Hayden Sloan, a junior at Berry College in Rome, is a communications major with a concentration in public relations and a minor in government. He’s also a public relations assistant in the college’s public relations office.
Sloan was attracted to Berry by its scenic campus, welcoming community and work experience program, which has allowed him to earn money and prepare for a career. He first worked in the admissions office, but when he declared his major, Sloan got a job in the public relations department.
“I was proactive, because communications is a very saturated job market and I wanted to get the kind of experience that would help me get hired after graduation,” he said.
Sloan has honed his writing skills by penning press releases, which has complemented what he has learned in the classroom.
Rufus Massey, dean of student work at Berry, calls the work experience program the largest and best in the country. What makes it unique? In keeping with the principles of the school’s founder, Martha Berry, all students are guaranteed a campus job if they want one. More than 90 percent of Berry’s students work during their college years.
“It’s easy to brag about our program, because our students are running the campus,” Massey said. “There are more than 2,000 literal jobs on campus in 300 categories including medical services, technology, laboratory research, marketing, philanthropy and entrepreneurship. All departments hire students. Our annual student payroll is around $5 million, so we’re invested heavily in making education affordable and providing our students with meaningful work.”
Several components make Berry’s program different from those at other colleges.
“We begin with the end in mind, encouraging students to find a job doing what interests them, so that they’re building valuable work experience in their fields,” Massey said.
For example, Berry has a varied collection of livestock, so pre-veterinarian students can work with cows, horses and sheep.
Every job is tied to specific learning outcomes. Students are evaluated on taking initiative, solving problems, customer service, teamwork, dependability and accountability.
“They also have an opportunity to move up the ladder at increased pay and responsibility,” Massey said.
Wages range from $7.25 to $7.95 an hour. By Level 3, students may be researchers or project managers. By Level 4, they are running projects and supervising other students. At Level 5, they are CEOs or general managers of student-run businesses.
About three years ago, Berry converted some campus operations to student-run enterprises. Former student Ashley Painter wrote the business plan for the Cottages at Berry, a campus bed-and-breakfast. She presented her plan to donors and trustees, and hired three tiers of employees, including housekeepers, accountants and managers.
“It was the most eye-opening experience a 19-year-old could have,” Painter said.
After she graduated in 2010, Painter was hired as a financial analyst by UPS, whose recruiters were impressed by her professionalism and work experience. “Berry did that for me,” she said.
Now she serves on the advisory board for Berry’s work experience program, which includes 15 student enterprises.
For information about Berry College, call 706-232-5374 or go to www.berry.edu.
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