It’s still Year One for three NIU College of Education faculty members who joined the team in August.
Read below to learn more about Quortne Hutchings, Farah Ishaq and Stephen Walker – in their own words.
- Ph.D., Higher Education, Loyola University Chicago, 2021
- M.Ed., Education, Organization, and Leadership, concentration in Higher Education, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2013
- B.A., African and African-American Studies, minors in Sociology and Human Development & Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, 2011
I’m passionate about Higher Education and Student Affairs because I’ve witnessed the joy, challenges and complexities of this field as a student, staff, administrator and now a faculty member. The field is at a critical juncture as we have recently seen an exodus of staff, faculty and administrators leaving the profession for a myriad of reasons. I’m committed to this field and its practice because there needs to be collective action in dismantling hegemonic and oppressive systems and processes in higher education that have caused the field its current challenges and issues. These pertinent issues are imperative to address.
My inspiration to teach came from people like bell hooks, my mentors, family, community, professors and teachers who ignited my passion for education. The classroom is one of the most transformative spaces to shape and evolve your thinking and learning is in the classroom. I decided to teach because I wanted to be immersed in this process as I view teaching as a metamorphosis and extension of learning and unlearning through dialogue and action. While teaching can be challenging and taxing at times, it is also an experience between the meeting of minds, which I find beautiful and meaningful.
What excites me about the future of the HESA field is our graduates are the nexus of change within and outside of higher education. I want graduates of our HESA program to have a critical lens in how higher education is shaped by power, privilege and oppression. Ultimately, to be bold, attentive, and unapologetic as they exist and navigate institutional spaces.
As I reflect on my first semester, I learned that it’s important to put faith in your teaching, research and service abilities. The best memories of the semester were building strong relationships with students, faculty and staff within the HESA program, CAHE department and other great people at NIU.
My intention for the spring is to center care, grace and restoration in my teaching, research and service.
- Doctorate in Sport Management, University of Kansas, 2019
- Master’s in Sport Administration, Northwestern University, 2016
- Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management, Iowa State University 2013
Sport management is a continuously evolving and growing field. There are several things that make me passionate about this unique industry. First, sport management caters to a variety of students because of the wide range of career opportunities that industry provides. One of my favorite things is asking students what area of the industry they’re interested in and seeing how many unique passions and areas of interest each student holds. Whether its professional athletics, college athletics, marketing, event management, coaching, recreation, or even law, there is something for everyone here, which really allows the sport management field to bring in so many different perspectives and skills into the learning environment that are transferable across the industry.
Furthermore, many times students say they’re “passionate about sports” and that’s the reason they play sports or choose to major in sport management. I love seeing that passion translate into classroom learning. What’s even better is that students can transform this passion into a rewarding, gratifying career through the skills and real-world experiences they gain through a sport management program.
Lastly, what makes me excited about sport management is opportunities that we can provide students. Whether it’s visiting the NCAA headquarters or talking to executives from the Chicago Bulls, professionals working in the industry are very open to meeting with students and assisting in getting them to the next level of their careers. The sport management industry is one of the largest in the country, but often feels small because of the people you continue to connect and network with throughout your career. The people in the industry make me passionate about sport management.
I decided to teach at the college level because college students are in a time of their lives where they are seriously exploring who they want to be and what they want to do after their academic careers. I love being able to guide students to areas of the sport industry that they may have never heard of or considered before. I appreciate the thought provoking and engaging discussions that college students have on topics that interest them. Furthermore, I love seeing the immediate impact that college has on students as they graduate and navigate their professional lives. For many, a quality college education is a game-changer and I think it’s my responsibility to do the best that I can every day to engage students in a variety of topics and gain confidence in themselves as they grow in their college environment. As a college professor, I appreciate the opportunity to deepen students’ understanding of sport industry and help them move forward with the passion and desire to succeed in the professional world.
When I think about our sport management program and its identity, a few components come to mind in terms of what I want my graduates to know and be able to do. These components include real-world experiences, alumni engagement/networking and professional development. While the skills learned in the classroom are vital and important, being able to provide students with real-world experiences is just as important.
I hope my graduates in the program can utilize the real-world experiences provided to help prepare them for the industry. Whether it’s through their internship, opportunities through Sport Management Club, or even volunteer opportunities, I hope students can use their time as a student to engage in experiences that give them a “level up” when they enter the professional world.
Furthermore, I hope graduates learn how to network and engage with alumni or other professionals in the industry. We are fortunate to have a strong alumni network at NIU and within sport management, while students of our program can network with alumni and professionals through conferences, career fairs or guest speakers, it is my hope that graduates continue to take advantage of networking and professional development in the sport industry even long after they graduate.
Considering all the circumstances of navigating a global pandemic, I think my first semester went extremely well. I am fortunate to have joined a department that’s very supportive and collegial, which has been very helpful in my transition to NIU. I have made an effort to understand my students and their individual situations and feelings as we all work to navigate the pandemic. I’ve learned a lot about my students (and myself, quite frankly) through my first semester and hope to continue to develop positive relationships within the classroom and create the best learning environment possible for students to be able to succeed inside and outside of the class during these difficult times. I’m excited to be able to take four graduate students to compete in a graduate case study competition at the Applied Sport Management Association Conference in Indianapolis in February. It’s always exciting to get students out and networking with academic and industry professionals as they continue to build on their successes in the classroom and in their professional development.
- Ph.D., Psychology—Behavior Analysis, University of Florida, 2013
- M.S., Behavior Analysis, University of North Texas, 2009
- B.S., Behavior Analysis and Gerontology, University of North Texas, 2005
I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) and completed my Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis at the University of Florida (UF). I am an active member of the local, regional and national behavior analytic community. I am the past President of the Illinois Association of Behavior Analysis (ILABA), president-elect and board member of the Mid-American Association for Behavior Analysis (MABA), member of Division 25 of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a full member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).
Before starting at NIU, I was responsible for developing Aurora University’s Department of Applied Behavior Analysis and served as an associate professor and director of the department.
My clinical work has focused on individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities (ID), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and emotional behavior disorders. This work has taken place in various settings ranging from large state institutions to public schools.
Currently, I provide consulting services to Turning Pointe Autism Foundation (TPAF) and Little City Foundation. In addition, I currently serve on TPAF’s Board of Directors and Practice Advisory Board. My work with these agencies has focused on developing clinical systems that support best practice procedures related to functional assessment of problematic behavior, individualized behavior support plans, individualized academic programming, implementation of class-wide interventions and staff training.
My research has focused on the application of behavior analysis for individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and severe behavior disorders. My current research agenda is largely driven by clinical issues encountered by my students and me during our clinical work.
With that said, a few distinct lines of research have emerged over the last few years.
One research line grew out of my collaboration with Little City Foundation and focuses on evaluating specific components of Discrete Trial Teaching when teaching auditory-visual discriminations to adults and children diagnosed with ASD and other related disabilities. This research line’s initial study was published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (Bentham, Walker, Vander Pluym andTejeda, 2019).
A second line of research started as a collaboration with my colleagues at UF and focuses on evaluating environmental arrangements that promote the academic behavior of both typically developing children and children diagnosed with ASD. This research line’s initial study was recently published in Education and Treatment of Children (Peters, Vollmer, Donaldson and Walker, 2022).
