Find out what unusual talent Jimmy Epting has, where he goes for cheese fries and why he drinks Mountain Dew
Tiffany Cobb, The Vision Online Staff Writer
NGU President Jimmy Epting is no stranger to the students and faculty at North Greenville University. Simply go to ngu.edu and his smiling face is one of the first things you see. Our president loves to brag about his students and all we’ve achieved, but do you know Dr. Epting? I sat down with him and go to talk informally about a few unimportant facts.
Dr. Epting, since birth, has always gone by the moniker Jimmy. Did you know, though, that God blessed him with his best friend, Blackie, at a young age? Blackie the dog gave Dr. Epting 15 years of companionship after his favorite class, math and played with him to cheer him up after his least favorite, assemblies – also known as convocation. Dr. Epting wasn’t just a scholar, however, as he also played piano, has been singing for as long as he can remember and loves to play basketball.
Photo Courtesy of GreenvilleOnline.com
If you’ve been on campus on a sunny day, then you’ve probably seen Dr. Epting riding his horse.
If you ask Dr. Epting about food, he automatically smiles like a true southern man. He loves lemons, which are his favorite yellow fruit, probably in some sweet, cold lemonade and alongside a salad, which is his favorite green vegetable. When he wants a soda, Dr. Epting will always reach for a Mountain Dew. At the time of the drink’s release, NGU was still known as the Mountaineers and he thought it would be a fun play on words to have Mountain Dew on campus. Soon after, Dr. Epting adopted it as his favorite drink. When he’s not enjoying his wife’s cooking or meeting students in the cafeteria, Dr. Epting pops on down to Outback because he says, “Nobody can make cheese fries like Outback. Man, I love them.”
There is no doubt about the fact that Dr. Epting loves the campus of North Greenville University. He spends his days fundraising and planning on how to make it look better and to give students the best opportunity to enhance their educations. If he ever has a free moment, he loves to stand by the statue in from of the Administration building and talk to the passing students. In case of bad weather, he chooses to go to the prayer chapel and listen to the water splash over the rocks while he prays for the campus and all who may come in contact.
If you’ve ever wondered why North Greenville University does not have a religious affiliation in our title, there is a deeper reasoning. Dr. Epting wants our campus to be all-inclusive. You do not have to be a Christian to attend NGU and by having a simple title, we are able to attract the attention of a wide variety of future college students. Dr. Epting said, “Once we get them here, then we can show them the love of Jesus, and that’s the most important part.”
When it comes to recruiting students, Dr. Epting wishes he had a very unique superpower, the ability to see people’s hearts. “I want to be able to see if they truly love Jesus. If I could see their hearts then I could talk to them better and help them know His love.” When asked what advice he would give to students who are struggling with “Midterm Slump”, Dr. Epting said, “Remember, if God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it.”
