Welcoming Scott Filkins, a three-time Illinois alum, to the College of Education feels, well, redundant. He’s been part of the Education at Illinois community for the last three decades in a variety of ways.

But this semester Filkins, ’98 LAS, Ed.M. ’10 C&I, Ed.D. ’17 C&I, embarks in a new role for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, designed to increase synergy and efficiency in the College’s teacher preparation programs. An educator for more than 20 years within Champaign Unit 4 Schools, Filkins held positions including English teacher and department chair, reading teacher, instructional coach, and curriculum coordinator for English language arts and social studies, grades 6-12—all while earning master’s and doctoral degrees from the College.

In his new role as program coordinator, Filkins is managing all four of Curriculum and Instruction’s teacher preparation programs: early childhood, elementary, middle grades, and secondary education.

“I definitely see the logic in putting this role together, although the programs are very distinct so there’s a lot of nuance to figure out,” says Filkins.

“The three people who could help me through the transition—previous program coordinators Stephanie Smith, Lynn Burdick, and Barbara Hug—as well as a great working relationship with Sarah McCarthey, are what made me feel like taking a job like this was feasible,” says Filkins. “They’re incredibly available and helpful, which is super important.”

Additionally, he will continue teaching sections of CI 473: Disciplinary Literacy and other literacy related courses as he has for several years as an adjunct instructor for the College.

A native of Marion, Illinois, Filkins says when he arrived in Champaign in 1994, he “was good at school, but had no sense of how to do college.”

“The spring of my freshman year I took a discovery class with David Zola—‘Introduction to Education’ or something—and for someone coming from a small town as a first generation college student, to have a connection with a person like David Zola was an incredible lifeline,” says Filkins. “Our connection lasted up until he passed away. And I had worked under Susan Zola’s leadership in Unit 4 Schools for nearly my whole career. The Zola family’s impact upon my trajectory as a teacher is remarkable.”

While completing his Ed.M. and Ed.D., Filkins got involved with two groups that connected him to deeper professional experiences: the Education Justice Project and the U. of I. Writing Project.

“Teaching a language diversity course at Danville Correctional Center through EJP was transformative in ways that are really hard to articulate,” he says. “Experiencing the carceral environment and seeing the immense pride and pleasure the students took in their work was extremely moving.”

Filkins says now that he’s centered on campus again, he hopes to be involved with EJP more in the future. He’s also working with Professor Sarah McCarthey to revive the U. of I. Writing Project, an effort he co-directed while a teacher at Central High School, but that saw a drop off in participation during the pandemic.

Overall, Filkins says his shift to higher education—particularly, working in teacher education and preparation—is a career move he always thought might be interesting.

“So many of my most meaningful personal and professional experiences have been connected to Illinois—and the College of Education—in some way,” says Filkins. “I'm hopeful I can help make that the case for other future and current teachers, too.”