Rate My Professor Nate Olson

Dr. Nate Olson is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). He serves as Director of the Kegley Institute of Ethics (KIE), appointed permanently in January 2026 after acting as Interim Director since 2023 and Associate Director since 2017. Olson earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Georgetown University and his B.A. from St. Olaf College. Prior to joining CSUB approximately ten years ago to expand ethics instruction, he held a post-doctoral teaching fellowship in Stanford University's Thinking Matters program and worked with the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics. In his roles at CSUB, Olson has advanced ethics education across the curriculum, including through service on the university's Institutional Review Board and the Dignity Health Memorial Hospital Ethics Committee.

Olson's teaching encompasses ethical theory and practical ethics, with particular emphasis on ethical issues in professional life and the sciences. His research addresses bioethics, including research ethics and clinical ethics. As KIE Director, he fosters interdisciplinary conversations that cross disciplinary and community boundaries, supporting programs such as the Ethics Bowl to develop students' public speaking, research, and critical thinking skills, as well as the Faculty Fellows initiative for ethical scholarship. Olson has presented on topics including "Including Rural Populations in Health Care Research." Key publications include "Demonstrating Ethical Leadership in a Virtual World" (2021, co-authored with Kallee McCullough) and "A Fair Shake for the Fair-Weather Fan" (2021). Through these contributions, Olson enhances CSUB's role as a hub for ethical inquiry and leadership development in Kern County.