Bergiel encourages students to explore Sevierville business demands

Bridget Bergiel is a business professor at ETSU’s Sevierville campus, where she teaches courses for students pursuing a marketing degree or business management degree.

While other courses are provided relating to the other business degrees ETSU offers, the size and range of the Sevierville campus can only provide a limited amount of courses. Despite the smaller function of the Sevierville campus, Bergiel believes there’s certainly “room for growth.”

Bergiel has worked at several different universities all across the nation, ranging from Louisiana to the midwest. She’s been a business lecturer at many facilities, but she said the ETSU Sevierville campus has been the first time she has taught at a campus that extends from its main campus. She likes the “new direction” ETSU is providing for its students.

Though she does not commute to the ETSU main campus, she teaches in a blended classroom. She has three classes that connect to the main campus, including two lectures that teach main campus classrooms via webcam and one online class.

This is her first time in east Tennessee, but she frequents some of the tourist establishments – Dollywood, local restaurants and entertainment venues – to get a feel for the region. She said Sevierville is a perfect place for students wanting to enter into business, because there are so many businesses to choose from in Sevierville.

“There’s so much potential here in the area for students,” Bergiel said.

Bergiel said she incorporates the area and its tourist venues into her lessons. She has even taught a lecture at the NASCAR Speedpark. Field trips like these and other learning opportunities not typically had at the main campus are widely available at the Sevierville campus.

She said she teaches her students to be aware of the region they want to live in, including what jobs are offered because of their location and how best they can use their degree to match the region’s business demands.

“We let our students know things are a little different here,” she said.

Though the campus is new and has received much coverage from other papers and local news stations, she said she is amazed at how many people do not know about ETSU’s branch campus. Because it’s such a great opportunity for students to further their education and careers, she wants more of the public to know about the programs they offer.