University of Jamestown breaks ground on projects

Oct. 5—JAMESTOWN — The single-largest donation was made to the University of Jamestown because the Character in Leadership program has a purpose and it's an opportunity to help take the program to a new level and put UJ on the map for building character and values in future leaders, according to Jim Unruh, chairman emeritus for the UJ Board of Trustees.

Unruh and his wife, Candy, have some criteria when it comes to making strategic investments through gifts, he said. He said they look for opportunities where they can make a difference.

"Is it a program or a process that is consistent with our values," he said. "Do they have the same kind of intentions and purpose that we would feel very happy to be a part of?"

Unruh said he gained many of his values and confidence from his educational experience at UJ.

"In my career, there were many times if I didn't have the values, it would have been very difficult, or maybe I should say because I had the values, it was difficult to buck against other forces," he said. "Those values were critical to me. They made a big difference in my career and our life together."

UJ officials held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 5, during homecoming week for the renovation of Voorhees Chapel and to kick off construction for a new addition that will become the Reuben and Clarice Liechty Center for Faith and Life and will house the Unruh School of Character in Leadership.

"To be able to bring all of our alumni back that are going to be here this weekend and celebrate the leadership of Jim and Candy Unruh and how that's going to grow into such an important program to us and to be able to celebrate it in the space we are going to do it in and the chapel renovation, it's just so exciting," said Polly Peterson, UJ president, after the groundbreaking ceremony.

The university also announced that Reuben and Clarice Liechty made a "significant" contribution to support the Center for Faith and Life. The amount of the donation was not disclosed.

Clarice Liechty said her late husband, Reuben, served on the UJ Board of Trustees for 30 years.

"You can see both of these two names (Unruh and Liechty) around campus in more than one place," Peterson said. "They've been so committed to growing our university and to supporting ... the magic of what happens here."

The

Unruhs donated $15 million

toward the creation and naming of UJ's new School of Character in Leadership. The donation also supports the renovation of Voorhees Chapel and the construction of a new addition that will become the Reuben and Clarice Liechty Center for Faith and Life that will house the Unruh School of Character in Leadership and connects the chapel to the Badal Nafus Center.

The Unruhs' $15-million donation is the single-largest donation in university history and to a private institution in North Dakota.

"He (Unruh) is an incredible visionary leader and has done so many wonderful things for this university," Peterson said. "He's had an incredible career but the most important thing he's doing right now is to invest in you because he had the courage to do so and the courage to invest in this university."

Unruh said it's natural to give back to UJ students so they have opportunities to build a value base for themselves. He said there is an absence of character in leadership in a lot of the publicity of individuals seen today.

"It doesn't matter when we are talking politics, if we are talking businesses and sometimes even churches," he said. "It is increasingly needed in our society. I encourage you as students, it is increasingly important that you have that knowledge value base to face decisions you will be making as leaders."

Liechty said the projects on the campus would not happen without the vision of UJ's leadership.

"They are the ones that are making this vision come to a reality, come to fruition," she said. "They have their boots on the ground and have done and continue to work hard to keep this project going."

The

new School of Character in Leadership

will provide diversified programming options including workshops, certificates and degree programs at the undergraduate, master and doctoral levels, blending leadership theory with practice. Courses will be available on the Jamestown campus as well as through the university's online learning division, University of Jamestown Accelerated.

The University of Jamestown launched its undergraduate Character in Leadership program in 2006. At the time, UJ began offering an undergraduate minor in character in leadership, a 21-credit course that undergraduate students take over their four years. The undergraduate program accepts around 30 students a year and includes between 100 to 120 students at any one time, The Jamestown Sun reported in September.

In 2015, the university launched its Master of Arts in Leadership degree program that is taken completely online. Graduate students take consecutive eight-week courses over a two-year period and include 36 credits. Twenty-seven of the 36 credits are core classes and the remaining nine credits are for specific concentrations such as nonprofit, business, sports or health care leadership.

Since the launch of the master's program, 154 students have graduated.

The university plans on launching a professional doctorate in leadership in fall 2024.