April 30, 2008
Change
Last week I gave a presentation at my old college in Northfield, Minnesota.
How many times had I walked from the Science Center to the 'Caf' or run the trails around campus? Being back after such a long absence felt, in many ways, like I had never left. Some things never change.
Then a friend called me to remind me that way back when we we were students, the Internet didn't exist, no one owned a cell phone and all the other students on campus looked older than us.
The physical layout of my old college campus is vastly different today as well. While the original building still stands, the 'Caf' no longer exists - which for the most part is good because the food was terrible beyond belief. Students now eat in gourmet style choosing between a nearly infinite variety of entrees and desserts (we didn't get dessert - ok maybe we did but it was hardly palatable as cooks seemed to think sawdust was a good substitute for flour). One dorm that was renamed during my 15 year absence and my beloved home away from home, the Science Center, is on its way out too.
And those older looking students? Now they look like they should be in high school.
Still, I couldn't help but notice all the other changes on campus. The new wind generator, the old farm fields that had been flooded to create new wetlands, the prairie restoration project. I talked with one student who was part of a planning committee promoting a 'green' roof on the new science center. In fact, all the students seemed to be more aware of the world around them than I ever was back then. They also seemed more concerned about how to protect the environment.
Some things never change, but luckily some things do.
How many times had I walked from the Science Center to the 'Caf' or run the trails around campus? Being back after such a long absence felt, in many ways, like I had never left. Some things never change.
Then a friend called me to remind me that way back when we we were students, the Internet didn't exist, no one owned a cell phone and all the other students on campus looked older than us.
The physical layout of my old college campus is vastly different today as well. While the original building still stands, the 'Caf' no longer exists - which for the most part is good because the food was terrible beyond belief. Students now eat in gourmet style choosing between a nearly infinite variety of entrees and desserts (we didn't get dessert - ok maybe we did but it was hardly palatable as cooks seemed to think sawdust was a good substitute for flour). One dorm that was renamed during my 15 year absence and my beloved home away from home, the Science Center, is on its way out too.
And those older looking students? Now they look like they should be in high school.
Still, I couldn't help but notice all the other changes on campus. The new wind generator, the old farm fields that had been flooded to create new wetlands, the prairie restoration project. I talked with one student who was part of a planning committee promoting a 'green' roof on the new science center. In fact, all the students seemed to be more aware of the world around them than I ever was back then. They also seemed more concerned about how to protect the environment.
Some things never change, but luckily some things do.