Meet Dr. Steve Staley
Degrees and Experience
- Ph.D., English Language and Literature (University of Colorado Boulder)
- M.A., English Language and Literature (University of Colorado Boulder)
- M.A., National Security and Strategic Studies (Naval War College)
- B.S., International Relations/Political Science (U.S. Air Force Academy)
Biography and Professional Achievements
Dr. Steve Staley graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and Air Force pilot training and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Colorado. As Assistant Dean of Faculty and Professor of English at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Dr. Staley administered the Academy’s successful Rhodes Scholarship program, directed faculty development, developed the First Year Seminar Interdisciplinary Education at the Academy (IDEA) program, directed and taught in the Academy’s American Studies Program, and originated a critically acclaimed course in Physics and Literature.
As a Professor of Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, he also served as a United Nations International Peace Academy research fellow, authoring The United Nations and Naval Peacekeeping and co-authoring, with Dr. Constance Staley, Communicating in Business and the Professions: The Inside Word and Focus on College and Career Success. As Director of Advising and Professor of English at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Dr. Staley helped develop the school’s new First Year Seminar program. Following a one-year Fulbright Fellowship teaching in Kyrgyzstan, he served as Dean of Academics and Professor of English and Humanities at Colorado Technical University, where he was named Distinguished Faculty of the Year. Following his retirement from CTU as Professor Emeritus of English and Humanities, he currently serves as Affiliate Professor of English and Humanities at Colorado Christian University, where he teaches Introduction to World Literature and Creative Writing.
Besides his passion for teaching and learning, Steve is an accomplished fly fisherman, gourmet cook, textbook author, voracious reader, ardent video gamer, and, in the words of his colleagues over the years, a true “Renaissance Man.”
Professional Associations and Affiliations
- American Association for Higher Education
- Modern Language Association
- Modern Humanities Research Association
- Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association
- Speech Communication Association
- South Central Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (President, 1984)
- Johnson-Boswell Society
Publications and Presentations
- Staley, S. (2016, January). Helping students understand the nature of the university: How academic disciplines integrate for a unified education [Conference presentation]. National Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching, Austin, TX, United States.
- Staley, S. (2016, February). “I second that emotion”: The non-cognitive puzzle of college success [Conference presentation]. First Year Experience Annual Conference.
- Staley, S., & Staley, C. (2016). Focus on college and career success (3rd ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
- Staley, S. (2017, February). Mindfulness in college? “What a wonderful world this would be” [Conference presentation]. First Year Experience Annual Conference, Austin, TX, United States.
- Staley, S. (2018, February). Welcome Generation Z: Save the world, love the learning [Conference presentation]. 36th Annual Conference on the First Year Experience and Students in Transition, San Antonio, TX, United States.
- Staley, S. (2018, February). Welcome, Generation Z: Save the world, connect to college [Conference presentation]. Lilly Conference on University Teaching and Learning, Anaheim, CA, United States.
- Staley, S. (2019, February). Get a job? FYE, students, and the future of work [Conference presentation]. 37th Annual Conference on the First Year Experience and Students in Transition, Las Vegas, NV, United States.
- Staley, S. (2020, February). “We don’t need no education”: Will Generation Z skip college? [Conference presentation]. 38th Conference on the First Year Experience and Students in Transition, Washington, DC, United States.
Faith and Learning
Steve's faith underscores his interactions with his CCU students, compelling him to help each student grow — both in their Christian lives and in their intellectual foundations.