Goals: You have chosen this major for specific reasons and most likely have goals in mind that this program can help you attain. My goals for this program are simple: to give you the background to succeed in this field, and to help you improve your ability to think and solve problems. I cannot promise that you will be able to find a good job or gain admittance into graduate school; you and only you can determine your future. I will do all that I can to help you achieve your goals, but your success will ultimately depend on your dedication, discipline, and effort.

About your advisor: I came to Black Hills State several years ago because I wanted to teach at a small liberal arts college in the western United States. When I was a graduate student at Arizona State University, I often spoke with my fellow graduate students about starting a geology program and building a department. I now have the opportunity to follow through on this idea, and intend to build strongest program possible. I realize, however, that the quality of this program not only depends on my abilities as a professor, but on the quality of the students that participate in this program. The stringent requirements in this program ensure that you will be surrounded by top-quality people; learn as much, or more, from them as you learn from me.

I am dedicated to my responsibilities as a teacher, but I do more than teach. As you may already know, I have a very vigorous research program. My research program will positively effect you in several ways. First, you may have the opportunity to participate in some of these projects. Environmental Physical Science majors have accompanied me on research trips to Hawaii, California, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington. Several students have also published papers and presented their research at professional meetings. Second, I am very aware of new trends in geology because of my research, and you can be certain that my lecture material is always current and cutting edge. Third, my research projects typically involve professionals from other universities and government agencies, allowing you the opportunity to meet these people and perhaps speak with them about employment or graduate school. Finally, those of you who participate in some of my research projects will begin to understand what graduate school is like and the quality of work that is expected after you graduate.

HOWEVER, these research opportunities do not magically present themselves to me. Keeping a vigorous research program is extremely difficult, requiring me to spend enormous amounts of time writing grants and papers, traveling and presenting research at professional meetings, and gathering data in the field. For these reasons, you will notice that I do miss class from time to time. I will do everything I can to make sure that you have meaningful assignments and replacement lectures during my absences. Please understand that these absences are necessary if I am going to continue to offer my students quality research opportunities in the future.

The Environmental Physical Science Major: As you should already know, this is a fairly rigorous program. Environmental work requires a multidisciplinary approach. You are therefore required to take physics, chemistry and mathematics courses in addition to the geology courses. However, you will need to go beyond the required courses to properly prepare yourself for employment or graduate school. There are four areas of course work you should strongly consider as you plan your program.

English courses: Your work and ideas are only as good as your ability to communicate them to others. I therefore strongly suggest that you take more than Written Communications I and II. Any upper division English course that requires you to express your ideas in a written format is a good choice.

Mathematics courses: Your math skills will follow you throughout your career. If you are truly serious about obtaining the best education possible, then you take and successfully complete Differential Equations before leaving Black Hills State. Not only will this course expose you to a variety of tools necessary for high-level science, it will separate you from others in your field as you look for employment or at graduate schools. Also consider courses in Statistics in order to acquire the mathematical tools needed to deal with data sets. More and more graduate programs are now requiring statistics for entrance into their programs. Talk with one of the math professors and listen strongly to their advice about courses that may serve you well in the future.

Chemistry and Physics courses: Upper division chemistry and physics are excellent courses to add to you transcript. The one course that will attract the most attention from employers and graduate schools is Physical Chemistry. This course is challenging, but is the basis for all advanced level chemistry work. Talk to the chemistry and physics professors to get any additional advice.

Technology courses: Computer-aided drafting (CAD) classes are becoming quite popular with many science majors, especially those courses that focus on AutoCad. AutoCad is the most popular drafting software package in the world, and is used by just about every government agency and consulting firm in the country. AutoCad drawings are typically integrated into GIS projects, and a good working knowledge of AutoCad and GIS can certainly open some doors for you during a job search.

Philosophy: The most important thing you can learn in college is the ability to think and reason. No course will help you more with thinking skills than a well-taught philosophy course. The philosophy offerings at Black Hills State are expanding and should provide you with several choices.

Field Camp: As with most science majors, it is typically difficult to attain the required number of upper division courses prior to graduation. One option I strongly suggest to all Environmental Physical Science students is a geology field camp. Field camp is a geology or hydrology course that consists of 4 to 8 weeks of intensive geology training, typically in one of the mountainous areas in the western United States. Field camp students will learn basic geologic mapping procedures, to interpret geological sites, and to use basic field equipment such as the GPS, Brunton compass and the plane table/alidade. There are dozens of good field camps, and several of them spend time in the Black Hills. Most field camps students receive 6 to 8 upper division credits. When I went to field camp (not all that long ago) the cost for room, board and non-resident tuition was about $1300. Most field camps now cost approximately $1500 to $2000.

If you are interested in field camp, plan to attend the summer between you junior and senior years. Applications are typically due during the latter part of the fall semester or early part of the spring semester prior to the summer of attendance. The University of Indiana probably has the most well respected camp in the nation. For those of you tight on funds, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology offers a Black Hills field camp at Ranch A outside of Beulah, Wyoming (less than 20 minutes from BHSU). Please see me if you are interested in field camp or have any questions.

SDSMT courses: We have been trying to offer more courses from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's Geology Department as options in this major.  Also consider some of their summer geology offerings. In the past, SDSMT has offered Field Geology and Field Geophysics. One advantage in taking a geology course offered by SDSMT is that you are exposed to other geologists (instead of just me), other opinions, and different ways of approaching problem solving.

Quality: I have one expectation for students in this program; that they will always give their best effort as they produce high-quality work. Anything less than high-quality is unacceptable, whether it is on an exam, research paper, or in how you conduct yourself.

Students Involved in Research: In my opinion, the best way to hone your thinking skills, apply your background knowledge, network with professionals and prepare yourself for life after college is through research. Undergraduate research is challenging, both for the student and the advisor. The most difficult aspect appears to be in time management. It is quite difficult to find time to conduct research during the academic year because many courses compete for your time. To provide more structure and encouragement for those of you engaged in research, I will try to set up weekly or bi-monthly meetings with you to discuss your work.

Graduate School or the Job Market - What happens after graduation? You basically have three options when you finally finish your education at Black Hills State University; you can be a bum, get a job, or continue your education in graduate school. If you still love geology after completing the program and want to dedicate yourself to a career in field, then the choice is simple; graduate school is what you want. A graduate education is only way to assure yourself that you will have the education necessary to take advantage of a rapidly evolving field. Graduate school is MUCH different than what you will experience at Black Hills State University; you will take few courses and spend most of your time working on your thesis topic. If your are interested in obtaining information about different graduate programs, I have set up a file in the geology lab that contains material from most of the graduate programs in the United States.

If you're determined to find employment as soon as you graduate, then make as many contacts a possible during the next few years, and learn as much about technology as possible. I strongly suggest that you learn to use both the ArcView and ArcInfo geographical information systems, as well as technology available in the chemistry department. For this reason, I strongly suggest that you complete Analytical Chemistry. Gain as much computer experience as possible, and try to use your summers to find relevant part-time employment or internships.

If you work during the school year: I realize that it is difficult to finance a college education (I'm still paying for mine!). However, I feel strongly that if your job interferes in anyway with your education or prevents you from networking with professionals, then it is time to find a different job. No job that you have now is worth sacrificing future opportunities for. Work, in my opinion, should never be an excuse for missing a field trip or meeting an invited speaker. I certainly realize that some jobs can be very educational, especially for those of you that land part-time employment in the environmental field. No job, however, is more important than your education, and you need to make every effort to ensure that school takes priority over your job.

I know that many of you are extremely reluctant to take student loans to finance your education. However, if your job is adversely affecting your academic performance, ask yourself the following question, "Would I rather be saddled with monthly payments of $50-$100/month for ten years as I pay off school loans, or bad grades and a poor education that will follow me a lifetime and result in jobs paying $10,000 to $20,000 less per year?"

Letters of recommendation: When a potential employer or graduate committee asks for a letter of recommendation, they want to know about more than your classroom performance; they want to know what type of person you are. Do you readily accept challenges or do you shrink from them? How do you handle criticism? Do you work well independently and with others? How well do you handle responsibility? Do you look for the easiest courses with the easiest teachers, or do you always try to get the most from your education? These are the questions that I must answer as honestly as I can, and I try to be perfectly honest when I write a letter of recommendation. I will point out your strengths and weaknesses, and how you compare with other students I have advised in the past. I am constantly observing your growth as a student, and my evaluation of you is based solely on the interaction I have with you. I will never make a judgment based on what I hear about you from others.

Never be reluctant to ask me for a letter of recommendation. If you need 30 letters of recommendation, then I will write 30 letters. It is a vital part of my job as your advisor and a responsibility I take very seriously. When possible, try to give me some advanced warning if you need a letter, but I will certainly write one quickly if something unexpected comes up.

For Seniors: If you want to have some options after graduation, you need to start working on graduate school applications and/or a job search in September of your senior year. I am dead serious about this. If you wait until late fall or the spring, you will miss most or all of the deadlines for graduate assistantships (the best option for financing your graduate education), or you will miss out on a large number of job or internship possibilities. Remember, most of the jobs you will be seeking will open up in the fall of the year as people head back to school or on to graduate school. If graduate school is on your mind, make sure you take the GRE early in the fall (in case you want to retake it) and strongly consider applying to 8 or more different schools. Applications will run from $25 to $100, but it is money well spent because you will hopefully have a lot more options when the spring rolls around.

As far as funding a graduate education is concerned, the most important thing you need to worry about (other than getting admitted) is securing a graduate teaching or research assistantship. If you land a TA or a RA, your funding problems are mostly over because many TA's and RA's carry a nonresident tuition waiver, and many also waive in-state tuition and fees. Most of the time you will be paid $12,000 - $15,000 per academic year to research your thesis topic or teach geology labs, with the possibility of making more money during the summer. This is certainly enough to get by on as you continue your studies. Remember, most TA and RA applications are due in the fall of your senior year. Typically, if you are accepted into a graduate program, you should have a very good shot at landing an RA or a TA.

Final Thought: Don't be a stranger. I hope to see you several times a semester. Even if you don't need any advice, please just stop in to say "Hi" or perhaps inquire about summer internships. Sometimes I get a little preoccupied and absent-minded (especially around finals), but please don't be put-off if I seem a little aloof. I am paid to help you obtain the best education possible, so please take advantage of what I can offer. As always, think long term. Where do you want to be 10 years from now and will the action(s) you are considering get you there?

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