Back in the mid-2010s, Lucas Cuadros ’17 took a strong interest in behavioral finance while taking a course taught by Dr. Lisa Schwartz. He approached her about possibly doing a research project on the topic.

Problem was, he was a marketing major, and Schwartz teaches finance. Then again, Schwartz teaches at Wingate, where the biggest concern is the student. So, not really a problem at all.

“I said, ‘Well, OK. Let’s put together a summer research project and find something that’s really interesting,’” Schwartz says.

Cuadros set out to determine how big a role people’s surroundings play in how they make decisions. He set up two environments in which students would answer survey questions: one was relaxed, with music playing and food and drinks offered; the other was stressful, with students sitting in a stark, crowded classroom and working under a time constraint.

Schwartz helped shepherd Cuadros through the process of determining the topic, setting up the experiment and putting his findings down on paper. Dr. Barry Cuffe, professor of business analytics, helped him quantify his results.

The tag-team approach worked. The resulting paper, “The Effects of the Environment on Decision-making,” won an award and was published in the Journal of Financial Education. It’s just one example of the University’s student-focused approach to teaching.

“We all kind of work together to mentor these students,” Schwartz says.

College students rarely make it from timid teen to confident adult without a little guidance, and students such as Cuadros find it at Wingate.

No matter what form it takes, mentorship is a hallmark of a Wingate education. Getting to know your professors is perhaps the most valuable aspect of studying at the University, and for faculty members, getting to know their students makes all the work worth it.

“That’s one of the most meaningful aspects of the job,” says Dr. Alison Brown, professor of biology. “If you aren’t interested in interacting and relating to students, you don’t fit here.”

At Wingate, professors often provide the direction that alters a student’s career trajectory: A gentle nudge toward a field that is a better fit for the student’s talents. Putting faith in the student’s ability to tackle a difficult internship. Entrusting them with a years-long research project.

Being a mentor, in some form or fashion, is perhaps the most important task a faculty member takes on.

“A lot of time you do have to have tough conversations with them, but I think one of the things they appreciate is your honesty,” Brown says. “You’re not just going to tell them what they want to hear.

“You care about them, and you want the very best for them. And they do want you to help them. They ask you for help. They seek your advice.”

Accessibility is one of the key elements of mentorship at Wingate.

“We’re approachable,” Brown says. “At a larger institution, approachability isn’t always there.”

Every May, students present faculty and staff members who have gone the extra mile with Mentor Medallions, an acknowledgement that the students couldn’t have done it all on their own.

The Medallions are a welcome nod to professors’ influence, but they’re simply the cherry on top. The satisfaction of helping a student achieve more than they thought they could, or to find the field that is a perfect fit for them, is itself a motivating force.

“It's why we do what we do,” Schwartz says.