User:Paul R. Smyth

I am semi-retired now and live in northern Michigan, although I do continue to accept projects through a small business in which I am a partner. I hold M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English Literature from Michigan State University, and an M.S in Criminal Justice, also from MSU.

I taught literature and composition at MSU and several small colleges in Michigan for about a decade. After I left academia I worked as a researcher at the MSU School of Criminal Justice and as a Policy and Legislative Analyst for the State of Michigan. In the late 1980s I left government to form a small, independent research firm. My partner and I specialize in research in a number of areas including health care, education, and the environment.

I have a lifelong love of the outdoors and enjoy fishing, hiking, canoeing and kayaking in northern Michigan and in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

On Citizendium I would expect to contribute to articles having to do with Michigan, literature, crime and society, outdoor pursuits, health care, education, and the environment. I have a special interest in the ability of journalists to cover difficult and controversial subjects fairly and accurately. Although I am not a professional editor I could conceivably be of use editing were help needed.