Department of Geography

Faculty Profile

William (Bill) R. Strong, Ph. D., GISP

Education:

About:

UNA was Dr. Strong's first full-time teaching position beginning in 1972. During the past 29 years as Dr. Strong as chair, the Geography Department evolved into an innovative and geospatial technology oriented program. Dr. Strong taught all of the technical courses during this time.  He was a founding member of the Society of Alabama Geographers and Educators (1977) and a co-founder of the Alabama Geographic Alliance (1987).  From 1991-1993, he served as Geographer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC.  In August 2012, he stepped down as chair of the department, and retired from UNA on December 31, 2012. On January 1, 2013, Dr. Strong became a Raymond Isbell Scholar and continues to teach full-time while approximately 75% of his salary and benefits go into the William R. Strong Endowment for Geography Education.  Dr. Strong's research and teaching interests are in cultural geography, geographic education, geographic thought, and geographic of the Middle-East and Latin America.

Activities:

• Geography consultant for the Alabama State Department of Education Social Studies Division
• Faculty coordinator of the Department of Geography Quality Enhancement Plan
• Faculty co-coordinator  for the Department of Geography Strategic Plan
• Co-coordinator of the Alabama Geographic Alliance
• Organizer of summer geography institutes for K-12 educators

Courses: