University Service Citation Award Recipients Nick and Jan Laurent

Emporians Nick and Jan Laurent’s passion for building community and helping ESU students found outlets through philanthropy and hands-on learning experiences.

The couple recently contributed to ESU’s Together, Forward campaign. A portion of their gift creates the Nick Laurent Emporia Internship Fund, which, in partnership with the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce, will place students in internships with local businesses that are compatible with the students’ skills and education tracks. Another component of their gift enhances the work of ESU’s Studio E advertising collective, which offers a variety of marketing services to the public, while getting hands-on experience in career fields, such as graphic design, marketing and public relations.

“College courses provide theoretical knowledge and active learning, but there are things you learn from an internship you couldn’t learn in the classroom,” said Ed Bashaw, dean of the School of Business + Technology. Internships also give a pathway for students to remain in Emporia after college. “The big picture is to make Emporia a better community. These internships do that by providing talent pipelines to Emporia businesses,” Bashaw said. The Laurents also set up the Dena Laurent Sorenson Career and Internship Fund and the Dan L. Scheller Scholarship.

Nick Laurent, who for years was a pharmacist in Emporia, received his MBA in business administration from ESU in 1990. He has been involved in the Catholic Campus Center and the School of Business’ Dean’s Advisory Council. Jan Laurent received her BS in political science from ESU in 1985 and is a retired teachers’ aide for the Emporia school district. They are parents of a daughter, Anne Butera.