Faculty Friday; Meet Dr. Matt Nickerson, Library & Jumpstart
Posted: October 20, 2016 | Author: Abigail Wyatt | Read Time: 2 minutes
Dr. Matthew Nickerson is the associate dean and department chair of Library Services at Southern Utah University. He has a broad range of expertise using computer and telecommunication technology to deliver cultural heritage information to audiences in new and creative ways. He has done groundbreaking work developing online multimedia museum exhibits and telephony-based museum tours. His current research interests include integrated learning, outdoor experiential learning and Victorian book design.
Nickerson earned a Bachelor of Biochemistry, a Master of Library and Information Science and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting Performance.
Nickerson teaches the following class:
LM 1010 Information Literacy
Jumpstart GE
He has been involved in Jumpstart since its creation in 2015. Jumpstart is designed to help students complete all their general education requirements in one year and is taught by a team of nine professors who integrate each of the general education requirements to show students how all subjects are interrelated.
“Jumpstart is the coolest thing I’ve done in my 25 years of higher education,” said Nickerson.
Nickerson strongly believes in the importance of taking advantage of southern Utah’s natural surroundings to impact and improve education. He helped found the Partners in the Parks program. Partners in the Parks, celebrating 10 years this fall, is an outdoor experiential learning program that has sponsored 55 projects at 37 different parks for over 500 student participants. It is now coordinated by the National Collegiate Honors Council.
Nickerson also has a passion for Shakespeare and created an exhibit titled “Willy the Kid: Shakespeare in the American West” to commemorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. He also began the Journal of the Wooden O Symposium, a yearly, peer-reviewed academic publication focusing on all things Shakespeare.
“My students and the joy of learning are what get me up every day,” said Nickerson.
Truly a Jack-of-all-Trades, Nickerson served as Honors Program Director, has been featured in many publications, including Innovative Use of Information Technology by Colleges, and has experience working on the stage. He dedicates his time to create meaningful, learning experiences for SUU students.
This article was published more than 5 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: Faculty
