Gavin Jerome is an entertainer with over 20 years of experience, working with names such as Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Harvey, but today he is focused on giving laughs over getting them.

Open exclusively to honors students, comedy college teaches techniques and theories to make students funnier. This semester’s class will culminate in a two night showcase at the M-Shop on April 22 and 23, where students perform material they’ve carefully crafted throughout the semester.

“The reason that this excels is nobody is offering this,” said Jerome, who has taught comedy college for the past six semesters. “These are honors kids. They’re all high level engineers, mathematicians, biochem majors, vet students and really intelligent folks, but nobody has taught them how to stand up, interact and express themselves.”

Graduates from comedy college walk away with confidence, later telling Jerome his class is among the most powerful they’ve taken at Iowa State.

“These are people that are going to change the world and they’re able to come out of their shell and share their ideas with others,” Jerome said. “If you can make a room full of strangers laugh for 10 minutes you can do anything.”

Stand-up comedy is scary stuff Jerome explains. The bar of being funny is significantly raised when people, often paying money, come into a room and say “make me laugh.”

Jerome begins comedy college by creating an atmosphere of support where students can try jokes and fail. He said humor is a muscle, the more one uses it the stronger it becomes.

Some students hit home runs right away, others struggle to introduce themselves in front of the class on the first day. The comedy college environment is safe and nurturing, where students can fail safely and root for each other.

“In an academic climate where do you see that?” Jerome said. “In a business climate where do you see that?”

Jerome believes the ability to use humor effectively is the most important skill one can possess in the business world. Humor builds relationships, earns respect, reduces tension and eases communication.

“A sense of humor and ability to cope with chaos using humor is your most important survival skill in business today. Period,” Jerome said.

Jerome said he believes success in the business world is directly proportional to how one responds to chaos. In an ever changing American workplace humor can be a shield. Chaos can eat you alive resulting in burnout and anger, but humor acts as a buffer to the chaos.

Jerome said by gifting humor to his students, he’s giving them a vehicle to help them change the world in their respective fields.

“I want to change the world one laugh at a time,” Jerome said.

Jerome will be emceeing the comedy college finals April 22 and 23. Both shows start at 7 p.m. with doors at 6:30 p.m. The show is free and open to Iowa State students and the public.