Charles McGlothlin
Assistant Professor
Occupational Safety and Health
Charles McGlothlin is the program director of Occupational Safety and Health in the School of Health Sciences at Oakland University, a revitalized program he renamed after numerous visits with current and past students now in the workforce. After renaming and revamping, according to student and community needs, he spent two years gathering student-centered data to gain national accreditation. His success is relevant because it transforms the student experience.
McGlothlin brings nearly 30 years of industry experience, that is, work experience in the profession, all gained before he went back to school to earn his doctorate. He brings real-world issues and concerns to the classroom, something that more often than not, only students who graduate and join the workforce realize and appreciate years later. McGlothlin, while relatively new and extremely enthusiastic in the academic world, is a seasoned veteran who brings so many valuable and intriguing stories to the classroom.
His intense expertise did not go unnoticed this past year, as the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recognized him as the 2006 Educator of the Year. This award was based on his nationally recognized contribution to teaching, service and research in occupational safety and health, all of which collectively makes him an excellent teacher. He shares these experiences with his students on a daily basis.
McGlothlin also listens to his students, current and past. He was recently interviewed and published by the "Oakland Business Review" and the American Society of Safety Engineers regarding his innovative Master of Science in Safety Management degree offered in the fall of 2006. For the first time at Oakland University, he brought the School of Health Sciences and the School of Business Administration together in a collaborative academic program, touted by industry experts in Michigan as one of the best academic endeavors for their profession in recent decades.
McGlothlin has established a research focus in experiential learning and safety system management which has resulted in partnerships with major corporations, professional societies, and professional associations regionally and nationally. He has acquired research grants and material support, most notably from DaimlerChrysler for diversity in the classroom. To help students gain experiential learning, he also secured funds from ASSE, and the Midwest Cooperative Education and Internship Association to develop new and better internships in southeast Michigan.
Year after year, McGlothlin nurtures and encourages students to excel. This year, one example is Renee Hawatmeh, chosen to receive the Undergraduate Distinguished Achievement Award for Oakland University.This award is, in large part, due to Hawatmeh’s work with McGlothlin on an analysis of ergonomically related injuries in nursing homes that is developing into a research project that is getting national attention. In 2005 McGlothlin was the faculty sponsor for the first OSH student to participate in the Meeting of the Minds XIII and the faculty sponsor for an OSH student presentation at the Region VI ASSE PDC in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Also, in the last two years McGlothlin has made four peer reviewed presentations and four invited presentations at the regional and national levels. He has also published six peer reviewed articles in the last two years and is currently working with undergraduate OSH students on presentation and possible publications for 2007.