recalling lakehead moments – a conversation with dr. linda rodenburg
dr. linda rodenburg
november 5, 2015
by stephanie edwards, a fourth year 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 student who works with lakehead orillia’s communications office
as part of our celebrations of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 ’s 50thanniversary, i spoke to some of our faculty and staff to learn more about their experiences at both the thunder bay and orillia campuses. my conversation with dr. linda rodenburg, a faculty member with the department of interdisciplinary studies who teaches english, is the fourth of a six-part series.
when did you attend lakehead as a student?
i studied at lakehead from 1995-1999. i started teaching at the orillia campus when it opened.
what year did you graduate, and from which program?
i graduated in 1999 with an honours bachelor of arts in english and a concurrent ba/bed (english and history majors).
can you describe your first impression of lakehead in three words?
really. far. away.
i applied to lakehead when it was marked as “university #13” on the map in the guidance counsellor’s office and i had no idea how far it was from my hometown in woodstock, ontario. my parents drove me up to drop me off with my three younger siblings in tow, and we had quite the road trip. for a small town farm girl, it was far away in many ways. my first impression of my roommate (and we did share a room then!), was interesting; she was not in the room when i arrived, but had posted a bodybuilding calendar and left a giant bottle of body building supplements on her shelf. i was a bit worried that she might be somewhat intimidating! in reality, lakehead became a second home and my roommate became like family in a matter of weeks. my lakehead experience in ear falls house was amazing!
are there any exceptional or meaningful moments that stand out in your memory from your time in thunder bay?
being in residence in that first year was an extraordinary experience. because many of us did not go home often, the people in ear falls house were like a family. we went to thanksgiving dinner together and celebrated birthdays with enthusiasm. we were really there for one another, in good times and bad.
what is one thing you want people to know about lakehead, or an interesting fact that not many people know?
lakehead always achieves top marks for being a “value-added” institution – and people often don’t know what that means. 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 improve while they are here and tend to achieve higher academic standing as they move through their degree programs. this results from 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 having the attention of their professors within a supportive academic community from day one.
what personal success are you most proud of accomplishing during your time in thunder bay?
i earned a commonwealth scholarship at the close of my studies at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 with some incredible support from three of my professors at the time: dr. kim fedderson, dr. gillian siddall, and dr. judith leggatt. this scholarship enabled me to go on to earn my phd at the university of otago in new zealand. (after conquering my fear of “far away” universities, i figured, why not? otago is literally the furthest university in the world from woodstock, ontario!). in a fun twist of fate, i would return to work at 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 , and kim would be my dean in orillia, jill my dean in thunder bay, and judith my head of department!
what is a lakehead-wide achievement that you think the entire lakehead community should be proud of?
the orillia campus! it really has been a lakehead-wide achievement, as we’ve had to work together across great distances to make the “two campuses, one vision” a reality.
how did you first hear about orillia and the development of the orillia campus?
i got an email asking me to apply to teach at it!
what was the biggest reason behind your motivation to teach in orillia?
i was excited to return to lakehead in its newest form. i loved the idea of building something from the ground up, but on the solid foundation of the school i’d attended.
what is one similarity between the two campuses and one difference?
a similarity exists in the nature of the academic community. people care about each other and 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 feel enabled to exceed their own expectations due to the support of faculty and their peers. everyone also embraces the snow – if not, we’d all be trapped indoors for far too long!
the two campuses are different in that the orillia campus is still establishing its identity. as a student in thunder bay i served on the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 student union board of directors and oversaw a huge number of student clubs and services, which allowed for many 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 to participate in their university life in a huge variety of ways. in orillia, 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 are still setting up these systems, which involves a lot of freedom to establish academic culture in new ways, but also challenges as well.
what do you hope lakehead can achieve in its next 50 years?
i hope lakehead thrives in the next 50 years, and that the orillia campus continues to grow to meet the needs of a growing number of 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 in our area. i hope to be at the 100th anniversary here in orillia, although perhaps i’ll be retired by then!
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stephanie edwards is a fourth year 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 student who works with lakehead orillia’s communications office.