University Grounds

I didn't think much about colleges growing up and it was not until I actually went to one that I started paying attention to the actual buildings and campuses. But, in 1988, as a freshman at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a passion started to develop. Part of it was due to the campus I found myself on at the time. UT is an interesting campus and back then it was a mix of buildings going back to 1872 (South College Hall). The university had opened the John C. Hodges Library the year before and it was amazing. Living on campus without a car, I spent more time than many students on and around campus. I became immediately enthralled with the place and its history. I explored every inch of it, read all I could about its history, and thought that someday I would like to write a book about college campuses. 

The book never came about, but I never lost my passion for colleges and universities. Time and opportunity permitting, I started going to different campuses whenever I visited a new (or even a familiar) place. I would explore each new campus, take a few photos (very few in the pre-digital age as film was a premium), and buy a t-shirt. I added it up the other day and I have been on the campus of roughly 130 different institutions. The number surprised me for both how big and how small it was. I have been doing it long enough that some of the places I have visited are no longer in operation. I used the phrase "in operation" there on purpose. The buildings and the campuses are still there, but the institutions have closed.

I'm not a great photographer by any means and I am not an architect. But, I started this blog as a place to put the photographs of the many schools I have visited (and will visit) and share my thoughts. Time permitting, I will add scans of old photos.

Although the photos will be original, the idea for this blog is not. There are lots of good books out there on college campuses and a few blogs as well. One is kept by one of my old professors during my doctoral studies: Dr. Alan Reifman at Texas Tech University. You can see his blog here. He has photos from institutions on his page that he and others have taken. 

​I hope you enjoy the blog!