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Personal Statement
I have been teaching at Cal Poly Pomona since 1994. I teach
planting design, landscape ecology, plant identification, and
landscape design in both the graduate and undergraduate programs.
In addition to teaching, I have my own private practice. As well
as being a Registered Landscape Architect, I am a Certified Arborist.
I received my BSLA and MLA degrees in landscape architecture
from Cal Poly Pomona.
I feel very fortunate to be teaching and to be involved in
the field of landscape architecture. It is such a broad and varied
profession. This has given me the freedom to explore the many
interests I have and to adjust my career as my interests evolve
and change.
My professional interests are wide-ranging and diverse. I
am actively involved in research and projects relating to ecological
restoration, ethnobotanical use of plants, native plant habitats,
urban forestry, and the healing and restorative properties of
landscapes. Although these interests seem disparate, I feel there
is a common bond among them. Nature and my love for nature is
the common thread weaving together my interests. I have always
felt an affinity for the natural environment. I enjoy walking,
hiking, camping, traveling, and being out in nature as much as
possible. This is where I find inspiration, hope, strength, and
the feeling of being at my best and most alive. My involvement
in ecological restoration and native plant habitats gives me
opportunities to "heal the earth". Likewise being involved
in projects related to the healing and restorative properties
of landscapes helps me to "heal" others. As a survivor
of cancer and a traumatic brain injury, I am uniquely aware of
the therapeutic benefits of nature and can relate to those dealing
with health issues and their need for well thought out landscape
designs that fit their needs.
Statement of Educational Philosophy
I believe that formal education serves as an extension of the
individual's innate desire and need to explore and understand
the world around them. As an educator, I am a facilitator in
this exploration. I believe in the collaborative dialogue of
learning between student and teacher. I can impart the knowledge
I have in a particular field, but I feel that what is just as
important is the encouragement, understanding, and challenges
I can give a student. When the formal educational process ends,
hopefully the student has been given a strong foundation of knowledge
and has been instilled with the passion and love of learning.
Licenses
Registered Landscape Architect, California license #3857
Certified Arborist, license #WC - 3274
Honors
Merit Award, American Society of Landscape Architects, for assistance
with Landscape Plants for Western Regions, 1993
Award of Excellence, Architectural Commission, City of Claremont,
for landscape design of Intercultural Gardens at Pitzer College,
Claremont, 1996
Member, Sigma
Lambda Alpha, Honor Society of Landscape Architecture
Member, Tau Sigma Delta,
Honor Society of Architecture and Allied Arts
Recipient of Irritrol Scholarship in Landscape Architecture,
1990
Memberships
American Society of Landscape
Architects (ASLA)
Amnesty International (AI)
California Exotic Pest Plant
Council (CalEPPC)
California Native Plant Society
(CNPS)
Claremont
Wildlands Conservancy (CWC), member of Board of Directors
Heal The Bay (HTB),
(check out HTB's, Stream
Team's Malibu Creek Watershed monitoring project)
International Society of
Arboriculture (ISA)
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic
Garden (RSABG), volunteer docent since 1991
Society for Ecological Restoration
(SER)
Southern California
Botanists (SCB)
Hobbies
I am interested in photography and classical guitar as hobbies,
and active in hiking, botanizing, camping, bicycling, and traveling.
Family
My wife, Rebecca Rollins, is a Professor of Music at Saddleback
College in Mission Viejo. Besides being a wonderful person, she
is an accomplished pianist performing frequently in southern
California and throughout the United States.
Another important member of our family is our dog Sassy. Besides
being as sweet as can be, she gets us out for our daily walks
and makes each one quite an adventure in exploration. She surely
is a joy to have around.
Travel
Although I have lived my whole life in southern California, I
do have a large dose of wanderlust. I have traveled extensively
throughout the United States (I have visited 48 of the 50 states)
and have traveled many times to Europe. |