Dr. Jillian Wood

Dr. Jillian Wood

Eden Jacnuk, a junior Integrated Educational Studies (Community Emphasis) major with a minor in history, interviewed Dr. Jillian Wood, the new IES program coordinator, on her educational and professional experience that led to her current position within the Attallah College of Educational Studies.

What is your educational background?

My undergraduate degree is from Loyola Marymount University, which also emphasizes a social justice framework like Chapman. I was originally a dance major, but I changed my major to communications and added a sociology minor. When I added the sociology minor, I fell in love with writing and reading and decided that I wanted to be a professor. I wrote a senior thesis to prepare for graduate school. I then earned my Master of Arts in Organizational Communication Management at USC, where I discovered leadership studies.

I was the front desk assistant at the Chapman’s Attallah College of Educational Studies when I discovered Chapman’s Ph.D. program. I eventually earned my Ph.D. in Education from Chapman with an emphasis in leadership studies. When I started Chapman’s Ph.D. program, I was working at Chapman’s Argyros School of Business and Economics. From start to finish, my undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. programs took 10 years.

What does your role as the IES program coordinator entail?

A big component of my role is scheduling classes. We have full-time and part-time faculty. I also make sure that classes have an adequate number of students enrolled. I am also in charge of assessments and accreditation for the IES program. For our accreditation process, we collect data from students and make sure that students are meeting Chapman’s program learning outcomes. I help with student registration and advising, as well as handling student issues. In addition, I run and coordinate all of our information sessions for prospective students, fall and spring orientations for incoming students, and awards ceremonies.

What is your advice to IES students?

Do the best you can at this moment. Be present in college and have fun. Do your work, and also have fun because college goes by quickly.

What are some examples of careers and opportunities for IES students?

There are so many. There is the educator route of K-12 and preschool teaching. You can also be a speech pathologist either at a school or a private practice. Furthermore, you can be a school psychologist, a professor, and an administrator in higher education. Additionally, IES students can work for nonprofits, the government, and in business. IES has very specific learning outcomes and goals that can be applied to many different industries. Teachers have a set route, but I recommend that students who do not know their path meet with career advisors, update their resume, use LinkedIn, apply to various internships, and make connections.