A conversation with Dr. Johnson
What's the best thing about working at Mesa State?
Location. Mesa is in the middle of a tremendous geological
area. The Colorado Plateau provides numerous opportunities
to take students into the field. It's a great learning environment
for a geologist.
What brought you to Mesa State?
I was living in Houston, Texas in the mid 1970s. I knew
I wanted to head west to teach. I was also anxious to get
out of the Houston climate. On the day my contract to teach
temporarily at Mesa arrived [in 1976], we received 8"
of rain in Houston. I signed the contract right away.
What's your personal philosophy on educating students?
I teach the students to be prepared for the future. Whether
that means job opportunities or graduate school, I want
them to be ready for what is next in their lives. I also
try to instill in them motivation and enthusiasm.
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Dr. Johnson was born with a hearing
impairment that classifies him as profoundly impaired.
Without hearing aids he cannot hear at all.
"My parents were patient,"
Johnson explains.
Instead of classes for disabled students,
he was educated in an integrated environment where
teachers emphasized communication over sign language.
He says he never believed that he could not achieve
whatever he worked to accomplish.
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As a faculty member you teach geology, but what area of
study are you most interested in... what's your passion?
Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In 1995, Dr. James
Johnson [then acting dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics]
asked me to help prepare a GIS course. We got the proposal
approved by the curriculum committee, but I didn't have
the expertise to teach it right away. I took a sabbatical
and went to CSU to observe their program. I formulated a
GIS
minor for Mesa State and gained the knowledge to teach
our GIS classes.
"We started out in 1997 with 6 students. Today, we
have a house on campus that was converted to a full GIS
lab. The program has grown phenomenally. I feel very
fortunate to have been a part of creating the GIS
program at Mesa State. It is my greatest accomplishment
and one that makes me very proud. I can't take all of the
credit, though because the College, the Geology Department,
the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the
community have all strongly supported our efforts."
If you went back to college and could study anything
except geology, what would you study?
I wouldn't think of anything else. Ever since the 8th grade
I have known that geology would be my life. It fascinates
me.
What do you do with your weekends? I hike,
ski, relax, and read books.
