriculum. Bill’s current research interests focus on the impacts of classroom and laboratory pedagogy on student learning outcomes in large enrollment courses. He is also active in developing innovative programs that lead to the transformation of both individual faculty and departments/institutions engaged in life sciences education, work facilitated by his efforts as a PULSE Vision & Change Leadership Fellow, the AAC&U-Project Kaleidoscope Summer Leadership Institute, and the Mobile Summer Scientific Teaching Institutes.

Education

• Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow, Technical University of Munich, 1999-2001
• Doctor of Philosophy, Chemistry, Northwestern University, 1999
• Masters of Science, Chemistry, Northwestern University, 1995
• Bachelor of Arts, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, Drury College, 1994

Research Interest

• Argumentation in large enrollment classrooms and its impact on student learning outcomes
• Role that Faculty Mindsets play in student learning outcomes
• Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on College Educational Outcomes
• Systems Thinking and Departmental/Organizational Change in Higher Education

Professional Service

• Member, AAC&U Project Kaleidoscope Steering Committee, 2016-present
• Session Co-Chair, AAC&U/PKAL Summer STEM Leadership Institute, 2017-present
• Facilitator, National Institute on Scientific Teaching Mobile Summer Institutes, 2014-present
• Leadership Fellow in PULSE (Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education), established by NIH, NSF, and HHMI, September 2012-present

Honors and Awards

• WSU Office of Distinguished Scholarships Ambassador Award, 2020
• Elected as a Member of the Consortium of West Region Colleges of Veterinary Medicine Regional Teaching Academy, 2014
• Finalist for the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award, Faculty Category, WSU, 2013
• Award for Excellence in Faculty Teaching, School of Molecular Biosciences, WSU, 2013
• Member, Provost’s Leadership Academy, 2012-2013
• Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, School of Molecular Biosciences, WSU, 2011
• Award for Excellence in Faculty Advising, School of Molecular Biosciences, WSU, 2009