Ryan comes most recently from a position as the program manager for National Public Lands Day for the National Environmental Education Foundation in Washington, D.C.. Prior to that position, he was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the NSF Division of Graduate Education, where he was instrumental in designing and evaluating the NSF GRIP (Graduate Research Internship Program), launching the NSF Grad Ed Forum, and worked with an interagency task force to achieve strategic goals as executive secretary for an NSTC subcommittee on STEM education. Ryan was a postdoc at Montana State, where he combined analytical chemistry, ecological field work, and quantitative data analysis to develop an integrated pest management strategy to reduce insect damage in wheat fields. Ryan has a PhD in Ecology from the University of Utah, where he also served as a service-learning coordinator for undergraduates and an NSF Graduate STEM Fellow in K-12 education, working on science literacy and scientific communication skills in public schools. Before doing his PhD, he was an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow with the Nevada Conservation Corps.

Dr. Rique Campa, Associate Dean and Professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
NSF-Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL)-MSU Institutional Leader, FAST (Future Academic Scholars in Teaching) Fellowship Program Director, Co-coordinator career and professional development, including the Certification in College Teaching
Phone: 517-432-7340
campa@grd.msu.edu

Henry (Rique) Campa, III, Ph.D. is an Associate Dean in the Graduate School and a Professor of Wildlife Ecology in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University (MSU).  In his roles as an Associate Dean, he develops, implements, and evaluates career and professional development programs associated with MSU’s PREP (Planning, Resilience, Engagement, and Professionalism) program.  In addition, he also directs activities and grants at MSU associated with the NSF-funded CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning) Network including the FAST (Future Academic Scholars in Teaching) Fellowship Program as well as the NIH-funded national Postdoc Academy.  Dr. Campa’s disciplinary research interests are in the areas of wildlife-habitat relationships, ecosystem management, effects of disturbances on wildlife, and the career and professional development associated with graduate education.  Since 1990, he has generated approximately $21M in research funding.  Dr. Campa has conducted ecological research throughout the U.S. and in Kenya and Nepal.  Before coming to MSU, Dr. Campa worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Wildlife Biologist and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a Wildlife Research Biologist.  Dr. Campa has served in leadership positions for The Wildlife Society (TWS) at the national, regional, and state levels and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with TWS.  He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and has taught study abroad courses in Kenya and the Bahamas.  At MSU, he has been awarded a Lilly Teaching Fellowship, the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award, the Excellence in Teaching-Established Teacher Award from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) as well as the CANR Distinguished Faculty Award.  In 2004, Dr. Campa was selected as an “exemplary teaching professor” to participate in the National Case Study of Learner-Centered Approaches in Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources.  In 2011, he received TWS’s Excellence in Wildlife Education Award and was selected as a Wildlife Society Fellow in “recognition of exceptional service”.  In 2015, Dr. Campa was awarded the Teaching Award of Merit from the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. 

Dr. Pero Dagbovie, Associate Dean 
Graduate School and History.  NSF AGEP STEM Project Director; Big Ten Academic Alliance SROP Project Director; KCP Future Faculty Fellowship Program Director; Emergency Funding; Graduate Student Recruitment Support
Phone: 517-353-3262
dagbovie@msu.edu

Pero Gaglo Dagbovie is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of History and Associate Dean in the Graduate School at Michigan State University. Dr. Dagbovie’s specific responsibilities in the Graduate School include coordinating the King-Chavez-Parks FFF Program, the TIAA-CREF Ruth Simms Hamilton Graduate Merit Fellowship, the Academic Achievement Graduate Assistantships, and the Emergency Fellowships.  With Associate Dean Tony Nunez, he serves as an advisor for the NSF-funded Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Program at MSU, a program that seeks “to improve pathways to the professoriate and success for historically underrepresented minority doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty in specific STEM disciplines and/or STEM education research fields.” A member of the Provost’s Office Diversity Team, much of his work focuses on planning and implementing the Graduate School’s goals related to diversity and inclusion for graduate students. His research and teaching interests comprise a range time periods, themes, and topical specialties in African American history.  He has written five books and numbers articles and essays.  His most recent book is What is African American History? (Polity Press:  Cambridge, UK, 2015).  He is currently working on a book project forthcoming with VERSO Books.    He is on the editorial boards of The Journal for the Study of Radicalism and The Journal of Black Studies and is a lifetime member of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.  

 Dr. Dagbovie has been involved in public history and African American history educational programs.  He served as a scholar consultant for the permanent exhibit, “And Still We Rise:  Our Journey through African American History and Culture,” at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan. Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Capital Region, and the Organization of American Historians, he served as the principal investigator for the Carter G. Woodson Home, NHS and authored the historic resource study for the Woodson Home. He has participated in and lead workshops for secondary school teachers funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Dagbovie actively mentors graduate students in the Department of History and the African American and African Studies Ph.D. Program.  Since 2009, he has served as the advisor of twelve graduate students who have earned doctoral degrees.  

Dr. Helm is the Director of Graduate Student Life & Wellness at Michigan State University and reports jointly to the Associate Provost for Graduate Education and the Vice President of Student Affairs and Services.  He brings over 20 years of experience working in university and nonprofit settings.  His current professional focus is on graduate student leadership development and the holistic health, wellness, career, and professional development of graduate students.   Dr. Helm’s 2012 article “Professional Socialization for the Ph.D.: An Exploration of Career and Professional Development Preparedness and Readiness for Ph.D. Candidates” was published in the Journal of Faculty Development.  Dr. Helm also brings a strong interest in the art and science of conscious relationships and the connection they have to leadership, organizational development, wellness, and spiritual intelligence.   He is passionate about helping individuals and organizations reach their highest potential.  Dr. Helm is a certified wellness director, accelerated evolution life coach and holistic stress management instructor. He has presented numerous times at local, regional, and national conferences.   In his multiple roles, Dr. Helm works with faculty and administrators to coordinate the implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive student life, leadership development, and wellness program for graduate, graduate professional students, and postdocs.

Dr.  Helm, received a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in Student Affairs Administration from Michigan State University before working at the University of Arizona as a specialist in leadership development and multicultural education and advocacy.  Dr. Helm completed his Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in Higher Education with a concentration in administration, organization, and student affairs. 

Dr. Thomas D. Jeitschko, Dean and Associate Provost for Graduate Education
Thomas D. Jeitschko is a professor of economics who serves as the Associate Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School. He supports the graduate students and postdocs of Michigan State University and oversees and supports the Masters, Professional and Ph.D. programs across the fourteen graduate degree granting colleges.
Phone: 517-353-3220
jeitschko@msu.edu

Thomas holds an advanced degree in economics from the University of Münster in Germany with a specialization in Economic History and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1995 with a specialization in Mathematical Economics. He first joined MSU in 2001 and has taught graduate courses and served on Ph.D. committees in the College of Social Science, the Business College, the College of Law, the College of Engineering, and the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. His research interests are in applied economic theory with concentrations in industrial organization, law and economics, and micro-economics more broadly. He has published in a wide variety of journals, including the American Economic Review, the European Economic Review, Games and Economic Behavior, Economic Theory, the Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, and the Journal of Industrial Economics; and he is an associate editor of the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization and the International Journal of Industrial Organization, and an editorial board member of the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, in addition to holding several other editorial appointments.

Thomas previously served as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Social Science where he is a Professor of Economics and was the Director of the American Economic Association Summer Program; a two-month intensive pre-doctoral residential program that prepares talented undergraduate students from under-represented backgrounds for graduate work in economics and related fields. Prior to his current appointment at MSU, Thomas has held faculty positions at Royal Holloway College, University of London and Texas A&M University, as well as shorter appointments at Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Georgetown Universities, and Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

Thomas has also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C. as an Economist in the Antitrust Division where he was the lead economist on many investigations of mergers and potentially anticompetitive firm conduct. He has advised and consulted for States Attorneys General Offices throughout the U.S. concerning antitrust and consumer protection matters and has been retained by the U.S. Department of Justice as an expert.

Melissa McDaniels is Assistant Dean of the Graduate School at Michigan State University. Since 2013, she has been working to support graduate students and postdocs at Michigan State as they develop their capacities as postsecondary instructors and mentors. She is also the Co-Director the Master Facilitator Initiative through the NIH-supported National Research Mentoring Network, a project aimed at diversifying the biomedical research workforce. She is involved in this national training and research effort related to improving the research mentoring practices of faculty, postdocs and graduate students. From 2008-2012, McDaniels served as Director of Michigan State University’s NSF ADVANCE Grant (in the Office of the Provost) where she spearheaded the institution’s efforts to diversify the faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Prior to working at MSU, she held full time positions at Northeastern University, Boston College, and National Geographic Society. Dr. McDaniels has over twenty-five years of experience in graduate student and faculty development, undergraduate and graduate teaching, and learning and organizational change.

Professor Antonio A. Nunez is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Postdoctoral Education at the Graduate School, a title he holds since 1999. He oversees the processing of theses and dissertations, Postdoctoral affairs and, with Associate Dean Dagbovie, he oversees the legacy se of an AGEP grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that supports, among other activities, a cross-disciplinary learning community. He organizes and facilitates workshops and institutes that support the professional preparation of graduate students and postdocs. Dr. Nunez' office collaborates with the Office of the VP for Research to provide funds for the support of postdocs' and graduate students' research and professional travel. Dr. Nunez received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Florida State University in 1977, and was then awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to do research at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 1980 he joined the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program at Michigan State University, where he holds the title of full Professor. Before taking his position at the Graduate School, he served as Associate Chair and Director of Graduate Programs in Psychology and as Acting Director of the Neuroscience Program. Dr. Nunez' research is in the areas of neuroendocrinology and chronobiology. His laboratory has been funded over the last 35 years by research grants from several NIH institutes and from the NSF. In addition to his research support from national funding agencies. Dr. Nunez has over 100 peer-reviewed publications (https://neuroscience.natsci.msu.edu/about-us/directory/faculty/antonio-a-nunez-phd/) , many of them with postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students as co-authors. He is the recipient of the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award and of the Florida State University Doctoral Graduate Award of Distinction and he is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.

Julie W. Rojewski, Ph.D. is currently Program Manager for the MSU BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) program. Funded by the NIH, this program serves biomedical science and engineering graduate students and post-doctoral scholars to teach them the skills and competencies they need to pursue a variety of careers when they leave MSU. This work draws upon her vast experience in professional development for academics, as she has worked in faculty development, teaching and learning, program assessment and evaluation, and other areas of program management. Prior to her work with MSU BEST, she was the Director of MSU’s ADVANCE project (NSF) (2013-2015), Interim Director of Teaching Programs at the MSU Graduate School, and Interim Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the MSU Office of Faculty and Organizational Development.

Her academic training spans the humanities and social science, and coupled with her work serving scientists and engineers, she merges these experiences to present and publish her scholarship to diverse audiences that serve scholars and practitioners alike, in organizations such as the ASEE, National Alliance for Broader Impacts, Council of Graduate Schools, Professional and Organizational Development (POD) and others. She is a sought-after teacher, facilitator, and consultant to institutions who want to develop their own programs or deliver engaging workshops and seminars to their students, faculty, and staff. Dr. Rojewski holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from MSU, an M.A. in English from The Ohio State University; and a B.A. in English and French from Alma College in Alma, Michigan.

Dr. Judith Stoddart, Senior Associate Dean
University Fellowships Program Coordinator and coordinator of endowed fellowship programs;  NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and Ford Fellowship campus coordinator; co-coordinator workshop programs associated with career and professional development, including Certification in College Teaching; Graduate Writing Fellows in the Discipline Director
Phone: 517-432-2524
stoddart@grd.msu.edu

Judith Stoddart served as interim Associate Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School at Michigan State 2015-2017. She has been an Associate Dean in the Graduate School since 2011, Assistant Dean (2007-2010), and director of the University Fellowship Programs since 2002. As co-PI and project director at MSU for the Council of Graduate Schools Ph.D. Completion Project and for the ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education, Dr. Stoddart has worked with graduate programs across MSU and with national partners on initiatives to improve doctoral student recruitment, mentoring, and career and professional development. She was recently named to the steering committee for the CIC/ACM Mellon Undergraduate and Faculty Fellows Program for a Diverse Professoriate, a 7-year $8.1 million grant focused on preparing underrepresented students in the humanities, humanistic social sciences, and the arts for graduate study and helping them transition into faculty careers. Dr. Stoddart served on the MSU Provost’s Task Force on Graduate Student Mentoring and Research, which wrote the Guidelines for Graduate Student Advising and Mentoring Relationships and the Guidelines for Integrity in Research and Creative Activities. She served as a certified mediator in the University Mediation Center, and a part of the Graduate School Conflict Resolution training team which has provided workshops to faculty and graduate students at universities across the country.  

Dr. Stoddart was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, where she received an M.Phil and D.Phil in English. She has published on 19th-century theories of nationalism, aesthetic theory, and visual culture. Dr. Stoddart was the associate chair and graduate program director in the MSU English Department for 4 years. Her graduate and undergraduate teaching have been recognized by departmental and university awards.

Steven Thomas has experience in research, technical writing, natural product chemistry, project management, and science education. He has worked in the US and overseas for both industrial and academic employers. Steven is a Program Manager at The Graduate School (TGS) at Michigan State University. He manages diversity recruitment for TGS as well as the daily supervision for three programs including: the MSU Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP); Center for Academic & Future Faculty Excellence (CAFFE); and the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP). Prior to working with TGS, Steven also worked for the Colleges of Human Medicine, Engineering and Natural Science at MSU. Steven obtained his masters in organic chemistry from Michigan State University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan, where he also was a former lecturer.

Steven has also worked for Morgan State University as technical writing consultant for The Baltimore Region Environmental Justice in Transportation Project (BREJTP) and as a Science Consultant for the Charles H. Wright Museum for African-American History. Steven’s international experience includes working for Cornell University’s Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) Program in the Dominican Republic. Mr. Thomas is also a member of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) and the American Society of Pharmacognosy. Some of his research has been published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics and Applied and Environmental Microbiology Journal.

Graduate Assistants

Dukernse Augustin

Nicole Jess

Makena Neal

Maddie Shellgren