Meaningful Engagement

Andrew Slater

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.

Read more:

Alumni in Action 

Published August 21, 2013