Michael Hughes is Professor of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University in 1979 and has taught introductory sociology over the past 34 years. He also regularly teaches courses in minority group relations, deviant behavior, the sociology of mental illness, and data analysis. From 2000 to 2004, he served as editor of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. He has held positions as research fellow at the University of Michigans Institute for Social Research (19921994) and research associate at Vanderbilt University (19801982). With Walter R. Gove he is the author of the book, Overcrowding in the Household. His research interests in mental health and mental illness, race and ethnicity, and crowding and living alone have resulted in over 60 professional articles published in a variety of journals. In 20042005, he served as president of the Southern Sociological Society.