Photo by Christina VanHorn,
UNH Human Resources

At some time during your life you've probably asked yourself a question along the lines of "What do I want to do with my life?" or "What do I want to be when I grow up?" Jason Whitney gets to help turn some of those questions into reality for many students at the University of New Hampshire.

Jason is the Internship Coordinator in the University Advising and Career Center. In that role, his primary responsibility is to provide support, guidance, and resources to help students find experiential learning opportunities that relate to their academic and/or career interests. He also works with employers (like Fidelity, Calypso Communications, Private Jet Services, Timberland, and dozens of others) to help them develop or enhance internship programs and market their opportunities for UNH students. "We don't 'place' students," he explains, "We help them identify opportunities and then cultivate those relationships." Jason calls an internship "an extension of the classroom." He sees the internship as being a bridge between college and career; a valuable asset to a student as they transition from UNH to professional life. He says that some of the skills that are necessary for his position are "excellent interpersonal communication skills, organization and multi-task ability, creativity, and enthusiasm."

After growing up in Long Island, NY, Jason received his Master's Degree in College Student Personnel from Western Illinois University. After attending a professional conference in Baltimore during his last semester in graduate school he became interested in a Residence Hall Director position at UNH because it was closer to home (New York) and seemed like a great entry level job. "Out of 400 schools offering a position, UNH was the only one with 'a sense of humor' as part of the job description," Jason recalls. "I thought, 'All Right!!'"

It seems as though that Residence Hall Director position (3 years in Jessie Doe; 1 year in Congreve) was where Jason's 'What do I want to do with my life?' question was answered. "I went to graduate school to pursue a career in higher education and help people make the most of this experience," Jason says. "I have always liked helping others, and feel that each professional role I have had at UNH has allowed me to do that in some small way."

Prior to taking his current position, Jason was a Judicial Coordinator at UNH for 4 years. With responsibilities including counseling and interacting with students regarding disciplinary/student conduct matters while also representing the university to parents, faculty, staff, and community regarding student conduct, Jason was constantly on the frontline of disseminating information to various constituencies. While seeing just about every imaginable type of student conduct matter during that time, Jason was always aware that he was "not dealing with bad people, just people who made some bad decsisions." One of the most pleasant aspects of that position were the several "thank you notes" Jason received from parents of students whom he'd helped in whatever their personal situations were.

When asked who at UNH has had a positive impact on his career, Jason says "Many of the staff I have worked with or for, have had a positive impact on me because I had an opportunity to learn from them and become a better professional, both by the example that they set in how they conducted themselves with students and fellow staff, and by the time they took to help me develop my skills and abilities. The students I have met through the years at UNH have had a positive impact on me as well. The conversations and stories shared, and learning about each student's unique character, spirit and life experiences has been an amazing part of my work here."

When he's not busy working at UNH, Jason enjoys watching and playing all types of sports, and also loves playing guitar, writing music, and performing. "I played in bands all through college," he says, "and I still love to perform at open-mics and coffee shops in the area whenever possible."

In yet another instance of putting the right people together in the right place, Jason met his wife Amy (who works in the Housing department) while working at UNH as a Residence Hall Director. "I got a great career and started a family here!" he says. Jason, Amy, and their son (Kieran, age 4) reside in Dover, NH.