Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences

Joshua Millspaugh and a colleague have been invited to give presentations nationwide on their inventive approaches to problem-based learning, but the best testament to Millspaugh’s teaching is his students’ high regard. “Dr. Millspaugh commands the utmost respect from students”, a recent graduate says. “His high expectations challenge students to work to their potential, producing high-quality, professional-level research and reports. Over and over, they rise to meet his challenge because they value his opinion.”

Demonstrating the applications of his subjects is a cornerstone of Millspaugh’s teaching. A colleague marvels how “students with ‘math phobia’ going into his courses emerge with confidence that they can use these quantitative tools and concepts in the real world.” Millspaugh recently created a new graduate level course, a consulting project in which students will present their findings to the National Park Service. “The students are accountable for the products,” says one of Millspaugh’s former teaching assistants, “and the process of creating them is where learning occurs.”

Millspaugh earned his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), his master’s degree from South Dakota State University and his doctorate from the University of Washington, where he also completed his postdoctoral study. He joined the MU faculty in 1999 and has received numerous teaching awards, including the Provost’s Outstanding Junior Faculty Teaching Award and the Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.