Trevecca’s MHR degree helps graduate grow in confidence and achieve career goals
When he was 18 years old, Herb Modesitt wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. By the time he was 25, he had a better idea of what direction he should take—but needed some help getting there.
Remarkably, both of those pivotal moments centered on Trevecca Nazarene University.
“I was a preacher’s kid from East Tennessee,” Modesitt said. “I was this kid who was involved in sports and having fun. I had zero plans for the future.”
So, when Modesitt’s high school career came to a close in the spring of 1981, he wasn’t sure what his next step would be. The only thing he could think of to do, Modesitt recalls, was to attend the Nashville Auto Diesel College (NADC), now called Lincoln Tech. So, Modesitt and his dad came to Nashville for a tour.
“I didn’t put a lot of thought into that before going on my tour, other than I liked cars.” Modesitt remembers. “While on the tour, it became obvious to me that it was a bad fit, so I left there kind of bummed about my future and lack of direction.”
Modesitt’s father, who had accompanied him on the trip to Nashville, wisely suggested the two grab lunch. A pastor in the Church of the Nazarene, Modesitt’s father made sure that lunch happened on Trevecca’s campus.
“He wound up over at Trevecca, at the cafeteria, right around lunchtime,” Modesitt said. “I knew after that experience, driving home to Crossville (Tenn.) that afternoon, that I was going to Trevecca. The stark contrast of the two schools in one day was incredible. The warmth of the students on the Trevecca campus closed the deal.”
So in the fall of 1981, Modesitt drove onto campus “with everything he had” loaded in his nine-year-old Toyota. After a period of adjustment, he made friends and even met the woman who would become his wife of 31 years, South Carolinian, Tammy Tanner.
But after completing two years of college, Modesitt says the restlessness that had characterized his indecision after high school came back.
“Because I wasn’t planning on ending up at Trevecca, after two years I wanted out,” Modesitt said. “Four years seemed like a long time, and I had things to do.”
Modesitt left the University with an associate degree and began working in various sales jobs. It wasn’t long before he began to think about getting a bachelor’s degree.
“Some jobs will point you in that direction,” Modesitt said.
“I worked for about four years,” Modesitt said. “Then, on a Sunday evening I was talking to a gentleman from my church, and he was telling me about a new program that Trevecca was pioneering, a degree-completion program.
“I went over on Monday morning,” Modesitt said. “So within a 24-hour period of hearing about it, I was enrolled. When you hear truth spoken into your life, there is no need to wait, just dive in.”
The program was Trevecca’s Bachelor of Arts in Management and Human Relations (MHR), an accelerated degree-completion program designed specifically for working adults. When Modesitt enrolled in 1988, the program was only a year old. Then part of the College of Lifelong Learning, the program is now housed in Trevecca’s School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, which offers associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs.
A year later, Modesitt had earned his bachelor’s degree.
“[The MHR program] was a catalyst for me taking part in a management training program with a company, which then led to a career in the food and beverage distribution industry. Going back to school for the MHR degree gave me the skill set and the confidence to round out my career goals.”
Modesitt has worked as a sales representative for Frito Lay, an account manager for Aramark and a general manager at Filterfresh Coffee Service. He now serves as the Tennessee district manager for Royal Cup Coffee and Tea.
While his career has progressed, Modesitt’s ties with Trevecca have only grown stronger. He and his wife, Tammy, are both Trevecca alumni. Their son, Clark, and his wife, Taylor, are 2013 graduates. In addition, Modesitt is currently serving as the president of Trevecca’s Alumni Board.
“It was a natural thing for me [to get involved in the alumni board],” Modesitt said about his work with the University’s alumni association. “Thinking about my life, the biggest life-shaping components are God, my family, my wife who I met at Trevecca and then Trevecca itself. For where I was in my life, it was the right amount of nurturing, the right amount of caring and the right amount of teaching to really form me as a young adult.
“For me, it’s a very natural thing to be an ambassador for this school,” Modesitt said.
To learn more about the Trevecca School of Graduate and Continuing Studies and the MHR degree, visit trevecca.edu/mhr.
Homecoming
As president of Trevecca’s Alumni Board, Homecoming is never far from Modesitt’s mind. The weekend celebration is set for November 4-5, and Modesitt wants to make sure that record numbers of Trevecca alumni come home to the Hill for the festivities. He’s been challenging local alumni at Nashville events and churches, but also wants to make sure fellow School of Graduate and Continuing Studies grads know they’re invited, too.
“I think folks work so hard to get out of school that sometimes, it’s hard to find our way back,” Modesitt said. “I’d like to help bridge that gap. My challenge is to make sure all alumni feel welcome on campus at Homecoming and any other time they just need some of the Trevecca warmth.”
Visit trevecca.edu/homecoming to learn more about the weekend and register. To learn how you can get involved in Trevecca’s alumni association, visit trevecca.edu/alumni.
Media contact: Mandy Crow, mmcrow@trevecca.edu, 615-248-1695