Washington and Lee University
Teaching in the Alumni College has been one of the great joys of my professional life for the past 15 years. I've learned so much from my colleagues and their superb lectures, and the courses are put together with such care and foresight that I'm constantly impressed with how well everything matches up and builds into a coherent whole. The entire format is so enriching-bringing top scholars together to focus on all the elements of a topic, and interacting with the alumni themselves to bring us all to a greater understanding. That's the real kick, of course-listening to and talking with the alumni collegians, building our knowledge, and sharing the learning experience that is the goal of every true teacher. It's been a great part of being at Washington and Lee, and to me it exemplifies the best of the W&L character.
--Marc C. Conner, Jo M. and James Ballengee Professor of English
In its position on the far northwestern corner of Africa, with a shoreline that stretches from the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar to the Atlantic, Morocco has been for many centuries one of the great intersections of civilization. It served as the garden frontier for the Romans and witnessed the wanderings of the earliest Christians and Muslims and the advance of the Moors from Africa to Spain; it welcomed the dusty caravans at the end of their long treks across the Sahara and the first brave ventures of the Portuguese out across the great oceans. Today, Morocco retains elements of all of its history, combining a wealth of cultures from the three continents with a native population of Berbers and black Africans. It is simply one of the most fascinating collections of humanity available anywhere on earth.
The Special Programs staff (left to right):
Tracey Mason, administrative assistant; Rob Fure, director; and Susie Thompson, associate director.
Our fantastic Resident Assistants who work for us in the summer.