Creating a business has its bumps along the road. Especially when it’s going to be run by students. Sorting out the budget, handling promotions and getting the actual space to host concerts and events while running North Central’s Ministry and Service department is a difficult job. That was in 2005.
Fast forward 11 years and that new business is now nestled in a quaint, historic, white church that’s down the street from NCC. It goes by the name The Union.
The founder of the concert venue now sits on the fifth floor of Old Main in a cozy, quiet office which overlooks the college campus.
The office belongs to the Associate Dean of Students Jeremy Gudauskas.
Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kimberly Sluis sits in the office two doors down. Her face brightens as she reminisces about her friendship with her colleague. She says their friendship extends back to 1995 when they both attended North Central College as students. Her green eyes seem lost in a daze of nostalgia as she talks about Gudauskas.
“He is very office focused. When he is stressed, he is still upbeat and positive,” says Sluis.
Gudauskas was a broadcast communications major who created a Christian-rock show at WONC and was the officer for the Fellowship Christian Athletes. He graduated from NCC in 1999 and went on to found his own tech company called Generation One.
During his time at his company he focused on concert video production and editing. Before returning to NCC he worked on various projects and produced a documentary about Cornerstone Music Festival.
Jimi Allen, a friend of Gudauskas and CEO of Bureau Gravity said “working with Jeremy was fun.” He points to a few photos on his office wall that show a stage being set up and crew, “we worked on some concert footage together and he was, still is, very driven and passionate.”
The common theme surrounding Gudauskas is his impact for change. NCC student Sam Nearhing says her experience with Gudauskas has been in planning the TEDX event. She says he, “mainly focused on speakers based on diversity, and to show people what North Central does, what you can become.”
Whitney Roberts, assistant director for civic engagement at NCC, says “impacting the life of the student, creating meaningful experiences, and inspire students to engage and with their world and community.”
Roberts and Gudauskas have been friends for 12 years. She has a toothy smile and a glimmer in her light-blue eyes when she jokes that Gudauskas has hired her three times during their friendship.
“For his senior thesis, Jeremy went to D.C. and lived on the street to get the perspective of what it was like to be homeless,” Roberts says. “You can still possibly find it in the library.”
She turns slightly and gazes out of a stained glass window and says he often goes on mission trips, is socially conscious about farming and growing his own food, and loves his family
A passionate, quiet, seemingly unstressed and progressive dean has been hiding among the NCC campus since 1995. Making an outlet for students to test their skills, calling for awareness for social change, showing his passion for music and looking to spread those ideas to the community depicts Jeremy Gudauskas as a multi-faceted person.
“He focuses on experiences that are beyond the surface level,” Nearing says. “He wants to give them the opportunity for a diverse experience.”
