I am blessed to work with an exceptional group of colleagues both in my department and across campus.  The following are specific ways in which I have attempted to cultivate relationships with these colleagues on a professional and personal level:

Relationships in the Department

• I have looked to my colleagues in the department for support in structuring exams and syllabi, and general content questions.
• I have covered for my colleagues who had to miss class due to illness or being out of town at conferences, etc…
• I have offered to take on responsibilities to lighten the load of other members in my department, i.e. taking over the library liaison responsibilities from Dr. Bolin, offering to teach overloads or large format classes, etc…
• I have enjoyed a variety of activities with members of my department outside the university.  For example, I have played golf with Dr. Riggs, Dr. Holland, and Dr. Green on many occasions.  I have attended gatherings at a variety of professor’s homes to play forty-two and fellowship.
• I have served as a faculty observer for Dr. Yarema’s lesson study group when she needed additional members.
• I have cooked lunch on a couple of occasions for the department and am always willing to bring food to/help with department functions.
• I have shared the results of Faculty meetings, committee meetings, etc… with colleagues who were unable to attend.
• I always talk positively about my colleagues and their contributions to the department with my students.
• I have assisted colleagues with a variety of technology related problems/requests.
• Presented at various lunch time colloquia for students/faculty.
• I have dropped off and picked up colleagues at the airport, helped them with car trouble, and visited them or their family members in the hospital.

Relationships Outside My Department

• I have participated in a variety of Adam’s center luncheon presentations of those outside my department.
• I have written letters of reference/support for colleagues in other departments.
• I have involved other groups on campus, Adam’s Center, president, library, etc… in my discussions with Texas Instruments when they came to campus though I was under no obligation to do so.
• I regularly play basketball with a group of professors and students at the SWRC on Mondays, Wednesdays, and/or Fridays.
• I have participated in game nights, gone out to eat with, and fellowshipped in the homes of colleagues outside my department.
• Actively sought relationships with members of the departmental visiting committee by attending dinners with them, presenting information to them, and corresponding with them on a variety of matters.
• I maintain close friendships with several staff members across campus; helping them move, looking after their kids, offering rides to the airport, and attending their weddings are just a few of the many ways I am involved in their lives.

Despite working toward better relationships with my colleagues as noted above, I still feel there are many avenues of improvement open to me in this regard.  For starters, I feel that I could do a much better job of working with my departmental colleagues to ease the transition for students from their courses to my own.  In addition, I should be more active in sharing exciting mathematics with members of my department through lunch time colloquia.  I did this frequently in my first two years, but failed to continue the practice these last few years.