FORT JACKSON, S.C. (Feb. 26, 2015) -- Fort Jackson's partnerships with post-secondary institutions are making a difference in the Midlands area. The post and its units work with several of the colleges and universities in the Midlands.
One example is the partnership between the 120th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception) and Benedict College.
"The partnership allows our Soldiers to learn leadership traits and character traits from civilian leaders at higher education institutions who have been helping people reach their goals for years," said Capt. Robbie Wilson, 120th. "We also are able to teach them more about what we do here as well."
First Sgt. Eddie Anderson said the ongoing partnership started about a year ago.
"We do leadership and team building events with Benedict College students on a quarterly basis, which allows us to have a regular and significant impact on the community" Anderson said.
Anderson said this partnership helps the college students learn more about the military.
"Most of the students have no idea of what our jobs require, so this gives them a little bit more detail on what we do," he said. "When we have our leadership classes for them there is a lot of interaction between Soldiers and the students. We talk about the importance of team building skills and community involvement. … For example, we had a class on social interactions within the community and how community efforts have an impact on the population."
Wilson said the partnership is also an opportunity to encourage students to achieve their goals.
"In our company we have a lot of young Soldiers, so for those students at Benedict to have the opportunity to meet our Soldiers who are the same age -- and probably have done a lot more because of their military service -- it helps motivate them and let them know they can do whatever they want also." Wilson said.
In addition to unit partnerships, Fort Jackson also cooperates with the University of South Carolina on a postwide level.
In April 2013, Fort Jackson and USC officials signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a formal partnership that allows both institutions to explore the benefits of working together.
As a result of the partnership, the post established a Sustainability Management Leadership course with USC that focuses on teaching integrated management system principles.
"It's geared toward Soldiers, civilians and regular students in the USC community," said Tameria Warren, Sustainability Managements System Coordinator for Fort Jackson.
The students learn to develop and coordinate a sustainability management system, as well as the skills needed to use analytical tools to measure sustainability performance in making the best decisions to lead the organization to meet its goals.
The classes take advantage of the university's partnership with Fort Jackson to use the installation as a case study and to consider the military's overall role in sustainability.
Warren said the classes are designed to help Soldiers considering career changes after leaving the military, as well as for Soldiers looking for new job duties while still serving. Despite the technical language associated with the program, the issues it covers are universal in the military.
During the partnership forum in 2013, USC President Harris Pastides, said the partnership should have widespread repercussions.
"Everyone in this room is a teacher, a researcher and a scholar," Pastides said. "There are three other major training commands for the Army. Let's make this one the model for a command and flagship public university relationship. Not because we want to brag about it, but because we can spread what we do here to the other Army commands and other great universities. … We're two of the largest employers in the Midlands. Your welfare is ours, and ours is yours."
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