by Ashley Wislock

Dr. Jonathan Williamson has always been interested in elections and voting behavior, in addition to having a love for helping students get involved in the political sphere. Both of these passions came together in November 2007, when Williamson was elected to the Williamsport City Council.

Williamson, who was sworn into office on Jan. 8, said that his experience as a city official has been a positive one so far.
“It’s been interesting to put my academic interests into practice,” Williamson said. “I’m trying to give back a little bit and make a difference.”

Williamson hopes that he can be a positive example for students who are interested in getting involved in their communities. Williamson, a graduate of the University of Houston and Emory University in Atlanta, also hopes his new position will help make contacts and open doors for his students.

In addition to teaching and serving the city of Williamsport, Williamson is very involved in extra-curricular activities on campus. He has incorporated his enthusiasm for fly fishing into his work through the revival of a unique May Term course, which teaches students the basics of the sport. Williamson believes the course can provide participants with valuable skills and lessons.

“There are so many various aspects of the sport that make it a rich experience,” he said. Williamson set up the class after talking with John Piper Jr., former dean of the College, about different May Term classes, and what kind of classes he could teach. Together with Piper and Thomas Raup, a former Lycoming County judge who had previously taught a similar course at the college, Williamson began planning a May Term course focused on fly fishing for physical education credit.

In addition to teaching fly fishing, Williamson also serves as advisor for the newly-established fly fishing club at Lycoming, FLYCO. Williamson said that he is happy to help students of all ability levels learn the sport which he loves, since it can be challenging for individuals to learn by themselves.

“Fly fishing is something that’s hard to pick up on your own,” he said.

Williamson also serves as director of the Center for the Study of the Community and the Economy (CSCE), the polling institute at Lycoming, which he and Dr. Bonita Kolb, a business administration professor at Lycoming, founded. Williamson said that he discovered the need to allow students to experience polling and surveying while teaching a public opinion class in graduate school.

“I realized just talking about polling wasn’t enough,” Williamson said. After receiving positive feedback from a survey conducted in conjunction with his public opinion and polling class in October 2003, Williamson realized that the area could use a college-sponsored polling institute.

“I saw that there was a need for local research to help with non-profits and the local government,” Williamson said. He then contacted Kolb, who was starting a program to involve students in marketing research for the local community. Together, they established the CSCE to help meet the needs of local businesses and non-profits, as well as local government officials.

Since then, the polling institute has received positive feedback from the community, as well as from students who have participated in polls, either through Williamson’s public opinion class or through volunteer work.

Williamson said that the polling institute provides students with the opportunity to learn through hands-on experience, rather than from a textbook. The institute has had such a positive impact on some students that Williamson said several have decided to pursue careers in polling and public opinion.

Overall, Williamson hopes that the main lesson his students take away from his classes and their observation of his service to the community is that anyone can have a positive impact on their surroundings, as long as they try.

“An average person can make a difference by becoming involved,” Williamson said.