• Ph.D., Cornell University (1980). Development Sociology
• M.A., Ohio University (1974). Interdisciplinary degree in International Affairs
• B.S., Southern Oregon College (1968). History

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT:

• Peace Corps, Malaysia (1968-1971)
• International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), Research Fellow, 1979-1982
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Research Fellow, 1983-1985

• Professor Emeritus (2015 - )
• Professor (1994 - 2015)
• Associate Professor (1988 - 1994)
• Assistant Professor (1985 - 1988)

After something over 30 years, effective October 1, 2015 I have been promoted to the status of Professor Emeritus. In this role I will focus primarily on research related to ongoing projects related to heir property and the implications of concentrated absentee ownership of forestland in Alabama. Both issues are directed related to the prevalence and persistence of poverty in rural Alabama.

UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE
• Chair-elect (2004-2005), Chair (2005-2006) and Immediate Past Chair (2006-2007), Auburn University Faculty & Senate
• Faculty Advisor to the Board of Trustees and member of Presidential Search Committee, 2006-2007
• Comments to the AU Board of Trustees from the Outgoing Faculty Advisor, February 2, 2007
• State of the University: Perspective of the Out-Going Chair, 14 March 2006
• Post-Tenure Review as Trojan Horse, published in The Alabama Academe (state newsletter of the American Association of University Professors), Spring 2007.
• The American Association of University Professors (AAUP): Don't go to the office without it!
• Auburn University Chapter of the AAUP
• Remembrances of Glenn Howze

CURRICULUM VITAE

In excruciating detail

RESEARCH ON SOCIAL FORESTRY IN ALABAMA

Details on research conducted by faculty and students at Auburn University over the past 17 years on social dimensions of forests and the forest products industry in Alabama.

INTERDEPARTMENTAL GRADUATE PROGRAM IN SOCIOLOGY

Guidelines for the program

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

Proposal of research project funded by USDA Agricultural and Food Research Initiative, Foundational Grant program funding a five year project starting September 2015. This grant is run jointly between Tuskegee University and Auburn University with Dr. Robert Zabawa of TU serving as the overall Project Director. Securing the Land for Agricultural and Community Development: Addressing Heir Property as an Asset Building Strategy.

Proposal of research project funded by the USDA Agricultural and Food Research Initiative, Foundational Grant Program funding a five year project starting October 1, 2011. Millions of Acres, Billions of Trees: Social and Economic Impacts of Timberland Sales by the Forest Products Industry in Alabama

Part of the research associated with the "Millions of Acres, Billions of Trees" project was to collect data on timberland ownership in Alabama . These data are summarized HERE. The short story is that Alabama is 70% forested, almost all of which is privately owned. Thirteen percent (2.3 million acres) of all private timberland is owned by the ten largest owners and the largest 30 ownership entities control over 20 percent of all timberland (4 million acres) in the state. Well over half (59%) of all timberland is owned by absentee owners (meaning those who do not live in the county where the land is located). Calculating out-of-state absentee ownership is difficult because a large amount of land is controlled by Timber Investment Management Organizations that are headquartered in Alabama but represent pension funds and other investors that are national in scope. The webpage presents summary data for the State of Alabama and for each of the state's 67 counties. The data are based on public tax records for the year 2012. For many years, the status of Alabama as having the lowest property taxes in the nation has been a subject of debate. Making these data publicly available is intended to provide data not previously available to help inform public debate.

HEIR PROPERTY IN ALABAMA. Learn about the leading cause of land loss among African Americans - both black farmers and residents in small towns and cities across the South the Heir Property in Alabama website

MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

GRASSROOTS CLEARINGHOUSE: DIRECTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN ALABAMA
Alabama is home to a wide assortment of citizen organizations concerned about natural resources, environmental quality and sustainability. This is a web-based directory of approximately 180 such groups in the state which is updated on a regular basis.
Homepage of the Auburn Masters Swim Team. This is what I do for such sanity as I have achieved. Not as yet able to give up my day-time job..

If this is an indication of a middle-aged crisis, it has been going on for some time now: Shellykabuki at age 35