Virtually Yours

Masland albert 20190816 0644 dickinson magazine fall 2020

by Alumni Council President Al Masland ‘79

On Feb. 19, the Alumni Council had its third virtual meeting since the pandemic began. That makes me the virtual president, and I’m OK with that. Our digital age and these COVID times can leave us all feeling that virtual and remote are distant seconds to in person. I won’t argue that nothing is lost, but I will suggest that much is still gained. With apologies to my mentor, Dr. Phillip Lockhart (who labored to teach me Greek 25 years after I graduated), and the classics scholars he nurtured, here is my brief etymology of “virtual.” 

Medieval Latin spawned virtualis, the root of which is virtus or virtue. My old Webster’s tells me that virtus indicated “excellence.” The internet (which is always right) tells us that in the 15th century, virtualis came to mean “being something in essence or effect though not actually.” Therefore, let me suggest that, at its best, virtual is the essence of excellence.  

Let me share some excellence. Thanks to the support staff from the Office of Advancement, the Office of Marketing & Communications and the Center for Advising, Internships & Lifelong Career Development, among others, the Alumni Council has been doing great work, as have many other alumni who stepped up this past year. But I am even more excited about the excellence demonstrated by our future alumni.  

If you missed the @dickinsonalumni Instagram videos by Jake De Wulf  ’16, you missed more than a Turkish breakfast and a shopping trip on the Aegean Sea—you missed an incredibly talented young alum in action. I urge you to start following @dickinsonalumni today so you don’t miss any alumni or student takeovers.

But my heart belongs to the Dickinson Mock Trial team, coached by my colleague Judge Edward Guido ’72, with my assistance in the drama department. These scholars not only hosted one of the first Zoom tournaments of the year but have shown that physical separation does not diminish excellence. I expect to be with them at nationals this spring.   

So what is the essence of excellence? As President Margee Ensign said, the Revolutionary Challenge “worked because our students and alumni have received the best education in the world—a Dickinson education that teaches them to see connections, cross boundaries and look for creative solutions.” Stay revolutionary … stay excellent!  

Read more from the winter 2021 issue of Dickinson Magazine

TAKE THE NEXT STEPS

Published February 15, 2021