Jeff Hancks

Department Chair, Professor

Ed.D. Northern Illinois University
M.A., M.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A. North Park University

Office: QC Complex, 2423
Email: JL-Hancks@wiu.edu
Phone: (309) 762-9481

Dr. Jeff Hancks serves as the Chair of the Department of Counselor Education, College Student Personnel, and Social Work at Western Illinois University. He joined the faculty in 2005 as the inaugural Baxter-Snyder Professor of Regional and Icarian Studies in the University Archives. In this role, he led the Department of Archives and Special Collections, overseeing the maintenance of the University's historical records and documenting the history and culture of the western Illinois region. Dr. Hancks holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Scandinavian Studies, master’s degrees in Library and Information Studies and Instructional Design and Technology, and a doctoral degree in Adult and Higher Education.

From 2016 to 2019, Dr. Hancks served as the Executive Director of the School of Global Education and Outreach at Western Illinois University, where he led the University’s extensive international initiatives and administered one of WIU's largest degree programs, the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies.

Dr. Hancks joined the Department of Counselor Education, College Student Personnel, and Social Work as a faculty member in 2020. Prior to his appointment as department chair, he coordinated the Higher Education Leadership track of the College Student Personnel Program while also overseeing the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies program. His research and scholarly interests are diverse, encompassing immigration history, rural higher education, and the role of public libraries as community education centers.