The Office of the Provost announced Dr. J. Scott Jordan and Dr. Stephen Hunt have been named University Professors for Illinois State University.
Dr. J. Scott Jordan
Jordan serves as a professor in the Department of Psychology, where he is also the department chair.
Joining the University in 2001, Jordan serves as director of the Institute for Prospective Cognition. A self-described “scholar administrator,” he became chair in 2009. A frequently cited author of 59 peer-reviewed articles and 35 book chapters, he has edited five books and six journal special issues. He has given 64 invited presentations around the world and 120 peer-reviewed conference presentations.
Jordan has been awarded multiple research fellowships at internationally renowned institutions in Germany and Japan. His research focuses on choice, self, and meaning—addressing the foundational role choices play in people’s experiences of the world and of themselves.
While his interests lie with experimental psychology and cognitive science, Jordan frequently collaborates across disciplinary boundaries. In 2008, Jordan invited Dr. Tomie Hahn, professor of Performance Ethnology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, to participate in the Embodied Cognition think tank in Bielefeld, Germany. He is known for seeing connections between seemingly disparate areas and bringing scholars together to inspire new ways of thinking.
Jordan is a frequent mentor to students, has served on many committees at all levels of the University and has served as a National Science Foundation Area Panelist. He has been an Outstanding College Researcher and is involved with several professional organizations. He is extremely proud of his international comic book collection.
Jordan received bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Northern Illinois University.
Dr. Stephen K. Hunt
Hunt serves as director of the School of Communication, where he is a professor. Joining the University as assistant professor in 1998, he has been director of Communication since 2015.
His research focuses on instructional communication and communication pedagogy. He works to provide a better understanding of how to best promote student learning and engagement. He has authored/co-authored two textbooks, a scholarly book, and 65 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and creative products. Hunt has presented nearly 300 papers at conferences around the world. His recent work has focused on the pedagogy of civic and political engagement, assisting with the development of the Civic Engagement and Responsibility minor. He has served or chaired two dissertations, 77 theses, and 19 non-thesis option committees.
Hunt has taught numerous communication courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has received the University Teaching Initiative Award, the Outstanding University Teacher Award and the Stan and Sandy Rives Excellence in Undergraduate Education Award. He has also received teaching awards from the National Communication Association. Additionally, he has frequently advised student registered student organizations, and supervised student mentoring programs.
Frequently advocating for civic and political engagement in higher education, Hunt has served as an American Association of State Colleges and Universities Civic Fellow for Political Engagement and Civic Fellow for the Extending Empathy Project. The Association of American Colleges and Universities named the School of Communication as a model for civic engagement instruction in 2017.
Hunt received a bachelor’s degree from Emporia State University, a master’s degree from University of Northern Iowa, and a doctoral degree from Southern Illinois University.
