Five-Minute Feature: Tom Wiese, Assistant Professor of Analytics

Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to your career path?

My story isn’t all that different from many of our students’. I was the first in my family to attend and complete college, and I was primarily raised by a single mother, spending much of my childhood living with her and my grandparents.

I completed most of my BS degree while serving in the Navy (2006–2011), taking asynchronous courses and CLEP exams. I still remember reading a chemistry textbook for an online class while sitting on top of a live torpedo aboard a submarine in the Persian Gulf during my second deployment.

After graduating, I started working full-time as an engineer and used my employer’s tuition assistance to earn my MBA from Penn State. Later, I completed my Ph.D. in Information Science, still working full-time, raising a growing family with my wife and our three kids, and teaching as an adjunct at SUNY Farmingdale and Columbia University.

In 2021, I joined SUNY Empire to fulfill my lifelong goal of teaching full-time. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of developing the MS in Applied Analytics programs, and serving as MBA Academic Coordinator. Recently, my research has focused on veteran quality-of-life issues. I’ve analyzed ten years of Wounded Warrior Project survey data to track how U.S. veterans have been doing over time, and I’ll be presenting the findings at the Fall Academic Conference.

All this to say, I believe that my experiences are like those of many of our military and veteran students. I understand, at least in part, the challenges they face balancing service, education, and family. It’s been a real honor to support them, share my story, and learn from theirs. 

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?

The best part of being at SUNY Empire is the opportunity to serve our incredible students, and recent graduates who are striving to advance their knowledge and reshape their careers. Many are balancing jobs, building families, and working tirelessly to create better lives for themselves. Their dedication deeply resonates with me. Having experienced similar challenges myself, like working full-time, raising children, and pursuing higher education simultaneously, I feel a profound connection to their journeys. It is truly an honor to play even a small role in their academic and professional transformation.

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?

One of the most meaningful experiences in my career involved a student who had sustained a traumatic brain injury during military service. They were apprehensive about studying data analytics, concerned that the rigor might be overwhelming. However, their medical professional encouraged them to take on analytical work as a form of therapy in order to strengthen cognitive function.

As both their academic advisor and instructor for several courses, I had the privilege of working closely with them throughout the program. Their resilience, discipline, and perseverance were nothing short of inspiring. When they completed their M.S. in Applied Analytics, they shared that the program had motivated them to pursue a doctoral degree in the field. Seeing their transformation and renewed sense of purpose remains one of the most rewarding parts of my professional journey.

What’s one thing you feel is important to share this Veteran and Military Families Month?

This month has been especially challenging for many service members and military families. The ongoing government shutdown has disrupted pay and significantly reduced the availability of services from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

To our military community, I want to say this: I see you. I remember what it was like to miss birthdays, holidays, and long stretches of time with loved ones. We should all take a moment to reflect on how difficult it must be for families who depend on a service member’s income—for partners raising children alone during deployments, or for those anxiously waiting at home when a paycheck doesn’t arrive.

Many military families live paycheck to paycheck, and the uncertainty of this moment adds a heavy burden. Yet, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that the veteran and military community embodies resilience, courage, and unwavering strength. We have weathered challenges before, and we will overcome this one too.

What fictional world would you move to if you had the chance?

I’d love to live in the world of Star Trek, exploring brave new worlds and making contact with new civilizations. Imagine existing in a utopian society without the need for money, where resources are abundant and humanity is united by a shared spirit of exploration and discovery. I genuinely hope our future looks something like that, minus any meddling from Q, of course!