Jason Akst

Instructor, Department of Communication

Jason Akst

What year did you start working at NIU?
2000

Where is your hometown? and where do you live now?
Hometown: Pampa, Texas; live now: Sycamore, Illinois (for 23 years).

Where did you attend college and what degree(s) have you earned?
B.A. in English, West Texas A&M University
Secondary teaching certificate, West Texas A&M University (now expired)
M.A. in journalism, University of Texas at Austin

In which department(s) do you teach?
Department of Communication

Were you a first-generation college student? If so, what advice would you offer to current first generation students?
No, I wasn't a first-generation student. There are a million pieces of advice I would like to give to all students, but one piece is: Don't isolate yourself, though the enormity of college can be overwhelming. Plug into something meaningful and fun besides your classes. Connect.

What do you like about working at NIU?
The freedom to develop and teach my courses as I see fit, based on knowledge, experience and research. I also like that my longevity at NIU has enabled me to meet and work with so many folks from so many disciplines and walks of life.

What advice would you give to students currently attending NIU?
Easy advice to dispense, but harder to live: Try to have more fun. College is so expensive, and the world is so stressful, that one of the things that saddens me about our students (and I suspect this is true at many places, not just NIU) is that many of them don't seem to enjoy college anymore. They go to classes and do the work, but I don't see nearly as much joy as I used to.

Tell us about a research or engaged learning project you have led.
Much of my teaching is what I would consider engaged. In my journalism writing classes, student work often winds up being published in the Northern Star or in area news media. In my design class, student work routinely ends up being used in real-life situations, e.g., small companies or organizations that need a new logo, brochure, etc. Whenever I teach public relations, I try to structure those classes so that students locate and identify actual clients, and then they produce work that benefits those clients. It's very rewarding to have a student produce something that helps a family business, a Greek organization or a charity/nonprofit. It's a "win-win-win-win": win 1: They do successful work; win 2: The work benefits someone/something outside the classroom; win 3: The work produced looks great on a resume; win 4: The student often derives a richer feeling of accomplishment than merely a good grade.

It's not just about the students. Teaching journalism and public relations has enabled me to remain a practitioner as well as an educator. From 2012 to 2015, for example, I published over 100 columns for the (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle. I frequently design/execute meetings and events (a core feature of PR), and I've done publicity, design and communications for the Children's Community Theatre of DeKalb County, the Sycamore Music Boosters and Northern Illinois News Association.

What do you enjoy most about mentoring students?
I think most teachers would answer this question the same way: It's the "lightbulb moment." When you're teaching, explaining something, sharing an anecdote, giving an example, etc., of a concept or how something works, and suddenly they "get it." Every teacher has seen how facial expressions and body language changes when intellect and cognition reach the next level. Extra oxygen is produced. The world becomes brighter. Lightbulb moments are very powerful and should be savored.

What do you hope students take away from their college experience?
That at the end of the day, college is not about job or career prep. It's about learning about and interacting with the wider world. It's about realizing how much you don't know, but that not knowing is OK, because college has refined your ability to acquire and synthesize new knowledge.

What is your favorite memory of NIU?
My wife would tell you (and she'd be right) that my memory is not my strongest characteristic! Over the years here, I have had too many rich experiences. I guess that if they had to be "favorite" memories, it would be the times something funny happened in class and the students and I shared a good laugh.

One memory that is not good, but is poignant, is that after we returned from the shootings in 2008, the university hired counselors from all over the country to help us relaunch classes. That first day, it was very moving to see how much everyone was still hurting, but how much we needed each other to get through.

Of late, there is one memory I'll have and love forever, but it's only somewhat NIU-related. Our son William, who is a senior at Sycamore High School at this writing, recently performed his first concert with the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra (cello), thanks to the teaching and mentoring of Linc Smelser, KSO director. It was quite something to sit in Boutell Memorial Concert Hall and watch our child play cello for an actual symphony orchestra on the stage at a major university. We're blessed.

What’s one thing about NIU that’s surprised you?
I don't mean this to sound snarky, but NIU is the third public, four-year university I've worked at, so I came to NIU with quite a bit of knowledge about how postsecondary education works. Still, one surprising thing about NIU is the amazing amount and quality of research and discovery that our faculty — who are already overloaded as teachers — manage to also accomplish as researchers and artists.

What fulfills you personally and professionally?
Personal: family and friends. The older I get, the less complexity I need. I do miss riding motorcycles.

Professional: nerd time! I feel fulfilled when I write something that satisfies me. That's a small thing, but a large thing.

Which of NIU’s core values align with your own?
I just try to do the best job I can and be the best person I can. I stumble often, but I keep trying. Hopefully there's a reasonable amount of alignment between me and NIU.

Do you keep in touch with any NIU alums? If so, are there any doing something interesting and exciting that we should know about? Please share some information with us and we’ll consider them for a future feature. 
Yes, I keep in touch with many alumni, mostly on social media. I'll do some research and compile a list under separate cover.

Who has influenced your professional path?
Dirk Johnson, Stephen King, Lee Child, John Sandford, J.K. Rowling and Nora Roberts.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? Are you currently doing it? If not, what changed your path?
What is this "growing up" you speak of? I guess my first career aspiration was being point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. That didn't work out. Then I wanted to be a scientist because my dad was a nuclear physicist. Also no-go. Toward the middle of college, I realized that English was my calling, so I set my sights on being a high school English teacher. But I needed a second teaching field besides English for a teaching certificate, so on my mom's advice, I chose journalism. I took J classes, worked at the campus paper, eventually became the editor, and then not long after graduation, I had a choice between teaching English at my hometown high school or working for the nearby big-city (Amarillo, Texas) newspaper. I chose the newspaper, and the rest is a surreal sitcom/horror plot.

Are you a member of or hold a position within a professional or community organization? If so, what organization? What is the purpose of that organization and how does being part of this organization benefit you in your role at NIU?
Currently, I am executive secretary and board member of the Northern Illinois News Association. Though I have neglected to renew memberships (on my to-do list) in some professional organizations, I also am a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the Society of Professional Journalists. I am about to join the Journalism Education Association. I think the titles of these organizations are self-evident in explaining how they benefit me professionally.

What community organizations are you involved in?
Just at the moment, technically none, but in the last few years, I've been on the boards of the Sycamore Music Boosters and Children's Community Theatre of DeKalb County.

What do you do to relax or recharge?
Life is very busy, and this is our son's senior year of high school, so these days, it's mostly TV, sleep, some exercise and massive amounts of coffee.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about your NIU Huskie story?
Yes. I make excellent guacamole and am an accomplished pool and ping-pong player. I tried skydiving once and loved it. I talk too much, but I've got some pretty cool stories to share.

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