Rate My Professor Ron Watson

Ron Watson serves as Associate Provost, Dean of Students, and Associate Professor of Health & Society and Political Science at Beloit College, a position he has held since joining the institution in 2013. Before entering academia, he pursued a career in Japan as a second language teacher, financial writer, and translator. Watson earned a B.A. in religious studies and 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. As head of the Student Life Division, he oversees residential life, academic support services, student activities and recreation, and equity and community programming. He has contributed to faculty search committees in biology, chemistry, sociology, and political science, as well as governance committees focused on professional development, academic and strategic planning, and teaching and learning. Additionally, Watson serves as faculty advisor for the Beloit Public Health Initiative, a student-led nonprofit, and has been a member of the Beloit Police and Fire Commission. He spearheaded the Why Bother, Wisconsin? initiative to increase student voter turnout in local elections.

Watson's research specializations encompass health systems, health policy, public policy, public health, racial and ethnic politics, health disparities and inequalities, the politics of race and ethnicity, domestic and global health inequities, and national healthcare systems. He teaches courses including comparative health systems, U.S. health policy, U.S. federal government and politics, research methods, and introductory and senior seminars in Health & Society. In 2022, students nominated him for Beloit College's highest teaching honor, the James R. Underkofler Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, recognizing his ability to engage students with real-world problems and facilitate discussions on sensitive topics such as racial, gender, and ethnic disparities. His 2019 essay, which details reshaping introductory political science courses to emphasize race in American politics, was selected by the American Political Science Association for its Inclusive Classroom Reading List.