1. Where did you get your undergraduate degree and what was your major?

I earned my B.A. in Intellectual History at the University of Pennsylvania.

2. What brought you to IU?

After finishing my Ph.D. in Philosophy at Columbia University, my first job was on the other side of the country, in Portland Oregon (at Portland State Univ); but in 2002 I had the great fortune to join the Philosophy Dept. at Indiana University, where I’ve been ever since.

3. Do you have any pets? And if so, what are they and what are their names?

 I have two dogs: Pretzel, a 6-year old Jack Russell/rat terrier/Italian Greyhound mix whom we adopted from the Bloomington shelter, and Cheddar, a 2-year old St. Bernard, whom we rescued from a situation of neglect. They are a handful, but they’re really fun and affectionate dogs.

 4. If you could have lunch with one famous person, deceased or alive, who would it be and why?

 I would definitely have lunch with German Enlightenment philosopher, Immanuel Kant! His philosophical works are as important and intriguing as they get, and I’d love to be able to ask him some really burning questions about his moral philosophy and aesthetic theory.  Also, he was reputedly a very sociable guy who never dined alone.

5. Where is your favorite spot on campus?

 My favorite outside spot is on the banks of the Jordan River, outside of Woodburn Hall, but my favorite inside spot is definitely next to the fireplace in that beautiful old room in the IMU. I love to sit by that fireplace even in summer.

6. What current college kid trend(s) are you confused or fascinated by?

 Well, I have two teenage daughters myself, one of whom is in College, so they explain a lot of youth culture to me. But I suppose I am still perplexed by Snapchat and peoples’ “stories” on Snapchat and/or Instagram. What exactly are these “stories”?

 7.Which Hogwarts house do you think you would be sorted into?

I'm pretty sure I'm a Ravenclaw. I've long been fascinated by difficult philosophical problems like the foundation of morality, the nature of consciousness, and what a just society consists of, to name a few. Plus I've devoted my life to higher education rather than fighting monsters and trying to defeat "he who shall not be named," so, yeah, definitely Ravenclaw.