Erikson Conkling

Erikson Conkling

TrineOnline - Economics, Government and History

BA, Indiana University; MPA, ABD, Walden University; Ed.D. candidate, Capella University

(574) 377-0755 | email

My path to teaching for Trine University was unconventional, to say the least. I began higher education playing college football and studying to be a physical education teacher. Sixteen years later, I taught my first course for Trine University. I have now served Trine as an adjunct professor for 11 years and a content-area lead/curriculum coordinator/subject-matter expert for seven years.

Though I no longer play organized football, I continue to lift heavy weights and run at the track as often as possible. I also like to unwind by cooking and eating a lot of ground sirloin (sometimes 2-3 pounds a day) and binge watching The West Wing (a political television show from the late 1990s/2000s).

If I could imbue my students with any single characteristic, it would be the following: A lifelong commitment to excellence. To err is human, but all academics should be lifelong learners. That means acknowledging that we always have more to learn and skills to sharpen, students and professors alike.