About

Hi! It’s me, Neil.

My path to design education started way back when I attended SUNY Cobleskill in their microcomputer support specialist program. From there I realized that wasn’t the career for me, and moved on to a paralegal program then onto a surgical tech program, bartending school, before ending back at SUNY Cobleskill for graphic design.

Truth be told that process took about 5 years to get through. Once I graduated with an AAS in graphic design I kept going for my BFA and a little later an MFA at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

After graduating from UT Knoxville, I worked at Illinois State University for a year before landing my tenure-track position as Assitant Professor of Graphic Design at Drake University.

I’m happy to report that I earned both tenure and promotion at Drake starting in the Fall of 2020!

How did this start?

Good question. This came about from the many conversations I have had with educators and from my own experience navigating my way to tenure. Many of those conversations centered around tough decisions from geographic location to institution choice to family obligations. Along with those decisions come the scholarly, teaching, and service requirements for tenure. Each institution has its own process and guidelines. Hopefully, these interviews will give the listener a sense of how to navigate these decisions and help inform the tenure process in the absence of a mentor.