Committing to Intentional Practice: Using the Practitioner Scholarship of Adam Peck to Demonstrate an Innovative Path for Campus Activities

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12

State Universities; Student Personnel Services; Student Personnel Workers; Caring; Scholarship; Biographies; Story Telling; Career Readiness; Feedback (Response)

At the time of his death, Dr. Adam Peck served as Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at Illinois State University. During his 25 years in student affairs, he served in a variety of other roles, including assistant vice president and dean of students at Stephen F. Austin State University and director of student life at Saint Louis University. Adam was unique in that he was a student affairs professional who met the criteria of being a practitioner-scholar, an administrator in which research, contributing to it and consuming it, plays a significant role. Dr. Peck not only wanted to engage in scholarly pursuits, he needed to because he believed writing clarified his thinking about complex issues and guided his practice. On the morning of September 30th, 2022, Adam died from injuries sustained in a pedestrian accident. He was 49 years old. His name may not be well recognized in higher education, but he was not one for fanfare or the spotlight. Yet, he did his best to help students succeed. As highlighted in this article, to those who knew Dr. Peck, he was a storyteller. He told and enacted stories of caring, curiosity, compassion, scholarship, and intellectualism -- a life lived well. This article is his story as well as the story of how the campus activities profession must continue his work.

ERIC

2023

EJ1380713