Dr. Randal Southard is a professor emeritus in the Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources. He was appointed in 1983 and retired in 2019. Dr. Southard has a long and impressive record of teaching, research, and service focusing on soil classification and genesis, including soil mineralogy.  Based in part on his research accomplishments, he is recognized as a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America. Professor Southard has also served as a past Associate Dean of CAES and Chair of Land, Air, and Water Resources. For the Soil Science Society of America, he served as a past chair of its soil mineralogy division and as an associate editor for the Soil Science Society of America Journal. In addition, he is a past president of the Western Society of Soil Science. He is interviewed by his friend and colleague, Mike Singer, professor emeritus of Land, Air, And Water Resources.