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Feature

The Dickinson College Experience

Mahdin Mahboob

Dickinson College, founded by Benjamin Rush (one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence) in 1783 and situated in Carlisle, Pennsylvania is one of the oldest and most prestigious Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States. According to the most recent edition of "America's Best Colleges" published by the US News and World Report, Dickinson was ranked number 41 out of 217 national liberal arts colleges.

Along with 19 other students from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, I had the opportunity to stay in Dickinson College for more than a month last summer while attending a State Department sponsored Student Leadership Program. This is what the President of the College Dr. William G. Durden had to say about the fact that Dickinson was chosen for the program: “The program is a 'compliment to Carlisle and the community' because the U.S. government thinks the Carlisle area 'is a good model' of America.”

Carlisle, a small college town, incorporated in 1782 and populated by18, 000 people is a beautiful place with a serene natural backdrop. With perfectly neat and clean localities and lots of greeneries, the place is indeed a symbol of peace and tranquility. Being the historically important town it is, Carlisle has many points of interests of cultural and social value - the US Army War College, the Native American School and its adjoining museum, to name a few.

The Waidner-Spahr Library of the college has over 510,000 bound volumes and 1,600 periodical subscriptions. The library also offers thousands of digital journals and databases, as well as music and video recordings and government documents. In addition to the books, periodicals and different forms of digital media, the library also houses an archive of rare books and instruments that show the evolution of US culture and technology in chronological order. The state-of-the art library also contains computer labs, classrooms and individual study rooms for the students. No wonder it was ranked number one of all the US college libraries in 2003's Princeton Review!

The College authority also gives importance to the need of its students and faculty to stay fit and healthy. The Kline Center gymnasium has a whole lot of physical activity options for students to choose from. Starting from Basketball and Squash, the center also has modern swimming facilities and a whole range of gym equipments for bodybuilding and fitness.

The athletic teams of Dickinson College, popularly known as the 'Red Devils', are of the very best quality and have teams for Soccer, American Football, Field Hockey and Volleyball among others. In accordance with the growing diversity of athletic practices, Dickinson College has formed its first cricket team recently, the players being mostly of South Asian origin.

The Holland Union Building or HUB is the main location of students' gathering and houses the Dining Hall and Computer Labs, among other things. There are office rooms for all the different student bodies and clubs, a book shop sporting a huge range of text books, stationeries, Dickinson College souvenirs and sports gear, a theatre for movies and a grand auditorium for different events. The huge and well-decorated Dining Hall serves a whole range of food and drinks during the three meals every day. From the ceilings hang a whole array of huge flags of different counties of the world countries where the college has its external programs. The 24-hr-open Micro Lab (Computer Lab) is well equipped with Dell and Apple PCs, each of them with CD-writers and of course there was the unlimited printing facility. We used to spend most of our free time here, checking mail and also gearing ourselves up for the country presentations.

One of the most outstanding features of Dickinson College is its Department of Public Safety or DSP. Working closely with the Cumberland County (Carlisle) police department, the DSP manages to keep the campus area almost foolproof of any sort of criminal activities. There were quite a few instances of me, along with a few friends of mine and at times even alone moving between different buildings of the campus even at the dead of night. There was also the locker facility of the DSP, where we used to store all our valuables money, electronics etc. While away on the trip to New York, I even left my laptop in their care because I knew it was the safest place around.

During our stay, I came to know a good number of teachers closely, including Professor Robert Winston of the English Department, Professor Andrew Rudalevidge of Political Science, Professor Christopher A. Francese of Classical Studies and many others. All of them were very friendly and amiable and always eager to help us with any difficulties, be it coursework or anything else.

A good college is marked by its alumni, and among the many Dickinson alumni who have excelled in their careers; the one name that must be mentioned is that of James Buchanan, the fifteenth president of the United States.

This is what Shannon, our coordinator for the entire program, and a History Graduate from Dickinson, has to say about the college:

“Dickinson College has a very comfortable, welcoming atmosphere and a great sense of community. At Dickinson, you are encouraged to be involved in the campus and to become a leader both in and out of the classroom. The college is supportive and responsive to the needs of the students. Students have a variety of opportunities to study abroad and to work in internship positions all over the world. Dickinson has a rich academic history that it works to preserve and uphold. Professors are committed to helping students make the most of their liberal arts education.”

Mahdin Mahboob
student of ECE major
in BRAC University