J-Term provided students and alumni with diverse learning experiences designed to enhance their skills, broaden their perspectives, and foster lifelong connections.
Behind the quiet and serene landscape of Gettysburg College’s winter wonderland in January was an active swirl of students, faculty, staff, and alumni learning virtually and across the globe as part of the January Term (J-Term).
Hundreds of students and alumni participated in more than two dozen sessions focused on personal and professional development. Students took part in virtual J-Term programming from Jan. 6-15, while Alumni J-Term took place from Jan. 27-31.
Additionally, during break, students travelled the world for a host of immersion experiences, career treks, and job shadowing opportunities through the Center for Public Service (CPS), Center for Career Engagement (CCE), Eisenhower Institute (EI), and Garthwait Leadership Center (GLC).
Enhancing the student experience
Since 2021, Gettysburg has offered its students free courses outside the standard academic curriculum during the month of January. This year’s program featured 12 different sessions covering a breadth of professional development topics, including networking, public speaking, resume building, career planning, and investing.
“J-Term provides students with an opportunity to use their time to enhance their skills, learn something new, or simply explore a topic of interest,” said Assistant Vice President for Co-Curricular Education Jim Duffy. “Virtual sessions provide students access to experts and topics that expose students to the enduring skills they need to be successful in the future.”
Students learned the ins and outs of applications such as Excel and LinkedIn, heard from faculty experts about situational leadership and the path to law school, and developed connections with alumni presenters. John Rudy ’07, Ben Pontz ’20, Andrew Martin ’21, Elizabeth Hilfrank ’18, and Kevin Smith ’89 were among the alumni presenting to students and sharing knowledge and expertise about their respective professions.
Two new offerings this year included The Pathway to Your Career Plan, led by Senior Co-Curricular Advisor Cara Smith and Director of Career Counseling Katy Mattson, and From Fear to Flourishing: Unlocking Your Public Speaking Potential, taught by Andy Hughes, executive director of the GLC.
Smith and Mattson helped students understand how to connect their academics, work, and co-curricular experiences on campus. Said Smith, “we focused on the enduring skills as a central point and used examples of typical co-curricular and paid work experiences to help students think about the skills they developed from those experiences.”
Hughes introduced students to different techniques to help them enhance their speaking abilities and grow their self-confidence. “We covered proven techniques to manage stage fright, structure compelling presentations, and engage their audiences with clarity and poise,” Hughes said. “My ultimate goal was to equip them with the tools they needed to deliver powerful, authentic speeches that leave a lasting impact. We had a lot of fun, too!”
Blair O’Connor ’27, an international and global studies major, was one of several students to take multiple J-Term sessions. O’Connor participated in Rich Rewards: The Secrets to Becoming Wealthy with Kevin Smith and Hughes’ program on public speaking.
“One thing I loved about the J-Term sessions was that they allowed me to work toward personal goals and explore topics I am curious about or know are important to me, but are unrelated to my major or future career,” O’Connor said. “That’s how I felt about the Rich Rewards session—it allowed me to delve deeper into a personal interest without taking a semester-long class on it.”
Transformational travels
Winter break included adventures for students to local sites and far-off places, some as part of J-Term’s immersion trips and others guided by CCE, EI, and the GLC. Through these trips, students gained firsthand knowledge and insight into important issues and the ways organizations and countries are dealing with them.
Through CPS, students embarked on five immersion experiences to Morocco, Senegal, Mexico, Texas, and Alabama, each focusing on different issues within those regions such as women’s rights, immigration, education, and civil rights. College staff along with a student leader led each immersion experience, which put students on the frontlines interacting with those most affected by the issues.
“On Immersion Projects, our students get to see how things they are learning in the classroom are playing out around the world,” noted CPS Director Jeffrey Rioux. “Each year, participants report how transformational these experiences are, and how much they benefit from crossing cultures and hearing stories from our amazing partners.”
The Eisenhower Institute sent 10 students to Washington, D.C., to focus on gender and leadership. There, they met with 20 government, industry, and nonprofit leaders, while visiting Capitol Hill and other venues in D.C.
The Eisenhower Institute and GLC also continued to build on their year-long programming. EI sent its undergraduate fellows to the Dominican Republic to continue research on the impact of climate change on labor, while other expert-led groups visited the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Participants in the GLC’s Outdoor Leadership Program braved the cold to trek along the Old Loggers Path in Lycoming County.
Many students took part in job shadowing experiences and networking opportunities with alumni as well. In early January, a dozen students joined alumni in New York City to see what it takes to make it on Wall Street, visiting a number of financial firms including Goldman Sachs, Lancor, MUFG Securities Americas, and Piper Sandler. Another group of students travelled to Florida to investigate the family vacation industry. Organized by Greg Edelson ’87, P’18, P’21, CEO at ValidFill, the excursion included meetings with business leaders and marketing executives at Universal Studios, Coca-Cola Company, SeaWorld, Disney World, and more.
Lifelong learning
For the second consecutive year, the Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving teamed up with the BOLD (Burgians of the Last Decade) Council to provide Alumni J-Term. More than 100 alumni spanning 40-plus decades of classes registered for 13 different sessions focused on professional development, networking, and wellness.
While several sessions were conducted by Gettysburg staff from Human Resources, the GLC, and the CCE, the majority of programming was led by alumni. Topics included Networking in a Digital World with BOLD Council Members Maddie Bergier ’22 and Anna Baitel ’22, How to Present Your Ideas So Your Colleagues Actually Listen with Communications and Leadership Coach Lawrese Brown ’10, and other sessions dealing with wellness, communication, leadership, and work-life balance.
The most popular offering this winter was AI in the Workforce led by Garrett Goodwin ’21, senior regulatory affairs associate at Pfizer. More than 40 alumni registered for the session, which focused on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the workplace.
“It was great connecting with alumni on how they use AI in their lives and how it helps improve their daily routines, as well as the dangers and pitfalls they should be aware of,” said Goodwin, who majored in political science and public policy at Gettysburg. “Alumni J-Term is essential to ensure that alumni stay informed about current developments and gain knowledge that can enhance their lives. It is also a great chance to instill pride in alumni by showcasing what Gettysburgians are achieving in the external world and how we are influencing it.”
Find your Career-Ready Experience at Gettysburg!
By Corey Jewart
Photos courtesy of Abbey Frisco, Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, EI, CPS, and CCE
Posted: 02/12/25
