From shoes to lectures
Jason Leiker claims to be boring compared to other professors at Utah State University. He says that even his quirks, such that he sold shoes before lecturing, has five dogs and keeps old cardboard boxes, among others, makes him entirely uninteresting.
Leiker hails from Hayes, Kansas. He got his bachelor’s degree from the Fort Hayes State University and his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University. He came to USU when his wife, Julie Gast, accepted an associate professor position in health education at USU 12 years ago.
Before Leiker moved to Cache Valley to embark on his career, he previously worked selling shoes at J.C.Penney Co. He said he was a good employee and took pride in having the employee ID number of 007, even though it wasn’t his for his entire shoe-selling career.
Currently, Leiker is an actively involved member of the USU faculty in the sociology department. He teaches numerous classes and said he really enjoys and looks forward to teaching. Leiker is a lecturer for criminology, juvenile delinquency, criminal law and justice, social statistics and introductory sociology. Leiker said he enjoys teaching all of the classes but introduction to sociology is his favorite.
“I like intro because you get to skip around a lot. You don’t have to focus on one subject and beat it to death,” he said.
Leiker said that he has realistic and common expectations for his students.
“My expectations are pretty basic – do the best that you can. The students that I like the best give it a try, no matter if their an A-student, a B-student or a C-student, if they do their best they’re going to be more fun to teach,” Leiker said.
“Fun” seems to be incorporated into Leiker’s teaching philosophy claiming his students don’t talk enough.
“If I don’t have to tell you to shut up four times on Monday because you are talking, I’m going to flunk you all,” Leiker said he threatened his students one day.
Leiker chose to go into the field of sociology because of the depth it covers and the answers it gives for why society is the way it is today.
“Sociology provides explanations for what you see, the opportunities that you have based on your race or gender or where you were born,” Leiker said.
Since he launched his teaching career, Leiker said he has learned a lot about teaching, being resourceful and becoming efficient in both. When he gives exams there are three different versions and has students turn in their exam to a certain cardboard box, labeled A, B or C. He proudly stated that he still has one of the original exam boxes.
“This is the original C box. It has lasted for 12 years and will last for at least another 12 years,” Leiker said.
Keeping cardboard boxes and his approach to teaching may set him apart as a generic professor at USU, however, Leiker has some common likes and interests that many professors and even students can relate to. These include strawberry Aggie Ice Cream, Indian Oven food, snowboarding in the winter and diving into a good book.
“I love to read, I just don’t have the time. My favorite book is usually the last one I read,” Leiker said.
As far as integrating into life outside the university and within the Cache Valley community, Leiker said he has done extremely well. He said he takes advantage of the beauty of the mountains and enjoys doing outside things with his family.
“My perfect weekend would consist of beautiful weather, no rain, a hike with my dogs and my family, a nap, a good football game and a date, with my wife, of course,” Leiker said.
His family consists of his wife, his two kids Dylan, 11, and Lauren, 8, and their five dogs. He said he enjoys spending time with them and would prefer to do it outside. His liking for the outdoors, Leiker said, is why he likes living in Cache Valley.
“You can get away from people easily here, you can really get some elbow room. I like that,” he said.
As for now Leiker has no plans to leave Cache Valley, he said as he contentedly peered over a cluttered desk in a minuscule office with stacks of cardboard boxes as tall as five boxes deep in places.
“I want to stay in Cache Valley, I want to stay in this same office,” he said. “I don’t want to clean.”
–beck.turner@aggiemail.usu.edu