As a college student interested in government and politics, Stacey Hunter Hecht assumed she'd go on to law school. But her adviser at Penn State University helped steer her career in a different direction.
"He asked her why she wanted to get into the legal profession, then said, 'You don't have to go to law school to study the things you love,' " said her husband, Stephen Hecht.
That conversation — and a brief stint as a paralegal — convinced Hecht that her calling was in the classroom, not the courtroom. She earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota, and went on to become a professor and department head at Bethel University in St. Paul, where she found great satisfaction teaching American government, politics and political theory — and helping students figure out their own career paths.
"Her first love was teaching and mentoring," Stephen said.
Hunter Hecht cared deeply about her students, according to Fred Van Geest, a Bethel political science professor who took over as department head after she stepped down last year to battle breast cancer; she died Dec. 9 at age 47. "She gave [students] good advice and challenged them. It was clear she loved them."
Bethel's political science department grew under her leadership, according to Van Geest. "A lot of students were attracted by her charisma and teaching abilities." In addition to classroom teaching, Hunter Hecht also organized student educational events related to elections and the U.S. Constitution. Last year, she helped edit and wrote the preface for a book, "Presidential Swing States: Why Only 10 Matter," with Hamline professor David Schultz.
Hunter Hecht was familiar to viewers of Twin Cities Public Television's "Almanac," on which she appeared 50 times over the past several years.
Producer Brendan Henehan recruited her for the show's political panel after scouring college websites in search of different voices. As a woman, she brought a different perspective, he said. "It's a rare thing to be teaching political science at a university and not be male." And her role at Bethel, an evangelical Christian university, offered a window into young conservatives. "We depended on her for insights into evangelicalism in American political life."
