Wesleyan Reminiscence
Memory One—A new professor arrives at the Faculty Retreat at Jackson’s Mill on a warm, sunny day and is greeted by colleagues from the English Department who will become great friends. These are the people the new faculty member will have lunch with in the SCOW and trade stories about teaching. This was no formal new faculty orientation process, but it soon became clear that if you wanted to belong here, teaching had to be the focus. I knew I had found a home.
Memory Two—The interim president extends a diploma to a large football player who is ecstatic about graduating. It’s a student who was in the president’s First-Year Seminar. He offers what at first appears to be a chest bump but quickly morphs into a bear hug that is so enthusiastic it nearly knocks the president to the ground. The crowd laughs in approval at the joyous moment.
It’s hard to believe that these two memories happened to the same person, roughly twenty-seven years apart, but they did. A great deal had changed. The president’s hair was gray. No one checked their campus box regularly, looking for memos. Email had changed all of that. New buildings had been erected, and classrooms had been updated with technology.
I would go on to lead international trips during January Term, teach literature to well over a thousand students, write a book on West Virginia literature, and serve as chief academic officer and interim president. I also met my wife at Wesleyan in an office overlooking the Chapel Oval. I could never give back to Wesleyan all that Wesleyan gave me.
When I reflect back over my time at Wesleyan I know that many things have changed. But some things will never change.
Wesleyan is a college that celebrates the life of the mind.
Wesleyan is a college that teaches students how to think.
Wesleyan is a college at which students develop a moral compass.
Wesleyan is a college whose graduates, once they get in their foot inside the door, are prepared to rise to the top.
Wesleyan is a college that cultivates lifelong learning.
Wesleyan is a college that believes in inclusion and social justice.
Wesleyan is a college where a student can star in both athletics and in academics.
Wesleyan is a college at which students find their voice.
Wesleyan is a college at which students find their calling.
Wesleyan is a college that creates many opportunities for students who previously had very few.
Wesleyan is a college where students come to sign up for classes and develop a sense of purpose for their lives.
Wesleyan is a college that both challenges and supports its students.
Wesleyan is a college that changes lives—one student at a time.
Wesleyan is a college where magic happens. This magic happens when a student learns how to solve a difficult equation or write a well-supported research paper. This magic happens when a student discovers a new spiritual direction, helps someone in need, engages with the world, travels to a distant land, or imagines new possibilities for their lives.
To have been part of this magic for twenty-seven years makes me a very fortunate person. I am grateful for all the opportunities.
Boyd Creasman