From Student to Instructor, Education Comes Full Circle

As a student, alumnus, adjunct faculty member and consultant, Jeffrey Davis has spent his 40 years at Middlesex Community College witnessing and participating in its growth. He’s passionate about the “respectful and fearless” ways Middlesex serves the community.

Davis planned to attend Georgetown University, but his mother needed his help. While four-year colleges told him to apply when he was ready to commit as a full-time student, Middlesex made it work for his lifestyle.

“I came down to an open house at Middlesex and I couldn’t believe how welcome I was compared to other colleges in the area. Middlesex asked ‘what’s your situation, what are you interested in,’ and then said, ‘here’s how we can work with you.’”

Davis started at Middlesex in 1979 and credits the Social Work Associates Program (SWAP) for his success. His professors were experts in their field who emphasized the importance of gaining practical experience.

In his second year, Davis completed a 20-hour a week internship other students were doing as part of their graduate studies. This experience – and his studies – stuck with him.

“I went to graduate school and from there I always found myself on the people side of the business, so I would say every single day, ‘I feel like I access my social work degree from Middlesex.’ None of my other training in management, at the master’s degree level, prepared me for that as well as my social work associate’s degree.”

Thirteen years later, Davis returned to teach professional development classes as part of the college’s Corporate and Community Education program – developed to promote personal and professional growth for life.

Davis’s first class – “Presentation Skills” – only had five students enrolled, but the college still ran the course. Public speaking and presenting felt daunting, even for Davis, but the small class size made it easy for him to provide the appropriate and theoretical expertise needed to overcome fears in a no-judgment environment.

The popularity of the class grew as businesses realized the benefits of offering personalized professional development on site. Davis credits Judy Burke, MCC’s Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, for fostering relationships with businesses to develop the program into more courses and expand to other corporate locations.

Davis helped create “Train-the-Trainer” classes, teaching employers how to provide current and new employees with the training necessary for success. The course material was geared to match the industry and skills of the specific business.

“They knew their stuff, they just needed to learn how to teach or train others,” he said. “Sometimes we were teaching engineers, other times it was medical doctors and nurses – yet other clients included accountants, even attorneys.”

The methodology Middlesex and Davis emphasize is to keep learning.

Davis tells his students, “You’re not done growing yet. I don’t know where you are in your career, but you’re not finished, you still have a lot to offer and because of being caught in the whirlwind of the day-to-day and maybe not receiving a lot of positive reinforcement, you don’t know that you still have a lot of potential.”

At this point in his career, Davis focuses on doing meaningful work. As a consultant with MCC, he leads retreats in team-building activities, discussing strategies and ideas for the future. He also worked with prisoners to prepare them to return to society and the workforce – reinforcing his belief that to uplift someone is to help them grow.

“You can't have this memorized script, you have to individualize it and treat people truly as individuals,” he said.

As needs of students evolve, Davis believes Middlesex is in a solid position to be a great facilitator of conversations to shift the future and help the community progress.

“It all goes back to how I was treated in 1979 when I walked on campus. They wanted to make a difference in my life. When I came here, I got guidance. That experience changed the trajectory of my life and then being able to come back to the college and be a part of doing that with others, that’s what keeps me interested.”

MCC’s Corporate and Community Education and Training courses are designed for individuals and businesses at all levels of their career and stages of life. For more information, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/careertraining/ or contact career_training@middlesex.mass.edu.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, we educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners. MCC offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – on our campuses in Bedford and Lowell, and online. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!