He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1975 and received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1989. During the time between his BA and Ph.D., he spent several years as a research consultant and in user support services at SPSS, Inc. Prior to accepting a permanent position at Western, Rick served as a Research Analyst in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Washington as well as on the faculties of Seattle University, the University of Puget Sound, Western Washington University, and the University of British Columbia. Rick also spent one year (1993-94) at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania as a Senior Fulbright Scholar.