Dr. Wil Rake

My doctoral training is based in the social sciences. However, as a graduate student I specialized in “social relationships,” in both a scientific and very personal way. Just ask my students. After all the blood, sweat, tears, and alcohol, I finally was awarded a Ph.D. As the norm with many scholars in my field, I was expected to obtain additional training and develop another research specialization. I landed a post-doc thanks to my advisor’s reputation and status in the discipline. I toiled in my post-doc for three years in a new state and culture. I published a handful of articles, never saw my supervisor (who was busy enjoying the conference circuit), and thus I continued to appreciate the student body. Besides falling hopelessly in lust with 22-year-olds, I became a connoisseur of the finer things in life. That period of scientific productivity despite functional alcoholism, inappropriate sexual behavior, and a double-life of leisure has shaped me to be “that professor.” You know…the one the deadwood hate, colleagues gravitate toward, and girls with daddy issues seek out. My classes are always full — for one reason or another. I have been on the tenure-track since August 2009. As one might expect, I have a mid-tenure review on the horizon. Don’t dare ask me where I profess. All I can reveal is that this well-known institution is west of the Mississippi, and ranks in the Top 30 of the U.S. News and World Report.