As I turned in student grades and put a wrap on my 26th year at The University of Tampa (UT), I couldn’t help but reminisce about the years gone by. The University is certainly different — 8,000 students, $400 million worth of new construction on campus, and a growing reputation of excellence at home and abroad.
The institutional landscape has evolved in more ways than one, yet the comfort of familiar surroundings and good people makes UT home. The guard has certainly changed. A number of my dearest friends have retired, and some have moved on to greener pastures. I am not sure the hallways of our business school will ever have the same light hearted banter that has been a mainstay.
I too have evolved, in more ways than one. Age has an uncanny way of creating perspective. The constant has been the students. They have a way of touching my life, and giving it purpose. I thrive in the classroom – teaching, learning, challenging the status quo, and molding young lives. I feel so blessed to have found my calling. My classroom is my temple.
About Hemant Rustogi