Biography
Rebecca M. Achen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of sport management in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University. She graduated with her Ph.D. in sport management from the University of Kansas, where she also taught as a graduate teaching assistant. Prior to that, Rebecca received her master’s degree from Winona State University in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in sport management. Prior to going back to school for her Ph.D., she worked as a Resource Exchange Center account manager at the National Center for Drug Free Sport. She has many years of work experience in higher education administration and sport marketing and sales. Her research focuses on the effectiveness of social media as relationship marketing tools in professional sport. She also conducts research on participant sport, sport sponsorship, and effective teaching. She is passionate about health and fitness and is an avid runner.
Current Courses
298.042Prof Practice:Internship & Coop Ed Recreation & Park Adminis
354.001Contemporary Issues In The Sport Industry
400.042Independent Study In Kinesiology & Recreation
400.142Independent Study In Kinesiology & Recreation
466.001Marketing Of Sport And Recreation
398.040Prof Practice:Internship & Coop Ed Recreation & Park Adminis
498.042Professional Practice Parks And Recreation
Research Interests & Areas
Relationship marketing, social media marketing, sponsorship, marketing in fitness and participation sport, effective teaching, student career development, and experiential learning
Journal Article, Academic Journal
Achen, R., Warren, C., Fazzari, A., Jorich, H., & Thorne, K. Evaluating graduate student out-of-class learning: The professional field trip. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 31 (2019): 96-107.
Achen, R. Re-examining a model for measuring Facebook interaction and relationship quality in professional sport. Sport, Business, and Management: An International Journal 9 (2019): 255-272.
Achen, R., Dodd, R., Lumpkin, A., & Plunkett, K. Servant as leader: The effects of servant leadership on trust, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions in intercollegiate athletics. Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice 6.1 (2019): 13-36.
Lumpkin, A., & Achen, R. Leadership education: Assessment of learning in a sport leadership course. Journal of Leadership Education 18.2 (2019): 95-110.
Vooris, R., & Achen, R. Marketing in the minors: Comparing minor and Major League Baseball teams’ use of Facebook. Journal of Sports Media 14 (2019): 23-46.
Presentations
Academic Panel. 2019 Midwest Digital Marketing Conference. (2019)
Expanding Measurement of Social Media in Sport: Cognitive, Affective, and Activational Dimensions. Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference. Sport Marketing Association. (2019)
From Survive to Thrive: A Roundtable Discussion on Supporting Female Sport Marketing Faculty as they Face Challenges in Academia. Sport Marketing Association Conference. (2019)
From Survive to Thrive: A Roundtable on Supporting Female Sport Marketing Faculty as they Face Challenges in Academia. Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference. Sport Marketing Association. (2019)
I "Like" It: Testing the Impact of Firm-Generated Social Media Content on Customer Engagement Behaviours. EMAC 48th Annual Conference. (2019)
I "Like" It: The Platforms, Media, and Message Content that Drive Sport Fans' Social Media Engagement. American Marketing Association Winter Conference. (2019)
A Qualitative Exploration of Social Media Strategy in the Fitness Industry. Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference. Sport Marketing Association. (2018)
Athletic Identity, Institutional Support Services, and Transition: An Analysis of Student-Athlete Perceptions and Implications. 2018 Illinois State University Research Symposium. (2018)
Does Identification Equal Interaction?. North American Society for Sport Management Annual Conference. (2018)
Encouraging the Integration of Marketing and Communications in Research and Practice. 11th Summit on Communication and Sport. International Association for Communication and Sport. (2018)
Grants & Contracts
Cognitive, Affective, and Activational Aspects of Social Media Engagement: Testing the Consumer-Behavior Engagement Scale. CAST. Illinois State University. (2019)
2018-2019 Assessment Initiative Award. University Assessment Services. Illinois State University. (2018)
Why do I Like, Comment, and Share? A Mixed Method Exploration of Engagement Behavior on Facebook. CAST. Illinois State University. (2017)
An Analysis of Social Media Marketing Strategy during the Off-Season in United States Professional Sport. CAST. Illinois State University. (2016)
Improving the graduate student experience through out-of-class experiences: Assessing the professional field trip. ISU SoTL Research Grant. Illinois State University. (2016)
