The second person I met at Midwestern University when I came down to the open house in 2012 was the Dean of Optometry. He was great. It was like visiting with my grandpa. He made you feel welcome and respected. It was great to hear from someone who had a great deal of respect for and pleasure in the field of optometry.
The second time I met this man was at my interview the following October. It was the same experience. He was kind and friendly. Nothing but the utmost respect as he talked to us and told us about the school. He made it feel as if you were at home when you came to the school. He even remembered me from 6 months before when we had had very little personal interaction.
This was not just a show he put on to get people to come to the school. It never stops. On a couple of occasions, it always seems to happen when I decide not to stay to study, he has purchased dinner for the students who have been practicing in the pre-clinic for hours getting ready for a practical exam. Does he have to do this, no, but he does it anyway. He always seems to know what is going on in your school schedule. He will ask you if you are ready for the test you have that day, or how the test you just took went. He asks you about your classes and what makes the quarter more difficult. He is always trying to make the school better, and a better experience for the students.
Just the other night as I was leaving he was walking down the hall and as I opened the door to the room I was in he stopped and told the person he was walking next to that he needed to see if that was one of his students. He was mid-conversation and stopped to check on his students. Why did he stop and talk to me, he was offering me candy to help me get through some studying. When I said I was just about to leave he said well come to my office and get some anyway.
At the beginning of next month he will be holding the annual school christmas party. For this party he invites all the students and faculty to come into his own home. He has food and drinks, a bouncy house for the kids to play in. Last year my family had a wonderful time. Once again, this is not something he needs to do. I don't think anybody expects it of him, but he does it, and he and his wife make you feel like you are just one of their kids who have come home to visit. They are some of the most wonderful people.
In speaking with some of my fellow students a few of us have decided that beyond the newer equipment, the closer location, the warm weather in the dead of winter, the reason we came to this school was our wonderful Dean. We owe so much to that wonderful man.
Thanks for everything!
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