Jim Elco: Philosophy, Class of 1997
What motivated you to enroll at NAU?
I graduated from NAU with a BA in Philosophy with a Pre-Medicine emphasis. I only attended NAU for two years, after having completed two years at a community college in Phoenix.
Why and how did you select your final major and minor at NAU?
I chose NAU for a variety of reasons, but the three primary reasons were as follows… a.) The size of the student body and expected class sizes compared to larger universities, b.) the opportunity to experience the 4 seasons since I grew up in the Phoenix area, and c.) I had several friends who preceded me at NAU and were having a great experience so far. I chose my degree program (Philosophy, Pre-Med) because the coursework was interesting and best aligned with my ability to complete a Bachelor’s in 4 years.
In what ways did your NAU coursework prepare you for your career?
Presently, I am the Vice President of Strategy and Financial Planning for Northern Arizona Healthcare in Flagstaff. While I did not end up attending medical school as I originally planned, I have spent my entire career in the healthcare field. A significant amount of my coursework at NAU included Biology / Chemistry / Biochemistry / etc. for the pre-medicine component, however the Philosophy coursework (ethics, logic, philosophy of science, etc.) laid an important foundation in critical thinking skills that benefitted me significantly in graduate business school as well as my ultimate career in progressive health systems leadership positions.
Did you participate in any experiential learning opportunities, like a study abroad or an I did not participate in experiential learning opportunities. Given my short two years there (in the late 1990’s), I’m not sure how robust these programs were at that time.
What campus activities did you participate in while you were a student?
I was a member of the NAU Track & Field team and also participated in numerous intramural sports activities. I was friends with numerous resident advisors (RAs) and members of NAU student government, so regularly participated in various activities that they had going.
What part of your NAU experience do you value most highly today, and what could NAU have done better to prepare you for the future?
I can’t think of anything significant that NAU could have done to better prepare me for the future. Perhaps better resources and/or access to information about available scholarships and summer internships?