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Success Stories

Diamond in the Rough

Jon Routzahn, who completed his associate degree in business administration–management at the Knoxville Campus in November of 2006, has great ambitions.

Manager of Internal Building Maintenance for Knoxville-based Jewelry Television, one of America’s fastest-growing home shopping networks, he supervises a staff of 17 people. Jon’s department provides many behind-the-scenes services to the ever-growing corporate complex on Kingston Pike, a short distance from the campus. “More than anything else, [our job is] trying to meet all the needs of the employees here, whether it be cleanliness, supplies, or trying to come up with new ways to make their experience here more gratifying,” he says.

Jon enjoys his job, and hopes to stay with his current employer a long time. Eventually, his educational goals are to continue his education through to receiving his MBA. The confidence in his gravel-toned voice is as sharp and clear as the dozens of precious gemstones beneath the counter of Jewelry Television’s retail store, where we caught up with Jon. This seems a far cry from when Jon first started at National in 2004. “It was 16 years between graduating high school and going back to college, and it was ‘culture shock’ to say the least,” says Jon. He credits his instructors, especially Career Center Director Terrye Whitaker. “She helped me to adapt a great deal.”

Like many of our students who are also parents, Jon encountered a little ‘friendly rivalry’ with his daughter. “My first term, I ended up with an ‘A,’ a ‘B,’ and a ‘C.’ She was gloating about that a little bit, that I didn’t get straight A’s,” he says with a wry smile. “So from that point I pretty much got straight A’s, and sort of humbled her a little bit.”

National’s flexible schedules helped Jon to continue working at Jewelry Television while he pursued his degree full-time. That flexibility also helped him deal with family illnesses that kept him out of school for two terms. “The adaptability they had towards my schedule was a big benefit,” he adds.

A great education, a great job, with a great company – the hallmark of a National graduate!