Character and leadership at the University of Jamestown is a focal point of our programs on campus. Getting involved, being a servant leader, giving back to others—that's at the root of what we do here. Developing in values and who you are, what your philosophy of leadership is; each professor and each student really has that understanding of what it means.
I get to know my students. I know who is sad, who has just broken up with their boyfriend or girlfriend. I've done advising in the aisles of Walmart. As part of our mission, we have an adherence to the Christian faith, which means responsibility. It means concern for ongoing growth.
The liberal arts is important because we don't live in a vacuum. Regardless of your major, not everyone is a financial advisor. Not everyone you know is a field ecologist. So it gives you a broader education. We want graduates to be thinkers, to be able to take in information, synthesize it, and think critically. We want students to be good communicators, and we also want you to be a good citizen.
We have built relationships with businesses in town and with government agencies, and all of these entities provide internship opportunities. I have the opportunity to go to Sioux Falls and do cancer research at Sanford. It was the most incredible experience and it absolutely changed my life. One of the joys of college is changing your mind and figuring out actually what you want to do. So that experience in my internship, I would do it a million times over.
