Saturday, August 19, 2006
Getting reoriented
I finally had the opportunity to make my trek down to Eckerd for the orientation and campus tour. To say it was enjoyable would be an understatement! The campus itself is not the most impressive you will come across. The buildings are relatively modest, save the library which is the newest addition and subsequently the most architecturally modern. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of time to stop and take in the design's nuance and details, because we had a fairly tight schedule for the day.
The class buildings, auditoriums and dormitories are more modest than I had originally anticipated. Having never been on campus, I had no idea what to expect. The layout was fairly open, with lots of courtyard and field space. The buildings were connected and serviced primarily by open sidewalks. Colors were your ordinary neutrals and whites and the construction was more utilitarian than whimsical. That's not to say the campus itself isn't a pleasant place to be, my impression is that the place is relatively serene and low in human traffic, which is a huge plus. Being only minutes from the waterfront and beaches certainly doesn't hurt.
Things started with general intro and explanation sessions...what is expected of us, what we should expect of the university, that sort of thing. We then moved along and to the subjects like course structures, general curriculum and universally required classes were discussed at length. The theme of the day was value focused education, value meaning core values. The college's curriculum and philosophy is focused on building self exploration, value assessment and social perspective as a matter of course. Obviously, I totally soaked this aspect of the presentations up. After all, this aspect of their scholastic structure is what first drew me to the school and ultimately is what proved to be the deciding factor in my decision making process.
If everything said today is actually part of an Eckerd College education, I am going to love being a student there! The population is small, totalling only 1,750 full-time, "resident" students. Their PEL program has about 1,000 active registrants, one of which would be me, but not all of us are full-time. All things considered, Eckerd strikes me as a very small, very intimate college. With a total population of full-time students lower than the head count at my high school the year I graduated, there is a much greater focus on the individual student. Subsequently, the school carries a very illustrious academic reputation and sets high standards for itself.
My highlight of the day was traversing the campus itself on the way from building to building. For the first time in my life, I was on a full fledged college campus as a student (SPC was SPJC when I attended classes there). My awareness of this fact was not immediate, but eventually the fact began to seep in. I was a paying student, complete with ID card, an enrollment confirmation, parking pass and student webmail account. You can reach me here, if you prefer it to the regular link at right. ;)
Lunch was served at the cafeteria, which is accordingly small, but the food was excellent. The salad bar was stocked with plenty of real greenery and assorted vegetables. They even had Tofu and vegan sausages in the salad bar and on the breakfast buffet, respectively! Other options included hot meals, deli selections, cereals, fresh fruit, ice cream, etc. When the meal is over, your tray is loaded on a revolving conveyor belt, dishes and all, to be cleaned by some unseen magic behind the kitchen walls.
I did not get a chance to really explore the library, but I intend to get back down there from time to time for research purposes, so I will get to know the place well enough in time. After visiting and spending the day, I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to be a resident student out of high school, how much time I had spent idling through the years and how lucky the kids are who get to have this experience at just the right time in their lives. Of course, they see the world much differently than I do, but they'll learn in time...we all do.
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good for you man, sounds like it'll be an awesome experience.
p.s. nice job on the chancellor cartoon!
Muchos gracias! I'm definitely stoked.
The line work is still not where I want it to be, but I needed to finish up the Chancellor and start on my next one. More on the way! :D
I have got to get down there and see their library. The online library they have is fantastic, so I can only imagine what the brick-and-mortar is like.
I want to get back down to campus once in a while just to be there and to use the library resources. There's so much going on down there and I still look relatively young, so it would be fun to mix in with the regular student body during events. BTW, do you know a Helene Gold? She gave the library portion of the orientation presentations and was VERY enthusiastic about the library!