Cambridge

What remains in my memory of that time of my life, now some forty years ago, can be summed up briefly; it was a splendid interruption of my quiet and tranquil academic life and an equally splendid tonic for the rest of it upon my return to campus.

I vividly recall that my arrival in Cambridge suddenly made me, in dubious effect, the whole of Valparaiso University for our students.  In addition to my professorship I had now become:  dean of men, dean of women, librarian, finance and banking counselor, National Health medical services advisor, director of housekeeping and residence maintenance, tour guide and scheduler of British football coaches and youth hostels, tea-maker for the Cambridge journal tutorials, coordinator and host of our British faculty, interior decorator and procurer of furniture and household supplies, painter and handyman for small repairs, liaison officer with our landlord Lutheran Church of England, renter of other student accommodations, janitor for the daily set up of the narthex of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection for our classroom (quickly delegated to a student warden), counselor for the VU student ministry of the LCE,  budget supervisor and paymaster, interpreter and guide to the city of Cambridge and the system of the colleges of the University of Cambridge, mentor of some students on moral and morale issues, comforter of worried parents, provider of Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas trees, and sometime emergency chauffeur to collect abandoned student hitchhikers and overly enthusiastic pub crawlers.  I leave out much else, but I hope I make it clear that the I discovered the director was a day and night multi-tasking, trouble-shooting, jack-of-all-trades in academic garb. I remember much of it today with a shudder, but also with the satisfaction that I was profitably stretched and happily challenged–and grew my powers for almost anything that might and did lay ahead!

I also recall that by today’s standards the facilities of the Cambridge Program(me) in the early 80s were very primitive, perhaps blessedly so technologically.  Those were the days before the internet, emails, I-pads, and cell phones–which meant once we were in England we were in England, not in England and electronically back home at the same time. Our concentration was forced upon where we were and who we were.  The students, like any group in a foreign place, drew very tightly together, and I sometimes think their group living experience was as important as their foreign travel experience. I know deep friendships (and two marriages) were forged in our closely knit company–and I know I think fondly of the chances I was given to spend more casual time with the students than I could have done on the home campus.  Nothing improves your teaching more than knowing your students at a greater personal depth, and perhaps that was the directorship’s most valuable gift to me. My favorite memories remain warm and often humorous moments with super students, perhaps especially that day several of them visited me in my ward at Addenbrooke’s hospital where I was recovering from kidney stone surgery.  In the vase of daffodils were smuggled two chocolate Cadbury bars, one whole milk, and one fruit and nuts.  I got well.

(SUBMITTED 07/01/ 2018)

When I arrived in the summer of 1985 to take up the duties as Director of the Cambridge Study Programme, I found that discussions were already well underway to construct a residence hall and classroom addition to facilities we occupied at 26 Huntingdon Road.  This was something that was certainly much needed.  Since the inception of the Programme, women were housed at 26 Huntingdon Road, but the men were housed in property that we rented at 55 Windsor Road, a good mile and a half walk from 26, with no bus service.  Our classes were held at Resurrection Lutheran Church, which was located on the same property with Westfield House, the seminary for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England, and 26.  This meant that the men had to make that long walk to and from 55 for classes, and for any activities held at the Study Centre in the evenings.  And these were frequent.  However, I don’t recall any complaints from our students.  A tough bunch!

Beginning that summer, I met with representatives of the ELCE, Westfield House, and the construction management firm every two weeks.  If you think zoning and construction regulations in your neighborhood are challenging, you would be astounded by their complexity in the UK! The addition was to occupy a space between 26 and Westfield house that was basically a landscaped lawn with large trees.  Planning permission had to be solicited for every single bush or tree that would be removed or would even be nearby to the construction.  Every shrub removed had to be replaced, every tree had to be surrounded by some kind of protective barrier.  Colors of the brick to be used, colors for trim and doors, numbers of panes in windows and their location–all this had to be submitted and approved.  Sometimes this process took several weeks, so the whole process, by American standards, was glacial.

Construction of the building, however, was not the only challenge.  When it was finally completed, the whole thing had to be furnished, since we owned none of the furnishings the men had been using at 55 Windsor Road.  Beds, desks, tables, chairs, drapes, kitchenware, all these things had to be purchased and installed.  It was quite a project, but everyone pitched in.  The men, naturally, were highly motivated by the prospect of no longer having that long hike several times every single day!

So, eventually it all came together, and by the spring of 1987 we made the move.  The first floor of the three- floor addition contained kitchen facilities and a lounge area.  The second floor was living quarters.  The top floor was a classroom.  Our own classroom, so no more setting up chairs every day at Resurrection next door.

The addition of 26A to the Centre was a major step forward for the Programme and served it well for many years.

(SUBMITTED 06/30/2018)

Valparaiso University’s study center in Cambridge, England was the first of three study abroad programs I directed along with my family—Michelle, my wife, and Sophie and Elsa, my daughters. Cambridge (2005-07) was followed by Hangzhou, China (2010) and Reutlingen (2015-17).  But Cambridge was the beginning of all the excitement, new experiences, challenges, travel, and the international lifestyle! We were thrilled to be a part of VU’s Cambridge program, and Hugh McGuigan, VU’s longtime Director of Study Abroad, skillfully guided us in our preparation for living overseas. Thank you for all of your hard work, Hugh!

Thinking back on each of the four groups we had in Cambridge (C76-C79), some of the best memories that come to mind involved Common Meal. All of the planning, shopping, cooking and eating of the Common Meals in the VU student center was an activity that unified our groups and created a sense of community. Each week, we would look forward to every hilarious travel story, the joking and laughter, students sharing delicious dishes from their family traditions, and the overall good-spirited fun we had together. Students would tell us about their scooter renting, youth hostel shower incidents, drink saving falls, bicycle sharing, and teeth losing adventures. Being a director, you feel the weight of wanting all of your students to have an incredible experience while living in a foreign country, but the worry about their safety was ever present. We were always so happy when all of our students would come back from their excursions in one piece!

As a family, the Cambridge experience is very near and dear to our hearts and we have traveled back to Cambridge two times since leaving. Our daughters, Sophie and Elsa, made wonderful friends and loved attending the Girton Glebe Primary School. Cambridge, England is a fantastic historical city that we loved living in. Additionally, we have such delightful recollections of the students from each group who would go out of their way to be so friendly and engaging with our young daughters. Sophie and Elsa loved how kind and funny the students were at Common Meal, at our home on Thornton Road, and on our group trips. The group trips were full of camp songs on the coach, hand clapping rhymes, exploring the Roman Baths, eating gingerbread in Grasmere, watching Shakespeare plays, hiking in the Lake District and traipsing around Warwick Castle. We miss all of our former students and we miss spending time with them!

(SUBMITTED 08/13/2018)

I look back with great fondness on my time (2013-2015) as the Director of  Valparaiso University Study Centre in Cambridge, England. I am immensely grateful to VU for all the opportunities this experience provided for the students, my family, and myself. My children felt very welcomed by the VU students and, aside from some new-kid-at-school jitters, loved their time at Impington Village College. My daughter Kya embraced her new British accent within a month of starting school and my son Abraham found his vocation in theatre through the many opportunities to watch and perform on the British stage. I was pleased to see how the VU students quickly formed strong connections to one another through being foreigners together, participating in our weekly rituals, particularly Common Meal, and exploring England together.

I think if I tried to summarize the experience my words would be grossly inadequate. I’d like to therefore share a smattering of the events that enriched my life and, I think, the lives of the students who participated. The cohorts or individual students who read this will recognize themselves in some of the comments.

The informal but intense competition for the best Common Meal. As the beneficiary of some amazing food I have to say I encouraged this rivalry.

Punting on the Cam, particularly those brave souls who actually punted, and the one who took a dive.

Our house intruders (twice) and the student who confronted and (successfully) ordered one of them out of the house.

Hiking in a torrential rain storm.

Hiking under the clouds became too heavy to move forward.

Chasing sheep.

Being threatened by a Bull.

Murder Mysteries

Pajama Party

Other, slightly wilder, party

I loved that so many of the students decided to travel in Britain or the continent together, creating new memories as they traversed many new lands.

Some very creative scavenger hunt solutions and hilarious videos and pictures.

The Crepe Man. If you can’t love him you can’t love anyone.

A couple fascinating court cases in person.

“Queen K_______”

Those brave and curious souls who explored Cambridge alone, intentionally meeting Cambridge residents on their home turf.

The food poisoning incident that nearly shut down the center for a few days and a few visits to the National Health Service.

Visiting Alum with stories of past years.

The lively banter with Phil, our coach driver.

“Queen S_____”

(SUBMITTED 08/31/2018)