2020 Retiring Faculty

Keith Mann

Professor of Geology and Geography
(1998-2020)

Keith Olin Mann, Professor of Geology, retired after 22 years on the faculty. Dr. Mann taught courses focused on Earth History, Paleontology, Stratigraphy, and Hydrogeology. He pursued research within these fields, often with students, and edited a much-referenced monograph on stratigraphic techniques, which help elucidate details of mass extinctions and climatic change rates in the geologic record. Prior to joining the OWU faculty, Dr. Mann was a research geologist with the Iowa Geological Survey and earned tenure at Juniata College. Dr. Mann’s breadth of experience and deep concern for students provided them with skills and knowledge to pursue their dreams.

Dr. Mann traversed many majors before settling into geology, which integrates the others. Geological field camp solidified his passion for geology. He shares that after a long Wyoming field day a favorite professor asked, “Mann, have you thought about going to graduate school? You’d make a damn fine geologist.” Those sentences changed his life trajectory. It takes a mentor to urge a student in a suitable yet unrecognized direction, and Dr. Mann provided that urging for many students.

After earning a B.S. from the University of Michigan, Dr. Mann worked for Michigan’s Environmental Research Institute. The open road called, and he spent a year in a Chevy truck, bicycling, fishing, and backpacking across America. He fetched up in Colorado Springs one April, accepting a land surveyor job. Soon, graduate school beckoned, with an M.Sc. earned from the University of Texas at Arlington. He continued his paleontology fascination at the University of Iowa and while completing his Ph.D., spent a field season in Greenland with Iowa, Harvard, and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory researchers.

Dr. Mann subsequently worked for the Iowa Geological Survey investigating groundwater degradation from agricultural chemicals and taught an introductory geology class at Grinnell College, an experience that focused him on liberal arts colleges. The Geology Department at Juniata College was the beneficiary. Dr. Mann taught for nine years, gained tenure and promotion, and received the Gibbel Award for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Mann’s courses include History of the Earth, Field/Laboratory Geology, Sedimentology & Stratigraphy, Paleontology, and Hydrogeology. Teaching hallmarks included encouraging students to accomplish beyond their expectations and providing them with skills to achieve success throughout their educational endeavors. 

Dr. Mann developed laboratory and field projects that engaged majors in “doing geology” and in seeing how their work related to future careers. He pushed students to treat their education professionally. He engaged students in paleontological and biostratigraphic research and in hydrogeological projects.

Dr. Mann published papers across his disciplines, with geographical focus including the Indo-Pacific to Central and North America.  A Geological Society of America conference session he organized led to editing a Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Special Publication: Graphic Correlation.

University service included geology assessment coordinator and Faculty Personnel Committee member.

Dr. Mann is canoeing, hiking, and traveling into retirement, enjoying life with his wonderful family. We thank Keith for many fruitful years as a colleague and friend and wish him a long, energetic retirement chasing new dreams.