Curriculum Vitae Essay

Cameron Douglas Craig

Professor Laureate, 2010-2011

Geographer, Climatologist, and Documentarian

Department of Geology/Geography

Eastern Illinois University 

“Life is difficult, but you must tackle your Goozle-Goggle in every moment!” Craig begins.

Professor Craig is a senior instructor in the Department of Geology/Geography at Eastern Illinois University. Hired in 2005, he oversees the Broadcast Meteorology Program, training future broadcast meteorologists in the field of meteorology and climatology in the department as well as WEIUs primetime news program ‘News Watch’ that is produced live five days a week. Craig is also an award-winning documentarian that has produced and directed, with students, several documentaries including “Stinging Dust and Forgotten Lives: The Dust Bowl,” “Expedition Nature’s Realm,” and “Returning to Paradise: Voices of the Human Spirit.”

Craig is formally educated through two master’s degrees from Indiana State University (2003) and Eastern Illinois University (2021). “CDC,” as he is known by his students, began his academic career in Music Performance at Indiana State University in 1989 as a vocal performance major learning to be an opera performer. Mr. Craig did not finish his music degree but left the field in 1993 to work at Columbia House, a mail-order CD and VHS company, until 1997. Returning to academia in 1997, Craig returned to Indiana State University to complete his bachelor’s degree in history with a focus on Russian/Soviet and Western European history. At the end of his final semester, fall of 1999, he took Weather & Climate to complete his general education requirement. During his last semester courses, his geography professor, Dr. John Oliver, inquired about his prospects: “I intend to return to finish a teaching degree in history to teach high school classrooms about the truth,” Craig replied. His professor persuaded him to continue the next level of academia as a graduate student in geography with the focus on historical climatology. He listened to his professor and took on the challenge.

In the spring of 2000, Craig began his path of academia in geography with climatology as his focus. This new path would benefit both Craig and his future students as this was a passionate move. Finishing his master’s thesis, “Reconstructing Indiana’s Climate of the Nineteenth Century using Historical Documents,” in 2003, Craig began working on his doctorate. Yet, an opportunity to teach at the nearby university, Eastern Illinois University, took hold in Craig’s path in life. 

In 2005, Craig began his employment at Eastern Illinois University in the Department of Geology/Geography as instructor teaching Weather & Climate (GEO 1400) and Spaceship Earth (EIU 4101). Yet, an unfortunate moment changed his direction in academia as a candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Geography.

After the passing of his advisor, Dr. John Oliver, in 2008, Craig did not continue his dissertation proposal, “Substituting the Geographic Term Paper with a Documentary,” and ended his candidacy for the terminal degree. Therefore, Craig is not a Doctor of Philosophy but only a Master of Art in the field of Geography. Craig continued his employment at Eastern as geographer and climatologist with an added title of coordinator of the Broadcast Meteorology Program.

The Broadcast Meteorology Program was built into the geography curriculum at Eastern in the fall of 2005 by Belyat Kahn, Ph.D. The program was only academic in nature. Craig changed the program by implementing a crucial course, the Broadcast Meteorology Practicum, that merged both the science and communication fields into a single course that gave students practical experience. The program grew with numerous students successfully securing profitable jobs in high markets across the nation as long as they participated in WEIUs “News Watch” production.

For his ingenuity and skill in general educational quality at Eastern, Craig was nominated by Vince Gutowski for the honor of Professor Laureate in 2010. The honor was accepted, and Craig became the 2010 Professor Laureate for the University in providing exceptional general education for students at Eastern Illinois University.

Craig continued his teaching in Weather & Climate and Spaceship Earth, but also developed a specialized course for the Broadcast Meteorology curriculum. He was also entrusted to teach various courses in the department based on his academic credentials: Cultural Geography, Earth Science, World Regional Geography, Climate & History, and Climatology.

As documentarian, Craig co-produced and co-directed, with his students, several documentary films that have aired on various Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) across Illinois and Indiana. Of the documentaries, “Stinging Dust & Forgotten Lives: The Dust Bowl” is the most aired and used in classroom throughout the world. It is an alternate source for classrooms to the long-form feature, “The Dust Bowl,” by Ken Burns on the American Library Association’s (ALA) website. It continues to be used by middle and high school classrooms as well as particular geographic, literature, and social studies courses at the university level around the world in understanding the significance of the Dust Bowl in society.

Craig continues to develop documentary films. The various films he has produced include ideas from his students for the purpose of communicating issues that need to be brought to the public’s attention. These films have aired on PBS and have received positive comments from the public. The films include, “Returning to Paradise: Voices of the Human Spirit,” which details the human repercussions of the Deep Horizon Oil Well Spill in 2010; “Nature’s Fury & the Human Spirit,” which discusses the effect of the May 26^th, 1917 tornado on Mattoon and Charleston, Illinois (co-produced and co-directed by Professor William Lovekamp, EIU); and “Expedition Nature’s Realm,” a series that discusses the intersection between nature and human that is Earth. These films have been used by many classrooms across the world’s landscape to educate younger generations about our place on Earth.

Craig never forgot his musician skills and began his studies has an orchestral student conductor in August 2015 at Easter Illinois University. Under the tutelage of Maestro Richard Rossi, he began a master’s degree in the Department of Music at Eastern. His education continued under David R. Commanday, music director of the Heartland Festival Orchestra, a few years later and he received his master’s in conducting in May of 2021. Since then, Craig continues his role as Assisting Post-Graduate Conductor of the Eastern Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Commanday.

Craig’s double master’s degree in geography and music is an achievement to finish his academic endeavors to merge history, geography, science, culture, and philosophy for understanding truth – a truth of understanding humanity and our presence on Earth. This philosophical approach is the foremost outline of his course, Spaceship Earth.

Craig hails from Noblesville, Indiana. Born a Hoosier in 1970, Craig is proud to be a resident of Illinois since 2011. His family ancestry spans many generations back to England and Scotland and he is very proud to call himself Scottish. His ancestorial ties date back to Sam Houston, the president of Texas, via Houston’s sister. Proud of his ancestry, Craig continues to study his line with other decedents, which is a study of geography, his true passion within the field. 

Craig enjoys traveling, along with his husband, Joshua, an Eastern 2024 graduate in hospitality. The two continue to explore the wonders of our planet, mainly for education. Craig’s grandmother was a world traveler and took him on various adventures including a trip to the Middle East in 1984 at the age of 13. He never forgot that offering, thus the reason for becoming a geographer. Although Craig’s mother said he “could not do anything but music,” he defied her statement and explored his world on his own. He determined that geography and history was his passion. Music was put on hold because it was put on him by his mother. Understanding more about the world historically and geographically was what he really wanted to do, and it shows.

Craig’s course offerings demonstrate his passion to educate future generations about the world we all live. Spaceship Earth, a senior seminar, is a course that Craig is extremely passionate in teaching whenever he can. It demonstrates the importance of his philosophy of who we are on a planet we all inhabit and the importance of protecting it for future generations. Craig’s attitude in the course presents critical thinking of issues not commonly known to students and they begin to rethink their attitudes about the world we live, geographically.

Craig has self-published various essays and educational materials in the last decade. They are available to anyone but most importantly to his students. Among the various essays published, his eulogies to his grandmother and grandfather Craig are most relevant to his students. At the beginning of each semester since their passing in 2015, Craig recites the two essays to his students. “Our Goozle-Goggle,” a phrase frequently stated by his grandmother in Craig’s youth is the most revered by students because it gives students a chance to understand that life is not easy. “Give it a try, for it is good for your Goozle-Goggle!”

Professor Craig has been devoted to his students in his position at Eastern Illinois University since 2005. He remembers being a student and transfers that understanding to his own students’ present situation. “They need a chance to acclimate to the landscape of being a university student to defy other’s idea that university doesn’t promote success. The university does promote success and understanding in a world divided. Here we are! Together we are! We must embrace one another!” His idea is to encourage students to be successful and to promote unfortunate ones to a better situation. “The world is full of adventures. Everyone must explore the wonders set before us! Explore, observe, and educate everyone about the splendors of our world!” Craig concludes.