41 College Campuses

Some people track the number of baseball stadiums they have visited. Others rack up visits to foreign countries. Some, like me, make lists of college campuses they have visited. I am only counting campuses where I have been inside of a building on campus. I have counted 41 college campuses that I remember visiting. Here is my recollection:

1. Sterling College - tiny college in Sterling, Kansas, where I attended a church retreat early in high school. I remember it had very nice facilities.

2. Wichita State University - the university which was like a second home in high school. Just a few miles from my house and with a wonderful library, it was the perfect spot for all kinds of IB research papers.

3. Kansas State University - I think this was probably the first campus I ever attended, when my dad worked here while I was in 1st grade. Years later, I returned for my undergraduate and master's degrees, and now I work here as faculty.

4. University of Kansas - I'm not sure when I first visited, but I know we went to the Natural History Museum on campus as a child. My first recollection is visiting as a high school junior, when I thought it was one of the most beautiful locations I had seen.

5. Oklahoma State University - I visited Stillwater, Oklahoma with my dad between the summer of my sophomore and junior and year of high school. I thought it was very much like K-State, only with a different color scheme.

6. Newman College - This is now Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, but when I visited, it was still Newman College. My dad went back to school for his high school teaching certification and I accompanied him there.

7. Friends University - another private university in Wichita, Kansas. This one was the home of many piano competitions.

8. Emporia University - the first time I was here was for a track meet. I think? I distinctly remember the track. ;-)

9. Southwestern University - a small Methodist college in Winfield, Kansas, it is also the home of the state piano competition, which is my only involvement here.

10. Butler County Community College - I never took any classes here, but Will's parents both worked here for years and ultimately retired from the college, and we visited on several occasions.

11. Johnson County Community College - one of the biggest, nicest community colleges in the world. I took an educational psychology college class here while Annika was a baby. It was a great experience but I decided that becoming a high school teacher would not be my path. ;)

12. Mid-America Nazarene University - a small college in the Olathe, Kansas here. I used to live in Olathe, but never visited until I ran a half marathon race there that used the facilities.

13. University of Missouri - Kansas City - UMKC is right in the heart of downtown KC, near the country club plaza, and I visited my friend, Karen, who worked there many times. It also has fabulous museums on site.

14. University of Texas - Arlington - Speaking of Kansas, Karen used to work at UTA as an academic adviser, and we visited her here as well. 

15. University of Missouri - Columbia - Will and I attended a They Might Be Giants concert in college. Prior to the conference, we wandered the Mizzou campus.

16. University of Colorado - Boulder - Another campus Will and I explored together, this time while on vacation in Colorado.

17. Creighton University - a small university in Nebraska, where I attended a Beta Alpha Psi competition while in college.

18. University of Nebraska - Lincoln - another Nebraska university, this time when I went as a Beta Alpha Psi faculty sponsor one year.

19. University of Minnesota - yet another Beta Alpha Psi trip, this one for a graduate case competition. We also visited the Mall of America on the same trip and that was far more memorable. ;)

20. Washington University - We honeymooned in St. Louis, Missouri, and visited the gorgeous campus of Wash U. I think it might be tied with KU as one of the most beautiful college campuses. ;)

21. University of Central Florida - My alma mater for my PhD! I had never visited this university - and honestly had never even heard of it - until we started researching PhD programs. Beautiful, big, sprawling, innovative - so many happy memories here.

22. University of Florida - While in Florida, we visited the most amazing butterfly garden while on this campus in Gainesville, Florida.

23. University of North Texas - Last month, I presented a workshop at this university in Denton, Texas. Gorgeous campus and the surrounding town feels like a real college town.

24. University of Iowa - I attended the Iowa Summer Writing Festival here this past summer. The campus is beautiful and the surrounding college district is a writer's dream.

25. Rollins College - a small, private college in Winter Park, Florida. My best friend Anna worked here and I visited her in her office several times, but I also enjoyed just strolling through campus on random Saturdays.

26. Penn State University - last month, I visited Penn State for the first time when I went to Pennsylvania for my best friend Christine's funeral services. We saw the Bittany Lion statue, visited the arboretum, and ate ice cream at the fabulous on-campus dairy bar.

27. University of Chicago - Will and I visited this campus on a trip to Chicago. I still think of the t-shirt I saw with this university and the slogan, "Where Fun Goes To Die."

28. University of Oklahoma - Will and I visited this campus on a trip to Oklahoma City. We ate pizza on campus and joked that it was the KU of Oklahoma. ;)

29. University of Tulsa - My marathon ran through the campus of the University of Tulsa. There were many helpful spectators cheering.

30. Dakota State University - our friend Matt had a job at this university in South Dakota and we visited and walked through campus with our kids on several occasions.

31. George Mason University - I attend the Behavioral Tax Symposium every year, which was often held on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The trees and hills are wonderful.

32. Northeastern University - interview school, located in Boston, University! I interviewed for a job here in 2009. I actually interviewed at 9 schools that fall, and of the schools on that list, K-State and KU were the only ones I had visited previously.

33. Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville - SIUE. Will and I both came down for my interview here. I remember it was misting and spitting rain most of the day, and the surrounding community seemed nice.

34. Kennesaw State University - a commuter school in the Atlanta, Georgia here. I interviewed here and loved the school but was horrified by Atlanta traffic.

35. University of New Mexico - interview school in Albuquerque! Beautiful Spanish-inspired architecture. And lots of delicious green chiles everywhere.

36. Iowa State University - interview school in Ames, Iowa. It was December when I visited, 10 degrees, and snowing. I also remember it grew dark extremely early.

37. University of Delaware - interview school in Delaware, but very near Pennsylvania (I flew into the Philadelphia airport). It rained all day and my flight home that night was cancelled.

38. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Interview school. I loved the school and the community and the people and the surrounding community. However, I was horrified by the racial disparity, particularly what I learned later from reading Evicted.

39. University of Washington - My family lived in Seattle while I was growing up, and we visited UW several times. I remember it was located near the water. Clearly, I have a very vivid memory of this campus. ;)

40. University of South Carolina - I attended a behavioral accounting conference here in May, where my best friend Donna works. Super nice and large new business building.

41. Concordia University - this university is in Montreal, Quebec, and I traveled here in 2011 to present a workshop. My friend Charles worked here at the time. I remember how pervasive French was spoken in Montreal, and how cold and snowy the area still seemed in March.

*****

Okay, I may have visited other campuses, but that is all I can recall for now. What are some of the most vivid college campuses you have visited?