Environmental Studies Faculty

Kent Blansett

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. University of New Mexico
B.A. University of Missouri

Areas of Expertise

• American Indian History
• Urban American History
• History of the West
• Modern American History
• Environmental History

Ed Brands

Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies

Ph.D., University of Iowa
M.A., University of Iowa
B.A., Grinnell College

Areas of Expertise

• Environmental monitoring
• Environmental policy
• Water resources

Sheri Breen

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
B.A., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Areas of Expertise

• Political theories of nature
• Sustainable agriculture and stewardship
• Ecological reformulation of property theory

Donna Chollett

Associate Professor

Ph.D., Michigan State University
M.A., Iowa State University
B.S., Iowa State University

Areas of Expertise

• Political Economy of Agrarian Systems, Anthropology of Food
• Rural Communities and Sociocultural Change in Latin America
• Social Movements, Social Justice, Human Rights

Chris Cole

Professor

Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
M.S., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
B.A., Brown University

Areas of Expertise

• Conservation Genetics
• Molecular Biology
• Conservation Biology

Carol Cook

Professor

Ed.D., University of North Dakota
M.Ed., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
B.S., St. Cloud State University

Areas of Expertise

• Teacher preparation with focus on Multicultural, Rural/Urban, and Preprimary Education.
• Environmental Educational Programs
• Place-Based Educational Programs

Rebecca Dean

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of Arizona
M.A., University of Arizona
B.A., University of Michigan

Areas of Expertise

• Agricultural societies in southern Arizona and the Mediterranean
• Spread and development of farming
• Impact of agricultural societies on the landscape and animals

Vicki Graham

Professor

Ph.D. University of California
M.A., University of California
B.A., San Francisco State University

Areas of Expertise

• Poetry and poetics
• 20th Century British and American poetry
• Nature poetry
• Eco-criticism
• Creative writing

Stephen Gross

Associate Professor, Archivist

Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
B.A., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Areas of Expertise

• American Social History
• History of American Immigration
• Rural History
• History of Religion in America
• Minnesota History

Arne Kildegaard

Professor, Center for Small Towns Director

Ph.D., University of Texas
M.A., University of Chicago
B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College

Areas of Expertise

• Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
• Economics of Renewable Energy Systems
• Economic Development
• General aviation (small planes) pilot

Athena Kildegaard

Teaching Specialist

M.A.T., University of Chicago
B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College

Areas of Expertise

• Poetry
• Creative writing about the natural world

Margaret Kuchenreuther

Associate Professor

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
M.S., University of Wisconsin
B.A., University of Northern Iowa

Areas of Expertise

• Plant Population Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Prairie Ecology and Management

Elaine Marie Nelson

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of New Mexico
M.A., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
B.A.E., University of Nebraska at Kearney

Areas of Expertise

• History of the American West
• American Indian History
• Women and Gender Studies
• Tourism and Environmental History
• Great Plains History

Roger Rose

Pete Wyckoff

Associate Professor

Ph.D., Duke University
B.A., Drew University

Areas of Expertise

• Community and Ecosystem Ecology
• Impacts of Climate Change on Forests