Biography: Chadwick was born in Oregon, but has lived in Idaho most of his life. He graduated from NNU in 2011 and earned a doctorate in political science from Idaho State University in 2022. His dissertation focused on memory and salience of Japanese and Japanese American internment in the 21st century. He has been teaching since 2018 and came to NNU in 2023. He has published work on using the Narrative Policy Framework to teach political science. Chadwick oversees NNU GO (Global Opportunities), which connects students to off-campus study opportunities including University trips, semester-long study and summer options. As a student at NNU, he traveled to Ukraine on a University mission trip, studied abroad at the University of Oxford, and spent a semester interning on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C.

What is your favorite thing about working at NNU? I love teaching and working with students at the same school that taught me so much. It’s a special privilege to invest in the lives of students just like my professors did for me. I also love connecting students to different travel and off-campus opportunities. Off-campus study was a big part of my college experience and it changed my life. I want other students to have access to those transformative experiences.

Share a few facts about your specific area(s) of expertise that you bring to the classroom: My areas of expertise are American government, political theory, public administration, and American history. I also have a background in pedagogy, which is a fancy word for the theory and practice of teaching.

Share a few pieces of information that represent your teaching experience and why you love working with students: I prefer to teach using interactive methods (discussion, simulation, etc.). I encourage students to think beyond “what is” and also think about “what could be.” We don’t have to settle for unjust or broken systems, we have the ability to make a better world with just and equitable systems. A favorite saying of mine is, “It doesn’t have to be this way.” The reason I wanted to teach, is because I had professors who believed in me and saw my potential, even when I didn’t see it. I hope I’m that kind of professor for my students. Sometimes the margins are so small and all it takes is someone seeing them, caring about them, and believing in them.