The Class of 2015 has likely been spending a good part of the past several weeks reflecting on their college years. Thankfully, our favorite college memories stay with us. We asked some administrators and professors to share theirs.
Ben Vinson is the dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1992.
One of my favorite college memories is my study abroad semester in Granada, Spain at the beginning of my sophomore year. It was an incredible time, bonding with students from my home university abroad, making new friends in a foreign country, living with a foreign family, while also learning a new culture and a new language. When I came back, I had a new perspective on what it meant to be a college student. It changed me forever, as I went on from there to use Spanish as a foundation to what has become my career.
Irene Foster is an assistant professor of economics and graduated from Madras Christian College in 1980.
I did my undergraduate degree at Madras Christian College in Chennai, India. The college is situated just outside of Chennai on a 364-acre forested campus with a large farm, a lake, many trails in the woods and an exotic array of flora and fauna including deer, Gloriosa Superba, green vine snakes and cobras.
The principal of the college and many senior faculty lived in houses all over the campus. One of my favorite memories of college life was being invited as part of a group to a faculty member’s home for high tea or dinner, or sometimes just to join in an evening of singing. I am still in touch with many of the professors who taught me to this day.
Peter Konwerski is the dean of student affairs and graduated from GW in 1991.
Living in Thurston Hall for four years is certainly top on my list of best GW memories. I lived in Thurston as a freshman and then worked there as a residence adviser for the next three years. Let’s just say there was never a dull moment.
To say “I saw it all” is an understatement — and living with 1,100 freshmen was both exciting and rewarding, especially when I could help my residents learn from their college experience. In Thurston, I met diverse people from across the country and around the world, and to this day, some of my closest friends were parts of the communities I helped create there.
Those days (and nights) in Thurston truly helped launch my career in student affairs, since it’s where I first experienced the impact of residential education to support student development.
At GW today, we know that students are deeply shaped by the comprehensive mix of on-campus residential facilities, programs and services that support students in finding their niche, and we strive to provide them places to explore, grow and navigate as they become independent, contributing members of our community — just like I did so many years ago in Thurston Hall.
John Sides is an associate professor of political science and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996.
I benefited greatly from getting to know several faculty. Two in particular gave me really good advice about graduate school, including what kinds of schools to apply to and which ones I should consider after I was accepted. It’s safe to say that I would have made very different choices, and had a very different career, without their guidance.
Charles Garris is a professor of mechanical engineering and the chair of the Faculty Senate executive committee, and graduated from the State University of New York, Maritime College in 1965.
Air Force One touched down in Dublin airport on June 26, 1963. As President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade weaved through the streets of Dublin city, the thrilled crowd, lacking ticker tape, improvised by throwing rolls of bus tickets. The Irish were ecstatic about the election of an Irish president of the United States and it seemed that a new era of Irish-American relations was born.
I had the good fortune to be a student at the State University of New York, Maritime College at that time, and in July of 1963 our training ship, TS Empire State IV, arrived in the Port of Dublin.
No sooner had we arrived when invitations started to arrive. We were invited to multitudinous social events, tourism events and just plain efforts by individuals to be warm and friendly to Americans. It was impossible for any of us to go into a pub and pay for our drinks — the Irish were arguing about which one would pay the bill. The warmth of the Irish people toward Americans following President Kennedy’s visit was something I will never forget. Such genuine camaraderie between nations is certainly something that is not seen in modern times.
Tim Miller is the director of the Center for Student Engagement and graduated from James Madison University in 1996.
One of my lasting memories of college is Commencement weekend. It was an incredible family affair with all of my friends and I enjoying one last weekend together with our families.
While the formal events were important, it was the time with my college family and my real family that made the weekend truly amazing. College was an incredibly transformative time for me and that weekend was the perfect capstone on my four years.
We took one large group picture of all of the graduating seniors on the front steps of our house that is still my favorite college picture and reminds me of all that we did and all we would go on to do in our lives after college.
This time of year always reminds me of my time in college and I hope that each of our students was able to create those same kinds of memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. I will never have another moment like that but I have gone on to have many more great moments with those friends and family. College gave me four great years of friends and memories that have translated into an incredible life with new friends, family and memories.
