Andrew Slater '00, English Lecturer, American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (Photo by Lisa Cousins)
Major: International Studies
What I love most about what I do: Sharing the writing that has affected me most with students who are just reaching full fluency in English. I get to welcome them to their first experience in English literature—and often in literature generally.
How Dickinson prepared me for what I do: Dickinson gave me a high-water mark for liberal-arts education, so I can be an advocate for this kind of teaching and worldview in a rapidly developing part of the world that often sees immediate specialization as a shortcut to professional success. I can campaign for the idea of a college education being the formula for an informed life, active citizenship and professional success, because that was my experience at Dickinson.
The accomplishments I was most proud of at Dickinson: I set the school record in the 3000-meter run and earned two silver medals at the Centennial Conference championships in 1999.
The accomplishment I am most proud of today: My military service, which included five combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, as an infantry and special-forces officer.
What “develop a global sensibility” means to me: I think a global sensibility requires that you have a broad enough perspective and education to meaningfully engage with any peoples and cultures you may encounter, to include those that you are not specifically an expert on.
Published August 21, 2013