The UW-Eau Claire English Department has hired a new screenwriting professor who is set to begin teaching in the fall of 2025. This addition represents a new branch in the department and an expansion of its overall curriculum.
Associate English Professor Allyson Loomis, who was part of the hiring committee, said faculty members have received many inquiries from students over the years about help with screenwriting, but that none of the current members of the department have experience in that area.
“That demand has become increasingly pronounced because there is so much content produced on film now,” Loomis said. “From movies to social media content, there’s all kinds of ways that students could use screenwriting skills in the professional world of writing.”
After receiving approval from the dean of students, Loomis said the English Department went through the selection process and flew three candidates to Eau Claire for in-person interviews.
“All three would have been fantastic, but we landed on a person who we really really like,” Loomis said.
The chosen candidate, Rob Eckard, has a strong background in education, screenwriting, and the performance arts.
Eckart said he has been teaching and pursuing his own writing career in Los Angeles for about a decade. After making the decision to teach full-time, he said he was drawn to the structure of UW-Eau Claire and its English department.
“I was really attracted to the institution and particularly the ethos of the English Department in its desire to expand and offer a new form to the students,” Eckard said.
Eckard’s career began with an emphasis on theater and live performance. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in theater education from Emerson College in Los Angeles, Eckard went on to attend a master’s program at New York University with a focus on using theater for social change.
During his time in New York, Eckard said he worked with a number of community organizations. He spent time teaching theater workshops in a minimum security men’s penitentiary, which he described as “one of the most amazing experiences” of his life.
After returning to Los Angeles, Eckard said he worked for a few years in arts education and community engagement work before making the personal choice to pivot his career in pursuit of a lifelong fervor for writing.
“I sort of realized that I had lost sight of my own artistic passions and voice,” Eckard said. “I was working on the administrative side of Emerson at the time, and I began auditing screenwriting courses at the center they run in LA That just snowballed into me becoming obsessed with screenwriting.”
Eckard went on to complete a master’s degree in screenwriting at Emerson College before delving into part-time teaching and his personal writing projects.
“After a while, I decided I was ready to transition to full-time teaching, and I was open to moving anywhere,” Eckard said.
After a preliminary round of interviews, UW-Eau Claire flew Eckard out for in-person discussions and class demonstration. Eckard said he loved his interaction with the students during his teaching demonstration.
“The ability to have face-to-face time with the students is part of why I accepted the job,” Eckard said. “At the end of the day, students are the most important part of the institution. They’re the reason behind all of us being there, and I was really impressed during my time with them.”
Loomis said the hiring committee was very pleased with Eckard’s rapport and skills during the teaching demonstration.
“I’ve always really enjoyed the exchange of ideas and the process of shepherding other writers through their own development and growth,” Eckard said. “I love to see students not only discover their voice, but also learn the craft of screenwriting itself.”
Wojahn can be reached at wojahnal7429@uwec.edu.
