Recovering Executive Director

This summer, I am putting myself back in the classroom but not as a teacher, as a student.  It's been a few years since I've been on that side of the podium.  I have always wanted to have a better understanding of American higher education to improve my own teaching and connectedness to today's college students. Luckily for me, my first course is a special topics class called "Race and Ethnicity in the Formation of American Higher Education" being taught by Dr. Rodney Cohen. He is a visiting associate professor and President of the Association for Black Culture Centers (ABCC).  NIU became the national headquarters of ABCC in November 2015.  We are reading the book " The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935 ". The course begins with a discussion of how African Americans were educated in the south.  I have never studied this before so I am soaking up all of this rich heritage but also questioning our current climate in higher education. Ear...

Last week I chatted about my recent interview on a new podcast featuring thought leaders in the government and nonprofit sectors.  The podcast was developed by a former student and graduate of our MPA program, Jacob Lawrence.  You can listen to the full hour interview here:  http://www.iamjakelawrence.com/podcast/2017/3/18/episode-3-alicia-schatteman . It was a lot of fun!  It was also interesting to think about my career and the many twists and turns which are common for those who decide to dedicate their lives to a life of service.  I started out thinking what I wanted to do was work in government and then found myself in the nonprofit space.  It seemed a better fit for me.  Our MPA students often cross back and forth between these sectors, learning, growing, changing.  Sometimes they see it as two steps forward, one step back but I do not. Whatever our experiences are, they have brought us to this day, exactly where we are supposed to be. ...