At the beginning of the semester, Eric Shell started his new position as the technical coordinator of student life, making him the Prospectus’ first permanent advisor in a considerable amount of time. Shell had previously worked at Parkland for many years as an office assistant for the career services and academic advising offices before switching gears.
So far Shell’s passion and engagement with the Prospectus has inspired the young writers, journalists, and photographers on the staff to push the bounds of their skills and create the best quality articles possible. Here is what he had to say about his new position, what he expects the Prospectus to look like in the future, and how he hopes it serves the community.
Shell’s Passion About The Job
When asked about why he wanted to become the new supervisor of the Prospectus Shell talked about how education and writing are both things he is very passionate about, saying, “In high school I was a part of our school newspaper and I also wrote my own novels and stuff back then, so being into English and language arts and using literature as a medium has always been one of my passions.”
He expressed that he wanted to help students with similar passions and that his job in higher education now allows him to do that. “To see students out there that have the same passions and enjoy writing and want to propel themselves [into] that sort of sphere– I’m inclined to help in any way that I can.”
How He Hopes To Serve The Community
Shell mentioned that one of the main things he wants to accomplish with the Prospectus is maintaining a sense of community, not just among Parkland students but with the greater Champaign community as well. Shell explained, “I hope that we can start propelling ourselves to give out the information and the news and the updates and the stories that’ll keep– not only our students connected– but our community connected to Parkland and our Parkland students connected to the community.”
What He Plans To Do Differently
Being our first permanent advisor in quite some time, Shell made sure to have a plan to implement. When talking about actively bringing the Prospectus into the digital age, Shell went on to say, “I know that we’re tentatively talking about starting a podcast, pushing more content on our website, making more easily accessible content, and using things like technology to our advantage to kind of promote ourselves.”
When asked if he wanted to go into more detail about this possible future podcast, Shell laughed and said that there were still a lot of things to discuss before he could start talking about it. “It definitely is a go, but I think as far as what we’re going to do, what we’re going to cover, and how we’re going to cover it– that’ll come up in these next few meetings.”
The Future Of The Prospectus
In only a few short months, the Prospectus has already undergone many changes, implemented new systems, consistently published articles, and welcomed our new editor-in-chief and permanent advisor.
When asked about what he hopes the future of the Prospectus will look like, Shell said, “I hope that it looks like a well-oiled machine that’s all working within each other.” He went on to say, “I think starting the podcast is going to be a really interesting endeavor that we take on, but I think everybody’s going to have their part to play and their role to play. Seeing it all come together simultaneously and very organized is what I’m expecting to see.”
