Faculty & Staff

Dr. Michael Reibel

Dr. Michael Reibel, Professor, Friend, Mentor, Brilliant Mind, Poet, Audacious Human Being

It is with a heavy heart we share the news that our colleague and friend, Dr. Mike Reibel, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on November 12, 2020. Mike’s passing is a great loss to our Geography and Anthropology Department family. Mike was a valued colleague and mentor to many – faculty, staff, and students alike. Conversations with Mike were always stimulating, whether the topic centered on his beloved children or partner, geography of urban ethnicity, social justice of drinking water access, spatial patterns of organ donors, his Sicilian heritage, a poem he was working on, or his latest batch of vegan chili.

A staunch advocate of labor unions and social justice, Mike imbued his research and teaching with these elements. He was serious about student success and took genuine interest in helping students progress. Mike spoke frankly of joy and learning gained through interactions with students in his classes, in the Department of Geography and Anthropology, and at the Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies. 

Mike was an intellectual giant and affable colleague whose contributions to our department and the discipline of geography were numerous – more than two dozen scholarly publications, chairing the DRTP committee, acting as CFA representative, chairing the GIS advisory board, and serving on the editorial boards for Population and Environment and Progress in Transplantation. And Mike was always ready with a kind or supportive word or a quick ironic observation. 

Mike embraced life to the fullest and would admonish us for missing his important parting lesson – heed the fleeting nature of life by embracing the moment and genuinely holding those in our presence and thoughts with care, which Mike did so well.