ST. PAUL (October 7, 2021) – If Dr. Jackie Glenny could have her students learn just one thing in her classes, it would be “to have fun doing their job.” She believes that in the workplace “attitude is more important than skill level”. Glenny is a Professor of Communications at University of Northwestern-St. Paul.
Glenny’s goal is to prepare students for professionalism in the workplace in the areas of writing and speaking. She wants her classroom to be a place of challenge where her students are exposed to the rigors of communication within the world of business. She wants to equip her students to bring a good testimony through the excellence of their work. She sees excellence as an opportunity to share their faith even when they cannot openly talk about it.
Glenny has three tips for success for the modern student:
- First, work to build relationships with professors, other students, and employers. These relationships will often be the reason students find a job opportunity. They also will be the basis of recommendations for employers that are interested in hiring.
- Second, as a student, show excellence in school, work and personal life. The reputation that a student builds will last a long time.
- Third, realize as a student that college is ‘the real thing’. Students cannot wait until they are ‘out in the real world’ to show their excellence. Stepping through the college doors equals starting a career.
“Stepping through the college doors equals starting a career.”
Dr. Jackie Glenny, Communication Department
Glenny’s favorite part of being a professor is getting to know the students, many with whom she forms lifelong friendships. Though she loves her students, she has seen them change over her years of teaching. In keeping with modern trends, she has seen that students have become more subject to anxiety. Skills wise, she says that their writing skills are more informal. She has seen fascination with technology lure her students away from the important things that they should be concentrating on. She has also seen listening skills decline among students which is especially detrimental considering that active listening is the second-most sought-after skill in the modern workplace. Glenny’s obvious concern for students makes all these trends disconcerting.
Glenny is not just all about students and communication, however. In addition to her husband, Dr. Ed Glenny, Bible and Theology professor here are UNW, she also has two daughters, a son-in-law and two granddaughters ages 9 and 5. In her free time, she loves to read novels, travel (especially in England and Germany) and research the author C.S. Lewis. She has stayed in C.S. Lewis’ home in Oxford three times. During her stays, she has twice stayed in the room C.S. Lewis died in, and once stayed in the children’s room.
Glenny’s educational background started at Pillsbury College where she received her undergraduate degree. She went on to earn both her Master of Business Communication and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Leadership Communication at University of St. Thomas. Before teaching at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, she taught at Pillsbury College and Fourth Baptist Christian school.
Glenny’s passion for excellence, her focus on students’ success and her commitment to prepare students for the ever-changing world of communication make her an important asset to the communication department … and her students.
