Eli Van Sickel

Eli Van Sickel (he/him) is fond of telling students “Your faculty are responsible for teaching you how to be an artist, but I’m responsible for teaching you how to be a college student!” His job is to find new ways to help students navigate the complexities of college and learn how to succeed academically at CCAD. Eli oversees the offices of Advising, Disability & Access Services, and Orientation. Students might contact Eli for many reasons. Maybe they can’t decide on a major or minor. Maybe they want to know how disability accommodations work in college. Maybe they’re experiencing a problem and they just don’t know where to go for help. Whatever the reason, Eli prides himself on understanding, serving, and bringing a personalized experience to every student he meets with. He believes that CCAD is a place where students can work hard, celebrate their uniqueness and achievements, develop a chosen community, explore the world around them, and ultimately decide what kind of artist they want to be.

Like many CCAD staff and faculty, Eli is a multi-hyphenate creative, mostly as a playwright, musician, photographer, performer, and theatre historian. In the past he’s also been a pro wrestling announcer, a country radio DJ, an improv comedy host, and Barry the Public Library Bear mascot. He is a loyal fan of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball and Columbus Blue Jackets hockey. Eli identifies as disabled and wears two hearing aids. He holds degrees from Indiana State, Illinois State, and Western Illinois universities.