There are a lot of reasons why Jim Allan likes being an adjunct at Washburn, but it all comes down to one simple reason, he enjoys doing it.

“Because I like to do it, said Allan. “Do something you like and it won’t seem like work, it is fun, and I get an energy from it.”

Allan is an adjunct for the mass media department. He has taught broadcasting programming and sales and is now teaching creative advertising.

When Allan is not at Washburn teaching, he is at his other job serving as the general manager of Country Legends 106.9 radio station.  Since he works in the field and is not a full time teacher he likes to give his students knowledge that they wouldn’t learn in a textbook.

“Some of the things I teach aren’t in a text book; I like to give them lots of street wise knowledge, not just textbook philosophy stuff. How to apply it on the street on a daily basis,” said Allan.

Allan has a passion for the subject that he teaches. He has been in advertising since he graduated from Kansas State University in 1987 with a bachelor of science with an emphasis in advertising.  He worked for radio stations as a DJ during college but started working in advertising after college.

“I decided to go into advertising because of the natural interest and instinct I had towards this field,” said Allan.

He likes that the students he teaches also has an interest and a passion for the subject. Since he teachers upper level advertising classes, the students he teaches care about mass media as much as he does.

“You’re teaching students who have gone through [introduction to mass media], who are interested in the field,” said Allan. “It’s just not an elective. It’s something they are interested in so it’s something they like.”

He also enjoys when the students start to learn and understand and have the light bulb moment when things start to click. The small class sizes at Washburn also give him that one-to-one with students. He is very appreciative of Washburn for having adjuncts, for letting people that are not teachers come in and teach classes. Allan feels it’s an advantage for Washburn students that the university is, “trusting a professional in a field to come and teach.”