I love this place

I was walking across campus to talk with a development officer about alumni relations, and I reflected on how great this university is. I mean, that's not to say it's perfect (between furloughs and everything else, how could it be), but sometimes I think that its imperfections offer a really special experience to students.

I'm quite attached to my alma mater, Sewanee, because of the close-knit community it fostered and the fact that my professors had open doors, and often, houses to their students. However, Sewanee lacked the diversity and "messiness" of my present institution. Sewanee was idyllic. It made for perfect look-book photos. Here, you have construction, students dressed like total slobs, and confusion. However, you also have so many more opportunities, so many more types of students from all socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds and from all around the world. Not to mention that generally, they're really great students to work with and for. That's not to say you never get students who feel they're entitled, but generally they are open to learning and grateful for the opportunity. They refresh my spirit whenever I talk to them and I genuinely love working with them.

And this is after walking across our huge parking lot and almost getting hit by 10 cars. Wow. I must be in a good mood.

And we have perfect look-book photos, too, full of students doing cool things in labs, galavanting across campus, and interacting with a diverse and interesting set of peers.