Steven Glassner ('09, '11 M.S.), assistant professor of criminology at Tarleton State University, says his professors at UNT had such a positive impact on his life that he now strives to do the same for his own students.

"I really enjoy watching my students grow and become independent thinkers and go on to succeed," Glassner says.

Not that the classroom doesn't have its challenging days.

"You know, they are young and they want to do what they want to do," Glassner says with a laugh. "Some days it is work to keep them on track."

He says serving as a faculty assistant during his time at UNT set him on the path to his current position.

"It was while I was getting my master's that I realized I wanted to teach," he says, adding that he also honed his research interest in juvenile victimization and the outcomes associated with harmed youth.

Glassner says faculty members like Chad Trulson, professor and associate chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, and Adam Trahan, associate professor of criminal justice, especially influenced him.

"They greatly prepared me for my profession in academia," he says. "I took so much from each one of my professors. I specifically remember sitting in one of Dr. Trulson's graduate courses and watching him while thinking that this is something that I should do."

Glassner, a decorated U.S. Army veteran, joined the faculty at Tarleton in August 2017 after teaching at Columbus State University in Georgia for two years.

"I just hope I will continue to have a positive impact on my students' lives," he says.