Shane Ervin

"How can I make the Corps of Cadets better?" That is the question Shane Ervin asked himself. With energy, initiative, and innovation, when the opportunity arose, he stepped forward and answered that question.

When the Corps set out to put in writing its Leader Development Program in Fall 2022, Shane immediately volunteered and provided valuable input from his first day on the team.

He dug into the history of the Corps as the university's original living-learning community, one that has graduated leaders of integrity for 150 years. And he challenged that history – not to find fault, but to ask, "is this right for today?" His curiosity led to a better understanding of cadet training – bringing into focus how each semester of a cadet's four years in the Corps differs from the rest.

One of his revelations was the Experience-Learn model for differentiating training in Fall Semester (experience) from Spring Semester (learn). By focusing the efforts of Spring Semester on learning the next job, cadets are better prepared to return in the Fall and do that job - to experience doing the job correctly, but also experiencing constructive failure that is then applied to improving their ability to do the job.

Shane's Experience-Learn model also answers another question Shane asked – how can we better prepare upperclassmen to do their jobs? By deliberately focusing spring semester on learning, each class has an opportunity to look forward to the next level of leadership, and in looking forward, to align their training objectives and activities toward preparing for that job. 

As the Battalion Sergeant Major for 2nd Battalion, Shane was in a unique position to ask these questions and to experiment with some of the answers. By working with the team of each company's First Sergeant, in a system that had traditionally focused its efforts on training first year cadets, Shane questioned the status quo and introduced a model to engage ALL classes of cadets. There was resistance to his efforts, but Shane’s relentless curiosity overcame that inertia.

Shane's ideas were fully incorporated into the new program being implemented this year. Shane will help lead the implementation as he commands Hotel Company this Fall.

“My passion is service and spreading lessons to others,” said Shane. “I have found more joy in building others up and watching them succeed than anything I've done on my own.”

A Senior majoring in Computer Science in the College of Engineering, Shane plans to commission into the United States Army.

“Curiosity means to never stop being a student,” said Shane, “and to never be afraid to challenge the status quo. I nurture my curiosity by looking at new ways to solve problems that others are satisfied with.”

For asking how the Corps could be better and finding ways to make it so, I am pleased to present the Aspire! Award for COMMIT TO UNWAVERING CURIOSITY to Shane Ervin.