Hello most gentle web browser,
I am Jim Coleman. That means a lot of different things. Below is a summary of some of those things, mostly related to work. I had an executive coach in Arkansas who told me (meant very positively) that I am a golden retriever. A person at the University of Idaho, many years ago, told me that I was a distinctive mix between being laid back and intense. Now I know that was autism speaking. In any case, if you imagine a human version of the personality of a golden retriever, who also loves to argue even when I know I am wrong, and who screams at the TV during football games, you'll get a good sense of who I am.
After graduating with a degree in Forestry from the University of Maine in 1982 and postponing the work of the Stairwell String Duo, and a PhD from Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1987 (now Yale School for the Environment). I started traveling a circuitous path that led me metaphorically to the top of some beautiful mountains, to alder thickets so dense I couldn't see my hands, to bogs that almost swallowed me whole, and to many roads I never imagined traveling- some good, some bad. That trek continues.
And, I trek a lot. Adele Coleman has been very patient. Here is where I have been after Yale:
We plan to stay in Greensboro. You'll understand why if you look at the Lake Jeanette tab. Plus, Adele is really tired of moving and I promised this was the last move.
I am currently a professor biology and grad program director at UNCG (but enter phased retirement in August, 2025- moving to 1/2 time). I am a former Chief Research Officer, Dean, and Provost. I was elected as Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018 for my contributions to plant physiological ecology and building research infrastructure in universities and statewide. If you ask Chat GPT about my role in ecology, it will tell you that my work has been foundational, but then it only gets my work about half right. But, I am not going to argue with AI.
This blog tells a story of my early research career
I also care a lot about teaching. I can't help caring a lot about students, and they tell me that it matters a lot. The Student Government Association at UNCG made me their nominee for the UNC system's William Friday Lifetime Achievement award for serving students in 2025 as I head into phased retirement. I didn't win. I knew I wouldn't win since the winners are almost always senior administrators. But, being nominated, by surprise, by students, felt like winning the Nobel Prize given where my head is these days.
My passion for facilitating every student reaching their full potential led to my appointment on the National Science Foundation's Congressionally mandated Committee for Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, just as the Trump Administration started to reverse these sorts of effort. For the moment, though, that Committee still survives.
I blog a lot on this website about, higher education, being autistic, nature, and hopefully more often in the future things that I hope readers find amusing.
I care deeply about higher education, and worry that we are losing our way. I am also totally sick of spin and superficiality of higher ed leaders. There are blogs on this site about that.
I discovered in my late fifties that I am a person on the autism spectrum. The assessment was transformational. It is as if I spent fifty-nine years thinking I was just a messed-up horse, only to discover I am a zebra. I am starting a book, "pathologically genuine" and have started to be on my panels to give my perspective on navigating higher ed as an autistic person. Please contact me if you are interested and think I can help your organization or you. Happy to send you references for feedback on those who heard me speak.
I suffered from challenges with serious depression and anxiety as many autistic people do. I do everything I can to destigmatize mental health challenges and spend a great deal of time with students helping them. Students tell me this has meant a lot to them.
I play guitar and piano and write songs for classes. Much to my surprise, students actually think I play and sing well- even when they have no need to. I will actually mostly play guitar and sing as the speaker at the Biology Department's May 2025 graduation ceremony.
I would always rather be with a dog- a common trait for many autistic people. Brea (English Cream Golden Retriever), one of two current canine companions (Kira [Bichon Frise] is the other companion), is now a certified therapy dog with Dogs with a Purpose. UNCG students love her. I am also hoping to bring her to schools with high functioning neurodiverse students. She is always happy to volunteer if she is invited. Brea missed out on the golden retriever genes for retrieving and swimming, but she had multiple gene duplications with respect to being calm and loving people.
l am a reformed administrator who returned to a faculty role after 25 years from the dark side as a former provost, former dean, and former chief research officer. That return wasn't my choice, but it was one of the best decisions the universe made for me. You can read ad nauseum about my administrative experiences and accomplishments by clicking the "Curriculum vitae" tab. In all of those roles I was dedicated to the transformational mission of higher education and making institutions better.
You'll see in my curriculum vitae that I'd like to think I made important contributions as a senior leader, but that may be a self delusion. Administrators mostly achieve success by empowering others or saying "yes" or "no" at the right times or hiring and/or empowering great people. I do feel like I did that.
You will probably also note that I don't do a good job of keeping a boundary between the professional and the personal. This is a symptom of being pathologically genuine- a phenotype of my autism. As you might imagine that phenotype can be a superpower or kryptonite at the same time.
There are many great things of no longer being an administrator. The only upside of being a senior administrator I see these days was getting paid three times as much as a faculty member, but now I am not sure if the stress was worth it. A great upside of not being a senior administrator is that I am totally done with dress shirts, suits and ties. It's t-shirts, pullovers, blue jeans and sneakers.
My hobbies have mostly been working for 40 years, so moving to retirement is going to be interesting. The other major hobby I have is our canine companions who bring us joy every day. Braiding Sweetgrass was a transformational book for me in how I experience nature. So, you will also find me kayaking around Lake Jeanette talking to the herons and every other organisms, thanking them for sharing the lake with me. I also hike around doing the same thing. I can also often be found in front of the TV intensely watching the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins.
I am Jim Coleman. That means a lot of different things. Below is a summary of some of those things, mostly related to work. I had an executive coach in Arkansas who told me (meant very positively) that I am a golden retriever. A person at the University of Idaho, many years ago, told me that I was a distinctive mix between being laid back and intense. Now I know that was autism speaking. In any case, if you imagine a human version of the personality of a golden retriever, who also loves to argue even when I know I am wrong, and who screams at the TV during football games, you'll get a good sense of who I am.
After graduating with a degree in Forestry from the University of Maine in 1982 and postponing the work of the Stairwell String Duo, and a PhD from Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1987 (now Yale School for the Environment). I started traveling a circuitous path that led me metaphorically to the top of some beautiful mountains, to alder thickets so dense I couldn't see my hands, to bogs that almost swallowed me whole, and to many roads I never imagined traveling- some good, some bad. That trek continues.
And, I trek a lot. Adele Coleman has been very patient. Here is where I have been after Yale:
- Stanford U. (Postdoc)
- Harvard U. (Postdoc)
- Syracuse U (Assistant and Associate Professor)
- National Science Foundation (program officer for ecological and evolutionary physiology)
- Desert Research Institute (ultimately Vice President for Research and Business Development)
- University of Missouri (Vice Chancellor for Research)
- Rice University (Vice Provost for Research)
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU; Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences)
- Northern Arizona University (Provost)
- University of Arkansas (Provost)
- University of North Carolina- Greensboro (UNCG; Provost) and then Professor and Graduate Program Directory, department of Biology
We plan to stay in Greensboro. You'll understand why if you look at the Lake Jeanette tab. Plus, Adele is really tired of moving and I promised this was the last move.
I am currently a professor biology and grad program director at UNCG (but enter phased retirement in August, 2025- moving to 1/2 time). I am a former Chief Research Officer, Dean, and Provost. I was elected as Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018 for my contributions to plant physiological ecology and building research infrastructure in universities and statewide. If you ask Chat GPT about my role in ecology, it will tell you that my work has been foundational, but then it only gets my work about half right. But, I am not going to argue with AI.
This blog tells a story of my early research career
I also care a lot about teaching. I can't help caring a lot about students, and they tell me that it matters a lot. The Student Government Association at UNCG made me their nominee for the UNC system's William Friday Lifetime Achievement award for serving students in 2025 as I head into phased retirement. I didn't win. I knew I wouldn't win since the winners are almost always senior administrators. But, being nominated, by surprise, by students, felt like winning the Nobel Prize given where my head is these days.
My passion for facilitating every student reaching their full potential led to my appointment on the National Science Foundation's Congressionally mandated Committee for Equal Opportunity in Science and Engineering, just as the Trump Administration started to reverse these sorts of effort. For the moment, though, that Committee still survives.
I blog a lot on this website about, higher education, being autistic, nature, and hopefully more often in the future things that I hope readers find amusing.
I care deeply about higher education, and worry that we are losing our way. I am also totally sick of spin and superficiality of higher ed leaders. There are blogs on this site about that.
I discovered in my late fifties that I am a person on the autism spectrum. The assessment was transformational. It is as if I spent fifty-nine years thinking I was just a messed-up horse, only to discover I am a zebra. I am starting a book, "pathologically genuine" and have started to be on my panels to give my perspective on navigating higher ed as an autistic person. Please contact me if you are interested and think I can help your organization or you. Happy to send you references for feedback on those who heard me speak.
I suffered from challenges with serious depression and anxiety as many autistic people do. I do everything I can to destigmatize mental health challenges and spend a great deal of time with students helping them. Students tell me this has meant a lot to them.
I play guitar and piano and write songs for classes. Much to my surprise, students actually think I play and sing well- even when they have no need to. I will actually mostly play guitar and sing as the speaker at the Biology Department's May 2025 graduation ceremony.
I would always rather be with a dog- a common trait for many autistic people. Brea (English Cream Golden Retriever), one of two current canine companions (Kira [Bichon Frise] is the other companion), is now a certified therapy dog with Dogs with a Purpose. UNCG students love her. I am also hoping to bring her to schools with high functioning neurodiverse students. She is always happy to volunteer if she is invited. Brea missed out on the golden retriever genes for retrieving and swimming, but she had multiple gene duplications with respect to being calm and loving people.
l am a reformed administrator who returned to a faculty role after 25 years from the dark side as a former provost, former dean, and former chief research officer. That return wasn't my choice, but it was one of the best decisions the universe made for me. You can read ad nauseum about my administrative experiences and accomplishments by clicking the "Curriculum vitae" tab. In all of those roles I was dedicated to the transformational mission of higher education and making institutions better.
You'll see in my curriculum vitae that I'd like to think I made important contributions as a senior leader, but that may be a self delusion. Administrators mostly achieve success by empowering others or saying "yes" or "no" at the right times or hiring and/or empowering great people. I do feel like I did that.
You will probably also note that I don't do a good job of keeping a boundary between the professional and the personal. This is a symptom of being pathologically genuine- a phenotype of my autism. As you might imagine that phenotype can be a superpower or kryptonite at the same time.
There are many great things of no longer being an administrator. The only upside of being a senior administrator I see these days was getting paid three times as much as a faculty member, but now I am not sure if the stress was worth it. A great upside of not being a senior administrator is that I am totally done with dress shirts, suits and ties. It's t-shirts, pullovers, blue jeans and sneakers.
My hobbies have mostly been working for 40 years, so moving to retirement is going to be interesting. The other major hobby I have is our canine companions who bring us joy every day. Braiding Sweetgrass was a transformational book for me in how I experience nature. So, you will also find me kayaking around Lake Jeanette talking to the herons and every other organisms, thanking them for sharing the lake with me. I also hike around doing the same thing. I can also often be found in front of the TV intensely watching the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins.