Please Pass the Rolls, Mr. President

As a college senior dinnertime in my life usually consists of one of three scenarios:

1) Running to Wawa, Jake’s, or some other fast food chain to get food on the go
2) Rummaging through the cabinets in my apartment to find something to eat
3) Getting lucky and eating whatever my roommates decided to cook that night

It should come as no surprise then, that I was very surprised to find myself sitting at the dining room table of Albright’s President, Dr. Lex McMillan last Thursday.

When I first got the invitation the previous week I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I had heard of these dinners vaguely throughout my time here at Albright, but they were never anything I ever took the time to consciously think about. Sure I’m involved on campus, and a good student, but I never considered myself special enough to actually get an invitation to have dinner with the president of the college.

It was then I realized that I didn’t know much about the dinners at all.

Each year the McMillan’s have made an effort to host a variety of dinners throughout the school year with different groups of students. Groups can range from students with exceptional GPA’s, to athletes, to Student Government Association, etc. Over the years different formats have been experimented with, including some that invited younger students, but this year’s dinners are geared specifically towards seniors.

According to Dr. McMillan, “The student dinners are something we’ve experimented with since I arrived. I like having direct, casual exposure to students in our home. It re-charges my batteries and I also learn a lot about student likes and dislikes, suggestions for improvements, etc. I hope the students enjoy face time with us!”

Senior Kimberly Thompson also attended the dinner held last Thursday and said, “I thought it was really cool that I got to have dinner with the president. I felt like my voice was actually being heard, especially when Dr. McMillan asked what we would change about Albright if we had a magic wand. It was just one more thing that made Albright great, you probably wouldn’t have the chance to do something like this at a bigger school.”

My experience at the dinner was wonderful, it’s not every day you get to discuss your favorite dessert with the president of your college, but it got me thinking about all of the students that don’t get the opportunity to attend one of the dinners.

“I never even thought about [them] until I saw some of my friends go,” said senior Ashley Gaynor, “it made me wonder why I wasn’t picked to go and they were. It seemed like they all had a good time and like it would be something I’d want to do.”

Dr. McMillan pointed out that with over 1600 students at the school it is unlikely that every student would be able to attend a dinner during their time at Albright. He also mentioned that since the dinners began four years ago, there has been a decline in interest and response rate.

He continued by saying, “If any student wants to come to dinner, just call or email my office and we will put his or her name on a list. If the list gets too long, we’ll start a lottery.”

So if the dinners sound interesting, or like an event you’d like to attend, you heard the man, just ask!

*Photo courtesy of albright.edu*