Campus tours and connections:
Jean Kilber invests in her alma mater.
By Sarah A. Moser
If you or your child came to MNU and had a great campus visit sometime over the past two decades, there’s a good chance Jean (Bondy ‘81) Kilber had a hand in that experience. As the campus visit coordinator since 2001, Jean has been instrumental in hiring and training student ambassadors to give campus tours. More than that, she has shared her love for MNU, her love for the Lord, and her love for people with countless students and co-workers over the years.
It all started in 1977, when Jean arrived on campus from Brunswick, Missouri, for her freshman year at MNU. “I got out of the car and saw kids running to each other, greeting each other, being excited to be together,” she says. “I realized I had never seen so many Christians in one place at a time. I thought this must be what heaven would be like.”
Fast forward to 1979: Jean was an intern in the Admissions Office, working for Dr. Bob Drummond. She gave tours, called prospective students, and sent cards to recruit for MNU. “I really loved Admissions work. I was offered a job here upon graduation. I didn’t want it at the time, but I felt like I’d come back home at some point, back to where I was called.”
As an aside, Jean met her husband, Derrell Kilber (’87), while working in Admissions; his office was next to hers, where he worked in the Registrar’s Office.
Jean worked in the corporate world at North Supply, then Sprint, for six years, before becoming a mother. For the next 10 years she stayed home with her kids and ran a daycare. As the kids grew, she began praying about a different line of work. “I told God it had to be something I really loved,” she says. “He fulfilled the desires of my heart and brought me home with a job in Admissions at MNU.”
Jean admits a lot has changed in Admissions since her internship in 1979: technology added a new wrinkle when she first returned, but she says the students were patient and kind and helped teach her that side of the job. “I’ve come full circle, back to my first job here,” she says. “The part I really love about my job is watching students slide into their roles and grow in their confidence. Working with young people, I learn new things every day! They teach me so much about love and faith, sometimes in ways I don’t always have a handle on. I love walking with them on their Christian journey.”
Jean oversees 12 to 15 students each semester, training them to give campus tours and welcome prospective students to campus. She says giving tours can be scary at first, meeting new people face-to-face. “I was there once; I tell my students they can do it; they are very capable. I love to encourage them and to help them recognize their God-given abilities.”
Jean encourages her students to just tell visitors their story. “I teach them to tell prospective students what happens in each building…what that professor does… whether he or she invites you to their house… whether they pray before class. Visitors don’t care to know when a building was built; they want to know what happens relationally within it. I want guests to feel that MNU is a place they want to be. Our student ambassadors are building their own stories each day, stories they can share with others.”
After 21 years in Admissions, Jean still loves being a part of the MNU story. “I love what MNU stands for—God’s place, the miracle on the hill. I love that I can be just a little part of that and give back to the place that gave so much to me. I have wonderful, lifelong friends from my time as a student and in my current role. God called me here; He can call you anywhere. This is my mission field!”