As graduation quickly approaches, questions begin to arise about what the working world is actually like. Don Campbell, a 2001 Elon graduate with a degree in public administration, has taken his "well rounded education" and applied it to his current position at the Greensboro Fire Department.

Campbell took advantage of the opportunities Elon offers inside and outside of the classroom to develop strong leadership skills.

"While my courses provided a very good source for a background of information and knowledge base to work from, the addition of the experiential learning, study abroad, research opportunities, and leadership opportunities truly gave me the well rounded education that led to my landing a job and being successful in that job," Campbell said.

Campbell said his vision to make a difference in the lives of others and improve the quality of his community led him to an internship opportunity at the Guilford County Emergency Management Agency the summer of his sophomore year. This job experience began to open doors for future involvement and experiences in the workforce.

During the recovery efforts of Hurricane Floyd, he was able to spend a week in Greenville, N.C., providing fire protection to the town.

"This was a very eye-opening experience to actually see the flooding and devastation that occurred after the hurricane struck the coast first hand."

The combination of leadership opportunities and the importance of group work at Elon is one of the best things he learned. Campbell said that most of the work in the "real world" is group work.

"Without the knowledge of how to work in a group you will never succeed," Campbell said.

Working in a planning team environment, the Office of Strategic Planning and Information Systems has responsibilities and opportunities to effectively apply the leadership skills gained through the Isabella Cannon Leadership Program. Campbell’s main job is to provide analysis and guidance on policy issues relating to emergency response and future growth of the fire department.

There is no such thing as a typical day for Campbell. He normally arrives at the office in the morning and begins reading e-mail and working on a calendar for the day. The "project of the day" takes priority unless things change in a moments notice.

"While I am mainly a planner, on large emergencies I have responsibilities outside of my planning office," Campbell said.

His day is spent working in a very friendly, team-oriented environment planning for future fire stations and the implementation of a new fire records management system and a new computer aided dispatch system for the city of Greensboro.

Campbell learned the basics of geographic information systems in the Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation course taught by his advisor Dr. Betty Morgan, and now he has the opportunity to manage a newly awarded GSI grant from the commission on Fire Accreditation International and ESRI.

The support and guidance from Morgan, along with the combination of the Leadership Development Office, and the inclusion of experiential learning, were key resources for the selection of Campbell for his position over other candidates.

Working in an organization that is very progressive and not afraid to grow or be the first group to do "something new" has given Campbell the opportunity to continue his education. If he could change one thing about his Elon experience, he would have taken more classes in information systems.