Roger L. Caldwell

Professor Emeritus, Soil, Water and Environmental Science

(Former) Director, Educational Communications and Technologies

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719

roger.caldwell@cox.net
cals.arizona.edu/~caldwell

CURRENT POSITIONS

            Retired, June 2003. Continuing involvement in several local and national projects and committees

            Information regarding activities since retirement is found at my home page (above).

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

Director, Educational Communications and Technologies, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Activities included distance education (video, internet, CD), publications (print, internet, CD), video (tapes, internet streaming), network support (communications, electronic mail, databases, server support, web support) and general information technology education and strategic planning.

Professor of Soil, Water and Environmental Science and Professor of Communication. Recent activities were mostly guest lectures and teaching one course (Anticipating the Future – described below), supervising (major professor) graduate students or serving on other graduate student committees. Previous teaching and research efforts are listed below.

 

Special Assistant to Dean and Special Assistant to Provost. Over about a 15-year period I served as special assistant (and once as faculty associate) to the dean and/or the Provost (senior vice president for academic affairs). In this capacity I did a range of activities, mostly at my own direction, which dealt with assessments, strategic planning, institutional analysis, communication, and addressing future higher education issues. Also included were interactions with on- and off-campus association, other educational institutions and the Arizona Board of Regents.

 

Professional Activities History. I was an assistant/associate professor of Plant Pathology from 1967-80 and during that time became involved with the effects of air pollutants on plants. That interest moved me in the direction of environmental topics and that interest got me involved in information technology and communication. I have retained an interest in environment and information technology and during those years became much more involved in working with various committees and agencies; in these activities I was involved through my technical knowledge and interest in the topics. Finally, beginning about the mid-70s I started viewing complex and not so complex subjects from the perspective of the future, and began the Tucson chapter of the World Future Society in 1974 (local chapter long since disbanded).

 

Putting this all together, I now consider myself an interdisciplinary, futures oriented, professional generalist.

 

EDUCATION

      B.S. University of California, Los Angeles, 1961 (Chemistry)

      Ph.D. University of Arizona, 1966 (Chemistry)

      Post Doctoral, National Academy of Sciences Fellow/U.S. Food and Drug Administration (1966-67)

 

HONORS

      Scholar-Diplomat, U.S. Department of State (1981)

American Council on Education, Academic Fellow (1978-79)

Post Doctoral Research Associate, 1966-67. National Academy of Sciences Fellow/U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC

Ethyl Corporation Fellow, 1964-66

 

UNIVERSITY APPOINTMENTS

      Director, Educational Communications and Technologies, College of Agriculture (1997-2003)

      Professor, Communications (1990-2003)

      Professor of Soil, Water and Environmental Science (1981-2003)

      Special Assistant to Provost and/or Special Assistant to Dean, College of Agriculture (1985-1998)

      Faculty Associate to Provost (1992-3)

      Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency, and Competitiveness (Board of Regents, 1987-88)

      Coordinator, University Information Systems and Communications (1984-85)

      Director, Computer Applications Group, College of Agriculture (1982-84)

      Director, Council for Environmental Studies, College of Agriculture (1974-84)

      Energy Management Coordinator (University) (1978-79)

      Assistant/Associate Professor of Plant Pathology (1967-80)

 

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

      American Chemical Society

      World Future Society

World Futures Study Federation

           

MOST RECENT TEACHING

SWES 450/550 Anticipating the Future. Techniques and approaches to understand broad issues about the future with focus on environmental topics. Uses computer conferencing and internet with significant student discussion and opportunities for team approaches and reporting. There are no prerequisites other than upper division or graduate standing. http://cals.arizona.edu/futures.

 

RECENT TEACHING (since 1980)

·         SWES105 Introduction to Environmental Science: Land, Air, and Water

·         SWES 205 Exploring Internet

·         SWES 302 Introduction to Environmental Toxicology (involved when course was experimental)

·         SWES 495 Learning and the Internet Environment

·         SWES 499 Independent Study (topics varied each year)

·         (Courses from 1967-1980 included methods of laboratory analysis, plant diseases, communication methods, toxic materials, and environment and agriculture)

 

UNIVERISTY SERVICE (partial listing)

·         Information Technology Policy Group (1999-2003)

·         Information Technology Council (1996-2003), Chair

·         Manager for collaboration efforts for College of Medicine Ignorance Program

·         Faculty Senate (1996-2003) (and member Senate Executive Committee)

·         Committee of Eleven (1996-2003) – elected faculty group whose charter allows discussion/action on any topic, Chair

·         Conciliation Committee (addresses faculty grievances, 1987-92), Chair for 2 years

·         Arizona Board of Regents Task Force Staff for Study on Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Competiveness (1988-89)

·         North Central Association Accrediting Report, Chair, Mission/Vision group (1999-2000)

·         Extended University Advisory Board (1997-2003)

·         Quality Guidance Council in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (1985-2003)

·         University Security/Privacy Committee (1997-98), Co-chair

·         Faculty Council in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (1996-2004), Chair 1998-99

·         Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee (1993-1998)

   

PUBLIC SERVICE (partial listing)

·         Pima County Environmental Quality Advisory Committee (1984- present), Appointed, chair and vice chair, currently member

·         Regional Transit Authority (Pima Association of Governments), Technical Advisory Committee (2005 - present)

·         Arizona Corporation Commission Task Force on Environmental Externalities (1991-95), Chair of alternatives subcommittee 

·         Commission on the Arizona Environment Advisory Council (1973-1996), Vice Chair 1976-78 when it was the Governor’s Commission on the Environment (appointed)

·         Tucson-Pima Metropolitan Energy Commission (1990-1997), Appointed, Chair

·         Research Ranch Board of Trustees (1976-86), Elected, President 1984-85

·         Arizona Department of Health Services Hazardous Waste Facility Technical Advisory Group (1981-82), Chair

·         Development Authority for Tucson's Economy (1975-78), Appointed (DATE was replaced by GTEC)

·         Arizona Board of Pesticide Control (1975-76), Appointed

·         Tucson Transit Authority (1971-73), Appointed

 

SELECTED PAPERS OR INVITED PRESENTATIONS

·         Workshop: Arizona Board of Regents staff retreat on Future Scenarios (designed and presented). 2001

·         Paper: Arizona Rural and Urban Futures -- A Look into the Future: Finding and Responding to a Fork in the Road (Arizona Town Hall fall 1999), published by the Arizona Academy in Spring 2000.

·         Speech: Western Interstate Higher Education Commission – Future of Higher Education, (Reno), presented to WICHE commissioners, 1997.

·         Speech: American Library Association -- Learning 2000: How Can We Anticipate the Future? (San Francisco), 1996

·         Paper: Arizona Universities in Transition – ED 306822, 1988, for the Arizona Board of Regents

·         Paper: Arizona’s Energy Future – Making the Transition to a New Mix (Arizona Town Hall fall 1981), published by the Arizona Academy

·         Paper: Arizona Energy – A Framework for Decision (Arizona Town Hall spring 1976), published by the Arizona Academy

·          

REPRESENTATIVE WEB PROJECTS

·         Anticipating the Future (complete class on web) – cals.arizona.edu/futures, updated annually

·         Web Portal on Biotechnology. cals.arizona.edu/biotechnology . 2002 (no longer on web)

·         Arizona Learner Centered Education (for Arizona Faculties Council) – www.abor.asu.edu/4_special_programs/lce/index_lce.html . 1999. Project taken over by Arizona Board of Regents in 2002

·         Web Portal on Gardening.  cals.arizona.edu/gardening. 2000

·         Arizona Town Hall Report (Rural and Urban Futures) – cals.arizona.edu/~caldwell/townhall. 1999 (no longer on web)

 

PUBLICATIONS

Author or co-author of over 40 technical publications, over 20 abstracts, and numerous reports and newsletter articles. Content/Policy editor of newsletters on Environment and on Energy, 1975-89).

 

Revised: May 2006

Return to Caldwell Home Page