Episode 16: Marcus Jackson of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Welcome to the Director Download, powered by Campus Rec Magazine.

It’s time to go behind the curtain of the director role and have honest discussions with leaders in the campus recreation industry.

In this episode, host Grady Sheffield, the director of Campus Recreation at Towson University and the senior advisor to the Campus Rec Mastermind Groups, gives you the listener real and authentic conversation between himself and special guest Marcus Jackson, the director of Campus Recreation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Jackson has been in higher ed for quite some time, but not all of it has been spent in campus recreation. He and Sheffield discuss this and the takeaways that have come from outside-of-the-industry experience.

Further on in the conversation, Jackson shares on the team at Illinois and what makes them standout. He also pulls back the curtain on imposter syndrome, owning your vulnerability as a leader and what makes him thrive in his role as the director of Campus Recreation.

Show Notes from the Conversation with Marcus Jackson

Getting to know Marcus Jackson and his journey into campus rec at 3:24.
Listen at 4:29 to the time Jackson spent in event management that was quite educational.
Why chocolate covered cicadas came into the discussion at 6:24.
Learning all of the ropes during grad school was a benefit to Jackson. Listen to it at 7:25.
The interesting position he had at Eastern Michigan University at 9:18.
Why it’s surprising Jackson stayed in the Midwest at 10:12.
What makes the team at Illinois stand out at 11:27.
Listen at 12:46 to hear about the impact collegiate athletics has had on Jackson’s career.
What he’s learned about himself as a director at 14:50.
At 16:22 Jackson shares what makes him thrive in his role.
Does he think directors suffer from imposter syndrome? Find out Jackson’s answer at 17:53.
The role that owning your vulnerability and trusting people can play in leadership at 20:43.
What Jackson would tell his younger self at 23:18.