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Lindsey Wilson College Students Learn the Art and Etiquette of the Business Meal

Students told to be 'the type of person you would want to work for and with.'

by Duane Bonifer

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (04/23/2025) — The Lindsey Wilson College School of Business and Communication gave students valuable social lessons Tuesday night. The school's faculty hosted a professional etiquette dinner for about 50 undergraduate students on Tuesday, April 22, at Swan's Landing in Taylor County, Kentucky.

In addition to receiving etiquette tips to utilize at business lunches and interviews from Swan's Landing co-owner Sherri Botkin '94, students heard a keynote address about leadership and soft skills that should be cultivated and nurtured from Sarah Culver '04 of Lead4Change, a national nonprofit organization based in Louisville, Kentucky.

Botkin gave students advice on the art of dinner conversation, how to work from the outside in with eating utensils, which side of the dinner plate to place bread and drinks, and the importance of seeing "your napkin as your friend."

Culver shared five insights about leadership and soft skills that "don't always show up on a resume, but they absolutely determine your success in the workplace and in life."

"As you go into the workplace, you are entering the relationship business -- with clients, with colleagues, your superiors and the people you'll start interacting with in your everyday adult life," said Culver, who is program manager for Lead4Change, a free student leadership program that provides a curriculum that equips middle- and high school students to meet needs in their schools or communities through service. "So who you are, how you treat people, how you show up, matters more than you think."

Culver's five observations included treating everyone the same; be present, not impressive; listen more than you speak; lead with compassion; and utilize the power of recognition.

"Don't forget who you want to become," said Culver. "Your job and title may change, but who you are carries over into every area of your life and will leave ripples behind you. If you are a person who treats others well, is present, listens, and leads with compassion and recognition, your name will be spoken of highly. Be the type of person you would want to work for and with."

Lindsey Wilson College is a vibrant liberal arts college in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey WIlson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson has an enrollment of more than 4,000 students, and the college offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The college's 28 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

About five dozen Lindsey Wilson College students and faculty gathered for a professional etiquette dinner on Tuesday, April 22, at Swan’s Landing in Taylor County, Kentucky.

Lindsey Wilson College School of Business and Communication Dean Benson Sexton ’04 addressed students and faculty gathered for a professional etiquette dinner on Tuesday, April 22, at Swan’s Landing in Taylor County, Kentucky.

Lead4Change Program Manager Sarah Culver ’04 addresses Lindsey Wilson College School of Business and Communication faculty and students gathered for a professional etiquette dinner on Tuesday, April 22, at Swan’s Landing in Taylor County, Kentucky. Lead4Change is a national nonprofit organization based in Louisville, Kentucky, that partners with schools to empower middle- and high school students to develop their leadership potential.

Swan’s Landing co-owner Sherri Botkin ’94 offers etiquette tips to Lindsey Wilson College School of Business and Communication faculty and students gathered for a professional etiquette dinner on Tuesday, April 22, at the event center in Taylor County, Kentucky.

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