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drastic federal funding cuts, but they are certainly not
immune and proving their value, often with a significantly higher tuition than a public university, is an
ongoing conversation.
“I think what private colleges must do is demonstrate that, even though they’re private, they provide a
public good. Young Harris does that. We’re very much
the cultural center of this area. Our plays and concerts are very well attended,” explained Wells. “They
also can’t just be places where abstract knowledge is
talked about, although that’s important. We must be
places that are really preparing people for a rapidly
changing and altering economy. We must figure out
how it is that that we serve the interest of making
certain that our students have the skills they need to
do well in the market. But at the same time, they must
have the habits of mind to become professionals in a
rapidly evolving landscape.”
The culture was already moving in this kind of
direction, but the COVID-19 era put this dynamic
into overdrive. “Higher ed has tended to move very
slowly. I think what COVID taught us is that we could
move faster if properly motivated,” said Wells. “That’s
something that we’ve got to learn to do even in times
outside of crisis, that higher education is about really
making life better.”
Wells’ Methodist background helps to reinforce
his deep belief in higher education. Methodism leans
heavily on the idea that God has created the world and
called it good, so it’s worthy of our intellectual study. It’s
worthy of our time and resources to visit different parts
of the world,” he continued. “Methodism has a strong
emphasis on missionaries really seeing the world as a
valuable place. And all those values are really woven
into the things that we do here. The institution has a
long history of creating leaders who go out into the
world and want to make a change for the better. We
want to send folks out that can be servant leaders.”
“I would argue that that Methodism offers a very
good approach to free and open intellectual inquiry
because it’s always been concerned with the open
mind and the warm heart. And I think we’re following
in those footsteps,” said Wells.
As for the resources and assets of Young Harris itself, the college is situated in a unique place for several
reasons. Like the rest of Georgia, the college is in one
of the most biodiverse regions on the continent, thus
making a remarkable setting for scientific study and developing an understanding of the connection between
people and the environment.
“We have so many opportunities to expand outdoor
education. We’ve got an incredible outdoor lab here for
students and our scientists here to take full advantage
of and to foster understanding the world,” said Wells.
Like other colleges and universities from across
Georgia, and the Board of Regents’ outlook, Young Harris
is putting a renewed emphasis on career readiness. They
are expanding their career services and broadening opportunities for internships, shadowing and leadership.
“We’re also making certain that every student has
personal finance training,” said Wells. “We want to show
students how they can build wealth over time and what
it means to really have the habits of mind to be in the
professional class.”
Asked about the one thing he would like people to
know about Young Harris, Wells points to the lifelong
impact from the experience. “It’s everything you think
about in terms of an idyllic, small college experience.
It’s meeting people who are going to be friends with
you for the rest of your life. It’s having professors who
are more than just instructors, they’re mentors. Having
opportunities to have several adventures, and a sense
of what it means to be a small college. We genuinely
have them here at Young Harris. The ability to provide
a world class education with unrivaled student experience, we really do that. And that is really where the
college is putting its emphasis on preparing students in
a holistic way for professional life. That is our goal: to be
unrivaled by anybody in our ability to do that.”
Baker Owens is a staff writer for James and James Magazine Online.
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