Mark Jager

Chair, Department of Health and Social Services; Professor of Health Care Administration

Contact Information

College of Health and Human Services
Concordia University
2811 NE Holman St.
Portland, OR 97211
mjager@cu-portland.edu

Education

  • B.S., Central Michigan University
  • M.P.A., Western Michigan University
  • Ph.D., University of New Mexico

Background

My desire to become a college professor can be traced back almost 20 years ago to my final semester as an undergraduate student at Central Michigan University. When one of the Health Science graduate assistants failed to show up to teach his assigned section of Personal Health, I was asked out of desperation to teach the class. Even though the thought of teaching produced considerable stress and anxiety, I decided to give it a try. After all, I reasoned, I was getting ready to graduate at the end of the semester and the experience would probably look good on my resume.

The first few weeks of teaching were terrifying, but things seemed to get easier and improve each passing week. By the time I reached the end of the semester, I was actually enjoying myself! The overall experience made me realize that I wanted to continue my education through a Ph.D. and teach in higher education. My road to Concordia had many twists and turns along the way, including time spent working in the health care industry as well as higher education. I didn't realize it at the time, but each of these experiences helped to prepare me for the courses I teach at CU as well as the different students that I advise. I look forward to working with you during this exciting time in the health care industry!