Alumni Spotlight

By jason rutland, Associate Vice President for Alumni & Parent Engagement

Professional excellence is intertwined with a call to serve and love others.

The term success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. A defined and articulated purpose is standard for any organization and is accomplished through crafting a mission statement that should inform its daily functions.

At Anderson University our mission is defined as the following:

Anderson University is an academic community, affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, providing a challenging education grounded in the liberal arts, enhanced by professional and graduate programs and a co-curricular focus on the development of character, servant leadership, and cultural engagement. This is a diverse community that is Christ-centered, people-focused, student-oriented, quality driven, and future-directed.

We could fill the pages of many publications with the typical “success stories” of our graduates, but I wanted to bring attention to three graduates who are measuring up to our mission statement in three very different fields.

Jamie Seagrist graduated from our College of Business in 2018. According to Jamie, “Anderson University definitely helped shape, define, and inform my calling. I came to Anderson as a general business major but quickly fell in love with my economics and finance courses. The University uses a Biblical lens to instruct and educate its students. This Christ-centered worldview that is woven into Anderson’s curriculum drives its competitive education and quality. The University informed my calling to use the skills, abilities, and passions that I have developed to bring God glory through my profession in Investment Banking and Private Equity. I am forever grateful for the way God used Anderson University to guide and direct my professional career while drawing me closer to Him!”

Challenging education, Christ-centered… I would say mission accomplished!

Across the globe in Abuja, Nigeria, we find 2004 graduate Adaobi Ezeokoli, who came to Anderson as an aspiring journalist and standout soccer athlete. “Anderson informed my calling by providing me with the tools and resources I needed to build a solid foundation in the sphere of communications, journalism, and media, as well as broadened my insights into diverse cultures… I still remember writing for the school newspaper and the literary magazine. I remember playing on the soccer team and being part of the AU gospel choir, learning to line dance, and working at the post office. I remember attending chapel services and accepting Christ as my Lord and Saviour at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meeting on a Monday night in March 2001... These remain heart-warming memories for me. Anderson gave me the first taste of the world that would become my career path, as I pursued a degree in Communications with emphasis on Journalism and Creative Writing. Today I am the Editor In Chief of one of Nigeria’s leading health communications and advocacy NGOs, Nigeria Health Watch, bringing informed commentary and insightful analysis of Nigeria’s health sector to Nigerians, helping them make more informed decisions about their health and holding government to account for their actions.”

Certainly Ada’s story is an “AU success story” on many levels.

Then there’s Olivia Walker, a 2018 graduate from Anderson’s School of Nursing. Olivia had this to say about the way she was educated for her current profession.

“The moment I arrived in Anderson from Boston, I recognized the focus on servant leadership, palpable throughout the entire campus. Dozens of current AU students surrounded my vehicle to welcome me to my new home and help unload my entire life. As I diligently pursued a nursing degree at AU, the commitment of the staff and faculty to character development, servant leadership, and cultural engagement became abundantly clear. As a nursing student, I was given opportunity after opportunity to meet the needs of my local community and beyond, as I traveled to Ireland to learn of cultural differences present in health care. Each of my professors instilled in me the importance of keeping Christ at my core...to more effectively meet the needs of my patients. Now, nearly three years after graduation, I work as a nurse in both a Neuro Intensive Care Unit and a Pre-/Post-Op Unit. I have always said nursing is a calling rather than just a career, and Anderson University certainly solidified that belief. Patients and colleagues alike frequently comment about the gentleness and love with which I treat my patients. The verse ‘…Not I, but Christ who lives in me…’ always comes to my mind (Galatians 2:20). I believe this value was instilled in me during my studies at AU.”

As you can see through these few examples, students at Anderson are prepared to become alumni that exemplify our mission statement in terms of how they carry out their life calling and purpose. The focus on professional excellence is intertwined with a call to serve and love others— all seen through a Christian worldview that makes our graduates stand out from others in society.

Don’t forget you can play a vital role in our students’ continued success by supporting the Anderson Fund. Gifts can be given online at AndersonUniversity.edu/giving/online or by mail to the following address: Anderson University Development Office 316 Boulevard Anderson, SC 29621 | Long Live Anderson!

Anderson University Development Office 316 Boulevard | Anderson, SC 29621

Gifts to the Anderson Fund provide life- changing scholarships for our students.

Make your gift today with the enclosed envelope or visit: AndersonUniversity.edu/giving/online. You may also contact our Office of Development at 864.231.2147.

The Anderson Fund helps pay for computers and laboratory equipment, course development, art exhibits, athletic enhancements, theatrical performances, library books, student mission trips and so much more.