The nice part about being a professor, says Dean Mac Given, is that you have plenty of educational opportunities. Currently serving in his sixth year as dean of the Division of Arts and Sciences, Dean Given will take a yearlong sabbatical at the end of the 2012-2013 year. During his time off, he will travel to Costa Rica along with his family to work with the Children’s Eternal Rain Forest organization.
One of Given’s focuses while abroad will be working with his son to use geographical information systems technologies to create current maps for university and college outreach programs.
“These are the types of things where the needs aren’t obvious until you go there and you see it,” he said. “Then you improvise and suddenly things come together and a project emerges.”
During a previous sabbatical, Given helped develop an educational program in Guatemala. He was even able to bring back his findings to the States, incorporating his Guatemalan data into his students’ labs.
After the break, however, Given said he will return to the university to pursue “whatever Neumann needs.” Still working out the logistics, Given said it’s likely he’ll teach science, which is his area of expertise. In his 20 years of field research, Given has had more than 12 research articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Most recently, he conducted a frog-based study comparing above vs. underwater communication.
When not studying frogs or teaching, Given spends time with his family, plays jazz clarinet, and is working to prepare for his upcoming Costa Rica trip. In the meantime, however, Given said it’s important to create a smooth transition for both the students and for the university.