UMKC is often touted as an Urban University where non-traditional students may pursue seemingly limitless opportunities in higher education. Dan Stroud, a doctoral student in the School of Education, is a great and exciting example of this.
A native of St Louis, Dan would spend his high school years in Texas. A defensive tackle on the gridiron during high school, Dan developed an inclination for sports journalism at an early age. He credits a voracious appetite for reading Sports Illustrated at an early age as a driving force in his early development as a sports writer, and this later evolved into various job opportunities he experienced in sports journalism. While in high school, this defensive tackle wrote for the Palestine Herald Press newspaper as a stringer and sports writer.
Dan spent 4 years in the Navy after graduating from high school. When he was discharged he went to Jefferson College in St Louis for two years and then went on to Mizzou for one year in journalism. However, he realized then that being at a large university may not have been what he envisioned at that time. He radically changed his focus at a time when most of his contemporaries would have been settling down after college.
Dan went on to spend the next 13 years in the hotel business where he went from front desk clerk to general manager and lived in a variety of places including Greensboro, North Carolina, and Colorado Springs, CO. In 1998, Dan moved to Kansas City where he helped open as Assistant General Manager, the Hampton Inn and Suites on the Plaza.
After settling in Kansas City, he had a change of heart and began migrating away from the hectic hotel industry, making a conscious decision to become more engaged in career opportunities that were less about business and more about people. In 2005 Dan entered UMKC and graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. While he was at UMKC he was able to return to his original love and affinity for sports journalism. He worked as the sports editor for the University News and developed a column called “Out of the Pouch.” Putting his people skills and ambitions to work, he met a lot of people both on campus and in Kansas City and many people got a chance to know Dan through his columns.
The “Pouch” earned him notoriety at both the state and national level; the proudest work being a eulogy for the late Cynthia Gabel, a former Assistant Athletics Director for Internal Operations at UMKC who had lost a tough battle with cancer in August of 2007. The article was later picked nationally by the NCAA News and eventually won top honors for column work by the Missouri Collegiate Media Association.
In August of 2008, Dan was contacted by Political Science Professor Max Skidmore about a new and more expansive opportunity. Dr. Skidmore had contacted the second year masters student to help develop a new e-journal entitled Poverty and Public Policy, where Dan became the managing editor. Together the two have produced twelve issues and more than three volumes of content for the upstart global journal. In the process, they have also established the first poverty caucus at the American Political Science Association’s annual convention.
While this was a part time job that was both fulfilling and helped him pay the bills, he was also able to develop his skills in teaching American Government, first on-line and then in the classroom. Dan completed his MA in Political Science this past December.
Armed with two degrees, the next question Dan asked himself was “what should I do next”? He thought about teaching at a community college, but thought that this was too limiting. He began to think larger with the help of Dr. Carolyn Thompson in the School of Education who encouraged him to look at a career path in higher education administration. After giving some thought to this, he entered into the Ed.D program here at UMKC and then began work in the Provost’s Office with Dr. Nathan Lindsay, Assistant Vice Provost for Assessment.
Dan has taken to this position with new passion and has set his goals on entering higher education administration with a focus toward assessment. He believes that this area has the ability to touch students by offering them experiences to take with them for the rest of their lives. One of his first accomplishments in the office of assessment was using his journalism talents to develop a newsletter for the campus on this topic. But make no mistake, Dan has not forgotten his love for sports nor his passion for writing. He is a St. Louis Cardinals fan first and foremost, and will find time for this fan’s vice when time is available. His priorities, however, clearly fall within the realm of higher education.
Moreover, Dan is an example of a life-long learner who has had many experiences and yet has many new experiences in store for the future. Not a bad resume for a former high school defensive tackle with a knack for journalism, and proof positive that it is never too late to achieve your passions!