James Skillen
- Dr. James Skillen
- Associate Professor, Preserve Director
- Geology, Geography, and Environment, Urban Studies, Global Development Studies, Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens
- North Hall 071 (Map)
- (616) 526-7546
- jrs39@calvin.edu
- Curriculum Vitae
Education
- Completed a BS in Environmental Science at Wheaton College, 1996
- Earned an MA in Theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2000
- Received his PhD in Natural Resource Policy from Cornell University, 2006
- From 2006–2008 taught at Valparaiso University, Indiana
- Joined GEO department in 2008
Current Teaching
- Human Modification of the Global Environment (ENST 210)
- Environment and Society: issues and policies (ENST 302)
- Seminar in Environmental Studies (ENST 395)
- Special Topics in Environmental Law
- Occasional field courses in the American West
- Yosemite National Park interim, May 2019
Biography
- Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland
Academic interests
- Federal land and resource policy
- The American west
Publications
- Skillen, James R. This Land is My Land: Enduring Public Lands Conflicts (Expected completion, 2019)
- ______. “Interview with Dr. James Skillen: Author, Scholar & Public Lands Supporter,” The Public Lands Monitor, XXXI, no. 2 (Summer 2018): 8-10.
- ______. Review of Yellowstone and the Smithsonian: Centers of Wildlife Conservation, by Diane Smith. The American Historical Review, 122, no. 5 (December 2017): 1615-1616.
- ______. Review of From Nature to Creation: A Christian Vision for Understanding and Loving Our World, by Norman Wirzba. Christian Scholars Review, XLVI, no. 4 (Summer 2017): 426-428.
- ______. “Give Us a King.” Perspectives: A Journal of Reformed Thought, April 29, 2017.
- Skillen, James R. and James W. Skillen. “The Trump Presidency: Everything Up for Grabs.” KLICE Comment, February 2017.
- Skillen, James R. Ecosystem Management: Its Rise, Fall, and Afterlife. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2015.
- ______. The Nation’s Largest Landlord: The Bureau of Land Management in the American West. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2009.
In the news
Faculty Profile: James Skillen
In an ideal world, Calvin professor James Skillen says, his job description would be simple: backpacking. "Unfortunately, though, that’s not how it works," he joked.
Nature is medicine: Calvin works to connect community with nature
Calvin University has joined the Campus Nature Rx Network, a group of 24 U.S. and Canadian Institutions that work together to help college students with their mental health through equitable engagement with nature.
Tapping Calvin's maple resources
Environmental studies professor James Skillen is no stranger to syrup.
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