Jeb Bush came to campus April 7 to a standing ovation (twice).
Jeb Bush came out to our Campus on Thursday to discuss his career, as well as his own style of leadership. This lecture was at a special time and in a special place– regarding the size of the campus and the size of the city the campus is located in, students and staff alike felt a mixed area of emotions upon the entrance that was Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush is a name that is familiar with most current college students, as he was a presidential candidate in the 2016 election running right up against the notorious Donald Trump. He’s both the brother and the son of former presidents and he has a name that is famous, or infamous in many regards. His appearance on campus was one that was of mixed emotions, but ultimately was one of surprise and gratitude regarding the appreciation that larger names have for a smaller campus.
Hands were shaking and sweat was breaking through as the students piled into the room where Jeb Bush was speaking. The majority of the students that attended the lecture were students that were fans of both politics as well as Internet culture. Jeb Bush is forever embedded into internet culture as he has been the subject of potential embarrassment and put downs from the 2016 Republican nominee. But it is soon realized that Jeb Bush was a lot more than the sum of the broken parts that was his presidential campaign. He entered the room as the former governor of Florida, serving two terms as well as developing good relationships with former
Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson. Within his lecture he largely pointed out and summarized his own agenda regarding education and environmental practices and the overall culture of America in the present. But the large idea of his lecture was to summarize the states of the political world in America currently, and the revitalization of leadership that is extremely necessary within our national government. Jeb also discussed how his leadership was fit for Florida at the time of his governance, and how the transient nature of Politics relates to the term lengths that are present within our government. People change and so does the culture directly associated with those people— the largest voice will always have its say, and it will change over time. Acknowledging this aspect of the political spectrum is a quintessential part of good, proactive leadership.
Although the lecture was largely a push of Jeb’s views, hearing, acknowledging, and interpreting an experienced, but potentially different point of view is something all leaders need to do. Attending this lecture definitely helped me realize that aspect of great leadership to a larger extent. Even if his viewpoint and his style of his lecturing wasn’t necessarily neutral, it provided a point of view that was embellished with experience and one that has been enriched over time.
Read the full UWM article as well as my interview here: