25/100 Things we’ve learned: The ideal job fuses mind, hands, and heart.

” Mind. Hands. Heart.”  “Learning. Work. Service.”

This triad is the foundation of the Warren Wilson College experience. One of my sons transferred into WWC this year and we had the good fortune a few weeks ago to attend one of the better convocations welcoming new students that we’ve been to — and we’ve experienced four now.

I kept pulling out my pad and pencil to jot down quotes like this one from Ian Robertson, the Dean of Work:

“Always exceed the expectations of your supervisor because then you will always work for yourself.”

You’ve got to love a college that has a Dean of Work.

Every student on campus works 15 hours a week with a work crew, regardless of family income. Students perform 80% of the campus jobs and their work enables the college to offer a tuition that, while still pricey, is much more reasonable than many private liberal arts colleges. Work experiences include the usual suspects like dining services and library, but students might also care for the farm animals, or work in the garden, drive a tractor, serve as plumbers and carpenters, or perform a myriad of communications, office or other administrative functions . WWC considers the learning that comes from doing a job well, carrying your fair share of the community load, and recognizing the value of every job as a critical part of its college experience.

WWC also expects each student to complete 100 hours of service over four years (pro rated for transfers). Service Learning takes students into the world, gives them a fresh perspective on classroom topics and enables students to become active players in creating social change and social justice.

What struck me particularly about this triad is that it is an apt description of our jobs here at Cause & Effect Inc. We are extremely fortunate to be able to have jobs that integrate work with service to our community. We never lose sight of the mission of our clients, because that’s the whole reason for our being. To help you create the change you want to see in the world.

There isn’t a day that goes by that we aren’t learning something new about our community, our nation, our world, our sector or even about ourselves.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our clients, our colleagues and everyone we’ve met along the way. We receive so much in return. Mind. Hands. and Heart.