Organizational Leadership 2013 Alumnus Promoted to Area Manager for Greyhound Friday, June 13, 2014
Four days after finishing his last class at Point Park, Jeffery Driscoll, a Bachelor of Arts in organizational leadership alumnus, was promoted to area manager of Greyhound Lines, Inc., in Hampton, Va.
A husband and father of five, Driscoll started his career with Greyhound's branch in Pittsburgh more than 20 years ago. He worked his way up through the ranks from driver to driver supervisor to operations manager and then became city manager in 2005. However, as he continued to strive for higher-level positions, Driscoll, 52, noticed his opportunities for advancement reaching a plateau.
"I kept applying for jobs but it always seemed like a deficit not to have a bachelor's degree," remarked Driscoll. "For eight years, I thought about going back to school to get my bachelor's degree. It really weighed on my mind."
It wasn't until a friend recommended Point Park that Driscoll decided to get serious about going back to school. He visited Point Park's website and read a story about Jennifer Patterson, a 2009 business management alumna who received a job promotion at BNY Mellon shortly after earning her degree.
"That was probably the catalyst that made me do it," said Driscoll, who was able to transfer in all 60 credits he earned from Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics. "When I received my acceptance letter from Point Park, I cried with joy. I was 49 years old at the time and knew I needed something fresh."
Soon after enrolling in Point Park's organizational leadership program, Driscoll began applying the concepts he was learning in class to his job.
"It was cool how work and school meshed so closely together. Nearly all of the papers I wrote during those 18 months in the program were based on what I was doing at work," remarked Driscoll.
"Point Park professors like Dr. Robert Skertich, Dr. Michele Langbein, Dr. Helena Knorr and others made me feel comfortable and relaxed. The professors at Point Park believe in what they are teaching. They are also working professionals so they know what's going on in the field they teach," he added.
Driscoll attributes his faith in God, supportive family and determination to succeed with helping him to successfully balance work and college full time.
"Staying disciplined was what got me through to the end," he explained.
Driscoll graduated Magna Cum Laude in December 2013 with a 3.83 G.P.A. and was nominated for Point Park's outstanding graduating senior award. Within the same month, he went from managing six million dollars in operations at Greyhound to 40 million dollars in his new role as area manager.
"I now report to senior leadership," he said. "Earning my bachelor's degree was like icing on the cake, the final straw to giving me this opportunity."
Driscoll's advice to adults who are considering going back to school is simple: "Stop the procrastination. If I can do it, so can you."
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