In August 2022, Midland College received an online donation to the Chaparral Circle Endowment Fund Court of Honor from Jacob Thompson with the following note:
“I just want to express my gratitude to Midland College and everything y’all do! … MC is where it all started for me, and while I never obtained a degree there, I am still proud of my time at MC, and I wouldn’t be where I am today: 10 years and two master’s degrees later, I’m hoping to land a job at a top research university in the Northeast.”
As it turned out, in December 2022, just a few months after he wrote that note, Thompson did land a research position. He is now working at the Alan M. Vorhees Transportation Center (VTC), which is part of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy at Rutgers University. VTC is a national leader in the research and development of innovative transportation policy and has a full array of resources on transportation issues of regional and national significance. The center includes the National Transit Institute, which was created by Congress in 1992 to design and deliver training and education programs for the U.S. transit industry.
Thompson’s specialty is bike and pedestrian safety, and his job entails a variety of responsibilities.