He Was One of the Very First Southern Virginia Students. Now He’s the Provost.
Jeremiah John, “a Renaissance Man”
By Dallin Hunt
“Students will have a great intellectual role model,” said Associate Provost Karen Walker about Dr. Jeremiah John, who will become Southern Virginia University’s Provost on May 7th. “His intellectual curiosity and refinement exemplify a real learner.”
Dr. John has been working as Associate Provost alongside Karen Walker for two years, and has taught political science classes at Southern Virginia since 2007. He currently serves as coordinator of the politics program.
It came to him as a surprise when he was offered the position of Provost on April 6th. “I had no expectations,” he said, “A couple weeks ago, I thought maybe I’ll be associate provost again.” But President Wilcox and current Provost Scott Dransfield had other plans in mind for him.
His main focus he says will be on the issues that “Provost Dransfield was very mindful about and worked on.”
“[Provost Dransfield] has done a great job,” he said, “Lots of great things happened at the school while he’s been Provost.”
Who is Dr. John?
Jeremiah John was born in Idaho but grew up in the Washington D.C. area. He attended Southern Virginia during its pioneer year in the Fall of 1996, as part of its first group of LDS students. “It was a very rare experience… I made some great friends,” he said, “Campus looked pretty similar then to how it does now, only Jonzzey’s was a swimming pool. That used to be the big thing for students to do.” It was at Southern Virginia where he met his wife Stephanie, and the two of them now live in Buena Vista with their five children.
Following three semesters at Southern Virginia, John transferred to Hampden-Sydney College, where he received his bachelors degree and graduated summa cum laude in 2000. He then attended Notre Dame University, where he earned a doctorate in political theory and comparative politics in 2008. He referred to Notre Dame as the “best religious university in the world.”
“It was a very successful example of a religious university,” he said, “It’s an elite university — a big, research university, and religious life is a very important part of the school… that’s something that we have in common.”
The intellectual curiosity spoken of by Karen Walker is easy to see in John, a man who loves to learn.
“I’m interested in the world of ideas… I like to read about current events, people’s ideas about solving world problems, religion…how it relates to society,” he said.
“I have a lot of intellectual interests that aren’t in my field per se. I like to read literature, I’m interested in art… I’m interested in how society works, and not just the political aspects.”
John enjoys professional basketball and became a fan of the Utah Jazz after attending a game between the Jazz and the Lakers in 1988. “Sports are just super interesting,” he said, and expressed particular interest in sports and competition as they relate to human nature.
“[Dr. John is] really kind of a Renaissance Man,” said Walker, “He’s not just an intellectual, he’s an athlete (he was the assistant cross country coach for a couple years), he’s a leader, and he’s a great family man.”
According to Provost Dransfield, “He is an electric guitar playing rocker. He cranks it up! But he is probably too modest to admit it.” Dransfield also mentioned that John enjoys riding a moped that “isn’t quite a motorcycle.”
“He dreams of riding a big motorcycle, but might have to put that dream on the back burner for now.”
John enjoys the simple country living in Buena Vista. He and his family have two dogs and fourteen chickens, and cultivate a garden. When asked about his chickens, he chuckled and said that he wasn’t completely sure why he raises them. “It’s not like eggs from the store are expensive…I guess they’re kind of like pets, but you don’t really want to cuddle with chickens.”
Dransfield described John as having mixed-luck as a chicken farmer. “It seems like there’s always some mishap with the chickens.”
What kind of provost will Dr. John be?
Dr. John plans to continue addressing the “four main issues” of concern to the Provost’s office, which he listed as the following:
- Improving magnet programs, (programs that draw people to the school).
- Improving first year experience.
- Preparing for more growth in the school, and being able to handle the growth.
- Helping students take advantage of career services and prepare for careers.
“I really love the President’s vision of “Gather, Lift, Launch.” I think that is really the best way to capture who we are,” he said, “We are not trying to exclude people, we are trying to give a great education to any student who’s prepared to work hard.
“[We try to] lift people higher than where they thought they’d be — academically but also spiritually. We help students not simply meet expectations, but aim higher and achieve more.”
Southern Virginia University, John says, tries to do more than most other schools do in helping students figure out their next step to take after graduation.
Speaking of his experience working with John, Dransfield said, “It’s been great. It’s been just everything you would want in a partnership. He’s always on the ball, always sharp, always prepared, always awesome!…I have had to really look sharp to keep up with him.”
Dransfield expressed complete confidence when he said, “President Wilcox and I both prayerfully considered who’d be great, and we both arrived at Jeremiah John.”
Walker said, “He’s very human and very caring about every student.”
John was the academic advisor of Walker’s son-in-law, who studied politics. “He really took him under his wing, and had him do summer research…Now [my son-in-law] is the Assistant Attorney General for the state of Wyoming. Dr. John was a real mentor and inspiration and guided him in his career path,” she said, “He went way beyond caring. He was very involved in helping [my son-in-law] shape his future.”
When asked what he is most excited to see in the future of the university, John said, “It’s exciting that SVU can reach more people, because in a way it’s been a very well-kept secret, and I think the secret is getting out now. The value of the education is apparent to so many more people than it used to be.”
On his own role as Provost, he said, “I don’t think its going to be a big change. I think we’ve improved what we offer academically over the years and we will continue to improve. Having one Provost or another doesn’t change the mission. Hope for and expect even more improvements and growth.”
