Rick was brought into a very difficult situation when he was hired 2 years ago.  He was hired to manage GIS or Geospatial Information system and K-State.  Just the name of the system alone is enough to make you take notice.  Rick developed the GIS infrastructure necessary to support national and international efforts of the Consortium for Global Research on Water-Based Economies.  When Rick was hired, the position did not have a lot of specifications and involved a great deal of communication between academic departments. Through the communication efforts, Rick has worked with faculty across campus to identify information important for water resources decision making and planning.
Rick has thrived in the position and rapidly became the GIS expert on campus.  He has defined standards for how GIS systems should be built and has served as a consultant on most of the campus GIS projects.  Rick developed an ArcIMS website.  This website has been demonstrated across Kansas and Texas.
GIS is a relatively new field and Rick has become well versed in the details.  He is using his knowledge to benefit the university as a whole.  This technology will continue to grow on campus and Rick will continue to be a driving force for additional use of GIS technology.