MU | F e a t u r e s
Manchester pioneered the nation’s first
undergraduate environmental studies program
more than 40 years ago, and Sweeten keeps
it at the cutting edge. “I came here because
of Dr. Sweeten,” says Josh Long. “I heard
of all the opportunities he gives everybody.”
Fellow Alaska traveler Josh Melton ’18
chose Manchester after he talked to one of
Sweeten’s former students at a college fair
and learned about the time the professor
devotes to his students. “I gotta meet this
guy,” thought Josh. “At Manchester, you have
the feeling that you’re not going to be left
behind.”
As MU’s registrar, Lila Hammer talks with
students nearly every day. But the Alaska trip
was a chance to see them in a different way
and to witness Sweeten’s teaching style. “He
mentors students and guides them,” says
Hammer. “He really moves those students
along and helps them learn. That was very
exciting to watch. It really is truly what
Manchester is all about – that one-on-one
mentoring, the faculty connection. And
the experiential learning that goes on is
very exciting.”
Though the group returned from Alaska on
July 9, the students say it forever changed
them. Their motto is, “we got comfortable
with being uncomfortable.” Many
experienced life without electricity or cell
phones for the first time. “I don’t think any
of us were really prepared for what we were
getting into,” says Billy. Turns out, say the
students, they really don’t need as much
as they thought they did.
The students also learned that they can achieve
things they didn’t think they could