Fresh out of College with my doctorate, I got a job at The University of Tampa (UT) as an Assistant Professor. The year — 1990. At the time, I planned to be at UT for a year or two, with the intent of using this short stint as a stepping stone to “bigger and better” opportunities.
Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with UT and everything that it represents. Great location, good people and thousands of incredible students who have touched my life in so many ways. I realized very quickly, that for me, UT is as good as it gets.The people at UT have been my family over these past twenty five years. They celebrated with me, the birth of my children, my becoming an American citizen, and gave me comfort when I suffered deep loss.
My daughter Jasmine graduated with her Bachelor degree from UT and is currently pursuing her MBA there. My son Rohan starts at UT as a freshman this Fall. The family tradition continues.
It seems like yesterday that this beautiful journey began. I have grown so much as a person and as a professional during this tenure. I made life long friends that I love dearly, including Michael, Alan, Judi and Amy, to name a few. I feel a deep sense of loyalty to this wonderful university, and to those special people who make WORK FUN. It is a pleasure to call UT home — a perfect haven for me to practice my craft.
About Hemant Rustogi