Brad Caskey
Interim Dean
College of Arts and Sciences

Why did you choose to come to River Falls?

I originally came to UWRF as a student in 1976. I was drawn here by the size of campus, the reputation of the university, and by the recruiting efforts of George Hansen (who is still a key figure in the admissions office).

What are three characteristics of a successful student in your class?

A willingness to challenge what they believe/know active engagement in the learning process (e.g., comes to class, takes notes, asks questions) spends time necessary for class success (e.g., reads the books, studies their notes).

What is the most rewarding part of your job and why?

The greatest reward from teaching is the moment that I know that I have made a difference in a student’s life. Sometimes that occurs during the semester in which a course is taught. Sometimes, it is an e-mail or phone message many years after the course in which a student shares how much they enjoyed, learned, or have used information from a class. In  my current position as Dean, the greatest reward comes from the believe that I can play a role in advancing the goal enhancing student learning through collaborative work with faculty, staff, and other administrators.

Where is your favorite place to go in town and why?

I love the “Cookie Factory” (Best Made Cookie) for fairly obvious reasons. I also love the Falls Theater where I have enjoyed great movies and snacks at an even greater price for several decades.

What is something you wish someone told you about UWRF before you first arrived?

How close it was to the Twin Cities. When I arrived as a student in the mid-1970s it took me a while to discover how close I was to a tremendous source of art, sport, and entertainment.

What is something you wish someone told you about college before you went?

Most of the Caskey relatives of my parent’s generation, including my parents, were college educated elementary or high school teachers so I was aware of many aspects of college life. I would, however, have benefited from a more forceful description of the amount of time/effort that I would need to put in to be successful. In high school, I was a very good student who seldom had to apply myself (e.g., read the text, put much effort in when writing a paper) to be successful. I quickly learned that similar levels of effort just would not cut it at the college level.

Did you always know you wanted to be a professor?  Why or Why not?

Coming from a family of teachers, I always was interested in a career in education. In fact, while at UWRF I completed all the requirements to teach at the middle and high-school level. However, by my junior year of college I had seriously begun to consider graduate school and definitely turned my sights to a Ph.D. and career as a psychology professor.

Why did you decide to teach at UWRF and how has your experience shaped you into who you are today?

I actually taught at two private colleges (St. Olaf, MN; University of Puget Sound, WA) before beginning my teaching career at UWRF in 1990. My decision to apply here was based on two factors. At the time I was hired the psychology department was looking specifically for someone with a developmental psychology background who was a skilled teacher. I definitely had the degree credentials and did consider myself, perhaps egotistically, an excellent teacher. I was also very impressed by the members of the psychology department when I interviewed. They appeared to be very dedicated to teaching, their students and very supportive of each other. I ended up being correct on all counts. The psychology department culture set the teaching bar high and this shaped my effort to become the most effective instructor possible. I also dedicated myself to teaching the “whole” student, connecting with students both in and out of the formal classroom setting. This resulted in numerous activities including being the advisor for the Psychology Society student organization, advising the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity, and my work as a McNair Scholar mentor. Finally, being in a department in which constructive ideas concerning teaching, service, and scholarship were shared freely and where controversial ideas were shared with a sense of respect, even in times of disagreement, definitely shaped me in my role as a mentor to faculty both in and outside my department.

Tell us about a unique classroom experience.

Over the years I have had many interesting classroom experiences. One of my favorites occurred early in my career as I was developing an opening day activity in which I could get to know students and they could get to know each other. In this case I was teaching a life-span developmental psychology course and asked students the following, “To date, what is the most interesting thing that has occurred in your life?” I started with a young woman in the front row. For a minute or so she kept saying that there was nothing that special or unique about her life. Finally, she matter-of-factly volunteered that, “I guess fact that they made a movie about me in Japan because I awoke from a coma after five-six years in kind of interesting.” I sarcastically commented that I felt like this “minor” incident like this might represent a unique experience. The male student directly behind her was next. He once again did not respond immediately and appeared to be trying to at least come up with a semi-interesting tale. He finally responded with, “I did spend the last year as a personal assistant to the Dali Lama and I guest that was kind of interesting.” After picking my jaw up off the floor, I muttered something like, “Yea, I guess being the personal assistant to an individual who some considered godlike might qualify as kind of interesting.” My eyes then moved back to the next student who appeared to be physically melting into her chair. The terror on her face was palatable and you could literally hear the gears in her head grinding as she attempted to search every corner of her memory for some event that could even come close to the two that had been presented. After a few minutes and a few tears she finally recalled that she once hit a homerun in a high school softball game.  To this day, whenever I use this activity I think back to that very first session. It reminds me that each of my students has taken a different path to that classroom, and, while some paths may be more exciting than others, we all have had unique experiences that form the foundation of who we are today.  It also fits nice with one of my mantra’s concerning human development, that being, “diversity is normalcy.”

What place/park/event do you think everybody should see?  Why?

Having grown up in the rural farm town of Colby, Wisconsin I must admit that any event involving different cultures is something I treasure. That is why I would rate Unity in the Community as one “must see” event…and not just for the egg rolls!

Tell the story of an out-of-classroom encounter- either social or academic with one of your students.  How did this strengthen the student-faculty relationship or present the student in a new light?

One of the most difficult parts of taking an administrative position is that it has removed me from the classroom, a place where I experienced events that shed new light on my understanding and impact on students virtually every week.  However, I quickly learned that even in the Deans Office one can make an unexpected difference in the life of a student. The event occurred last year when I happened to be working out at a YMCA. A woman in her late-20s made eye contact and after studying my face for a few seconds asked if I worked in the College of Arts and Sciences Deans Office at UWRF. I answered in the affirmative. She then said, “You may not remember me, but you saved my life.” This revelation obviously peaked my interest and so I asked her what I had done to make such a difference. She said that two years earlier she had been at UWRF and was suspended for academic reasons in fall. She then came to see me in my role of the Associate Dean about getting back into school for the following spring. She recalled that her heart was set on an immediate return, but that I was very straightforward and said that after reviewing her file that the best option would be for her to “get her personal life together” and to “dedicate herself to success in school or not bother to return.”  She said that at the time the words hurt because they caused her to take a serious look at many aspects of her life and the lack of effort that she had made as a student. The great news was that she had heeded my advice, had been readmitted to school, was going to graduate that year and already had a job in place. In her words “saving her life.” The fact that in an unexpected way I had helped her improve her life made me realize that my impact on students had not disappeared after I left the classroom.

What was your first job out of college?

My first job out of college was teaching at St. Olaf College.

If you were a student how would you be involved on campus?

As a UWRF student I was on Student Senate, was a Resident Assistant (May Hall), was student president of McMillan Hall, and managed the campus bar. If I were a student I could still see myself in the role of an R.A. I think that I would also be active in groups trying to bring music to campus (especially a few alternative punk bands).

If you could change any part of your job what would it be and why?

My current position as Interim Dean has, for fairly obviously reasons, taken me out of the classroom (although I am on occasions able to sneak in a J-Term and Summer class). In a perfect world I would be able to continue to take care of the College of Arts and Sciences Deans Office duties while still being able to be in the classroom on a consistent basis.

Go back to Spotlight index