As Associate Provost and Dean of Students, Watson is charged with heading up the Student Life Division at the college, encompassing the four areas of residential life, academic support services, student activities and recreation, and equity and community programming.

A political science & health and society (public health) professor who encourages students to engage in real-world solutions and deep, passionate thinking, Watson joined the college in 2013.

Since then, he has served on search committees to hire faculty in biology, chemistry, sociology, and political science, and on governance committees encompassing areas ranging from professional development and academic and strategic planning to teaching and learning.

Watson has received many accolades, including Beloit’s highest teaching honor, the Underkofler Teaching Award, for giving students his undivided attention in and outside the classroom.

As a community advocate for positive change, Watson has served on the Beloit Police and Fire Commission and as a faculty advisor for the Beloit Public Health Initiative, a student-led nonprofit. He helped spearhead the Why Bother, Wisconsin? student voting initiative that increased turnout at the city polls, and advocates for giving students across the United States the day off from classes on general election days in November.

Watson earned a B.A. in religious studies/Japanese studies from the College of William & Mary, an M.A. in international peace studies from the University of Notre Dame, and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of New Mexico.