Leadership lived: Undergraduate student benefits from research opportunities at UIS

Senior business administration major Turner Clark says he feels fortunate for the undergraduate research opportunities he’s had at the University of Illinois Springfield.

Since the start of Spring Semester 2018, Clark has been working with Associate Professor of Management Nathan Steele and Assistant Professor of Management Sudeep Sharma to investigate “The Role of Personality Traits in Predicting Negotiation Effectiveness.”

“I think that every student benefits from the close working relationship that we have with our professors and I think that will benefit us for the rest of our lives,” he said.

Clark recently presented his research at the University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Day at the Illinois State Capitol. He also had the opportunity to present research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April 2017.

“At some universities it’s really hard to get research positions, even if you’re a grad student,” he said. “Here it’s really easy to get research positions, even as an undergrad, which is extremely rewarding.”

On campus, Clark is the outgoing senator for the College of Business and Management on the Student Government Association. He’s also treasurer for the UIS Rotaract Club, an economics tutor at the UIS Learning Hub and a member of the Capital Scholars Honors Program (CAP).

“I decided to come to UIS because I really liked the campus culture,” he said. “I also very much liked the CAP Honors Program, that I saw when I visited and it was the perfect distance from home.”

Clark, who is from Belleville, Illinois, says he likes the right-sized community at UIS because it makes him feel like his leadership efforts are shaping the university.

“Being a good leader isn’t necessarily always about leading,” he said. “It’s about knowing when not to lead and understanding what your strengths are and what your strengths aren’t and I think because of the close relationship we have with the professors and our fellow students we get to know each other a lot better than we might at some other universities.”

Following graduation, Clark plans to earn his master’s degree and find a job in the business world. However, he also has a larger goal in mind.

“Ultimately, I’ve always wanted to work for the FBI, that’s a very long-term goal, I don’t know when or even if that will happen, but I would also definitely like to go to grad school somewhere,” he said.