Please welcome Chuck Jaques to the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology! Jaques joined the school as an academic advisor in June 2026, and is available to meet with MCB, MCB + Data Science, Neuroscience, and Biochemistry majors. Intern Gwyneth Graham sat down with him to learn more about his approach to advising and how he likes to spend his free time.
What first drew you to academic advising?
I have a background in secondary education, and academic advising is a big component of that. Working with students in the classroom and advising student organizations, there’s a lot of advising experience and helping students navigate the world around them that comes with it.
I really enjoyed my time teaching high school and middle school. I even spent a good deal of time teaching environmental education at the Douglas-Hart Nature Center in Mattoon. But higher education is something I have always been really interested in.
I have a friend from college who was also a secondary teacher and transitioned to [the University of Illinois] in an advising role. She talked about how much she really enjoyed it and talked positively about the culture and community of the campus. It sounded like a really good professional opportunity.
Can you tell us about your career journey and how it led you to this role?
I have a bachelor's degree in science education and a master's degree in biology from Eastern Illinois University. After my master’s was finished, I relocated to Salt Lake City because I have a lot of family members that live out there.
When COVID hit, I thought, ‘maybe now’s a good time to take a bit of a break and explore some other avenues.’ I took the opportunity to transition to a lab setting where I worked in infectious disease doing molecular diagnostics. After that I wanted to get back into a career that had a more social aspect, so I decided to return to teaching. I saw the academic advisor position open this past December. It sounded like something I would really enjoy. I've always wanted to work in higher ed, so this gave me an opportunity to further that goal, as well as put me closer to many of my friends and family.
What do you enjoy doing outside of your job?
I'm super big into the outdoors. I really enjoy being able to go out and be out in nature. I grew up around Shelbyville, which is southwest of here, so being outside is a big part of how I grew up.
I am super into any sort of board games. I love baking and cooking and am also infamous for hiding veggies in everything I bake. I make a pretty good black bean chocolate cake.
Do you have any quotes or sayings that are meaningful to you?
I think my favorite one that I’ve always tried to live by is by Thomas Huxley. “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." So, this concept of you should be knowledgeable and well informed about the world around you and a wide variety of topics. Broaden your horizons and learn everything about something. Find a passion that you have and pursue it.
What is your personal approach to advising students?
Letting them explore and identify what their options are, reflect on those options, and give them the information they need to make informed decisions. You want to make sure they have the information to make knowledgeable decisions because at the end of the day the day, whether it’s secondary or post-secondary, the major concern for professors, TA’s, instructors is that everyone is here to ensure the best academic outcomes possible.
By presenting them with information and clearly communicating that information, it’s also important to show them that there might be alternative pathways and helping them identify that it’s not just one size fits all. Not everybody’s journey is the same and there are a lot of ways to get there.
How do you define student success, both inside and outside the classroom?
Understanding that academic success does not always mean a 4.0. It means that you’re engaged and enjoying your time. That you’re participating, you’re finding things you are passionate about.
Outside of the class, it’s the same idea. Make connections, build that social network that you’re going to be able to use for building that network professionally whether that be your internships or RSO’s or fraternities and sororities. At the end of the day, for me, academic success means that we are making progress towards an end goal.
What are you most looking forward to bringing into the next school year?
I think the thing I’m most looking forward to is just honestly bringing experience with working with students to help with the incoming freshman.
Also, to ensure academic outcomes and foster a sense of community to make sure that [students] are having a good experience and they transition successfully. I want to help them adjust to their lives on campus so that they feel like they belong and have a sense of camaraderie with the university and with the department.
