The response below references the JHub post:

 Is Idaho State University Bleeding Faculty, Staff, and Student Talent? ,

That post included the following sentiments:

"John Kijinski as Dean is doing quite well at SUNY Fredonia. John Knox will soon begin as Dean at Mankato State. Mark Salisbury, whom ISU persecuted for over a year, has won regional and national awards at U of Iowa. Ed Nuhfer is Director of Faculty Development and Professor of Geoscience at California State University Channel Islands. Ed has been instrumental in securing three grants while being well supported to deliver academic workshops twice a month. Linda Deck who made the Idaho Museum a major cultural centerpiece of SE Idaho and her husband Ralph, who brought in over a $million in grants; they are both are at Los Alamos. One of ISU’s top researchers, Rob Van Kirk, has been snatched up this year by the Cal State system at the Humboldt campus."

and ...

"Ken Bain, author of a best-selling book on college teaching about former ISU history professor Bradley Simpson, entitled What the Best College Teachers Do, wrote in an email: 

“By the way ... Bradley Simpson is headed to Princeton. With his new book coming out, he got offers from Princeton, Northwestern, Stanford, and I think maybe Chicago--but I'm not sure on the latter.  The book, Economists with Guns, promises to be one of the most important works in diplomatic history to emerge in a long time...".

*****

Ed Nuhfer responded:

Hi Michael --

It’s nice to read good things about Brad and other good people in your blog, and about what they are currently contributing to the world. No matter where these people go, they will accomplish good things. I have surely enjoyed the opportunities in my work here, but also affirm I enjoyed those years I had at Idaho State University.

Your two workshops a month note was an understatement—it has been closer to three—and this is about the first month in sixteen that I have not gone to a conference or given a workshop. We recently held a most successful Boot Camp for Profs® in Colorado, and again had a terrific ISU faculty participant.

Life’s really fine here in CA —one can get indigestion feeding on all the opportunities. I once was the only faculty developer in Idaho; now I have over twenty colleagues in just my own university system alone--a system which produces 90,000 graduates a year, but it’s the leadership quality rather than the size that accounts for the opportunities.  We also have 15 of our folks in the Olympics, which makes these weeks particularly special for us.

Incidentally, Ken Bain was Brad Simpson’s advisor. Brad lent me the most worn copy of Ken’s “What the Best College Teachers Do” I had ever seen. It is obvious he used and treasured that book. I recall Brad as a very kind person and extremely dedicated to students’ success. He was one of the most supportive people for faculty development when we were there together at ISU. I am happy he has such an abundance of success.

It is usual for competent people to move to and from campuses all the time. What makes the ISU situation less usual (and perhaps generated this blog) is the negative innuendo spread from within ISU in recent years (after Brad’s departure, I believe) about those departing or reassigned.  It is hard to find anything from elsewhere comparable to the disrespect shown in The Chronicle article... about Van Kirk, or the planting of "Dean Demoted…" headline articles about Dr. John Knox complete with university photos alongside incongruous statements of "confidential personnel decision" in local newspapers. Both articles appeared after I left ISU. I (and others) wrote letters reprimanding the editor of the Idaho State Journal for printing the latter. In the end, it appears the only things disgruntled locals who planted such innuendo produced were some very nice career advances for their intended victims, some vacancies at ISU, and some major successes for other universities.

I maintain contact with friends and colleagues at ISU and some ISU folks who relocated to varied places. It’s always good to correspond with them. A co-author and past student from intro geology (Creative Writing Major), Pam Mosbrucker, and her colleague Tobin Alder just had their second edition of “Cyber Gold...” published and sent me a copy. They are wonderful folks there in Pocatello, with an ever growing national reputation for their innovative work.  

An enthusiastic and very fun group of ISU geology majors stayed at my house in Colorado last fall when attending the national Geological Society of America Meeting, and I learned recently that past geology chair Scott Hughes is now acting dean of Arts & Sciences. He was excellent as chair and could be a fine dean at any institution.