Center for Public Service
Armington 427
publicservice@upike.edu
(606) 218-4493

Serve the Mountains

Serve the Mountains

The University of Pikeville is dedicated to serving the Appalachian region through community outreach and educating a new generation of leaders in the values represented by the Center of Public Service.

The Center has a three-pronged approach to its mission.

  1. Training the Future Leaders of Appalachia
    •  Offers students from any field an education in the Christian vocation of public service.
  2. Civic and Regional Outreach
    • Make connections in the region and equip the people of Appalachia with a comprehensive understanding of the nature and responsibilities involved in citizenship. 
  3. Solving the challenges of Appalachia
    • Fund research designed to study and address the problems facing the Appalachian region.

Days before he died Jesus Christ said to his followers:

Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.

In short: To be a great leader, we must be servants.

This is not an attitude we often see in our society. We like to think that we know the answers. We want to be in charge – to lead.

First, we must all learn to be servants. This is what the Center for Public Service is all about – taking intelligent young leaders and shaping them into public servants. We encourage our students to ask the important questions.

What is justice?
What is the good?
How can I best serve my country and community?

These are not easy questions by any means, and none of them have clear answers. Although such questions are the foundation for a life of public service.

In addition to training a new generation of leaders, the University of Pikeville believes in leading by example. As such, the Center for Public Service will regularly engage in initiatives designed to uplift the Appalachian region and provide the tools for civic literacy to an often-underserved region. Although these initiatives will change over time, the broad commitment to servant leadership and human flourishing will sit at the heart of the Center.

  • Constitution Day
    • The Constitution Day event is held by the Center for Public Service annually on Constitution Day. This event invites students from high schools across Central Appalachia to educate them about the principles of self-government. This event will involve group activities for the students, and there is a keynote lecture as well.
  • School Outreach
    • The Center for Public Service will have representatives who will visit schools located in Central Appalachia. During these visits, the representatives will discuss and instruct the students about civic engagement. While doing so, these students will then learn how they can become better engaged in their communities.
  • Public Service Book Club
    • This department of the center will host a series of book clubs where participants will learn about the values necessary for democratic citizenship. As a result, these participants will engage with difficult issues and learn how to have a civil dialogue with those they may not agree with. The fall 2024 book was Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community by Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Political Science Minor
    • This minor was developed specifically to bolster students’ education in other fields while teaching the values and skills necessary for a life involved in public service.
  • Political and Civic Engagement Certificate

If you are interested in any of our initiatives within the program or partnering on a new initiative, please email publicservice@upike.edu.

Theresa Dawhare
Education

Brittany Goetting
Social Science

Gregory Green
Business

Marissa Greer
Vice President of Academic Affairs

Cody Jarman
Humanities

Rob Musick
Student Services

Jessica Slade
Science

Jeffery Tyler Syck
Director

Jeffery Tyler Syck, Ph.D.

Director
(606) 218-4493

Jeffery Tyler Syck is an Assistant Professor of Politics and the founding director of the Center for Public Service.

Dr. Syck’s academic research focuses on the development of American democracy and the history of political ideologies. He is the editor of the forthcoming book A Republic of Virtue: The Political Essays of John Quincy Adams and is completing a second book manuscript entitled The Untold Origins of American Democracy. Dr. Syck’s essays and articles on politics, philosophy and history have appeared in a variety of publications including Law and Liberty, Persuasion and Pietas. He is also a contributing editor at Providence.

Dr. Syck received a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts in Government from the University of Virginia. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Government and History from Morehead State University, where he graduated with honors. Dr. Syck is a native of Pike County, Kentucky, and is proud to work at a university his family has attended since its first class of students.