Travelers enjoy many experiences when they tour the world depending on their interests. Once one visits the major tourist sites, what else is there to do? Foodies will seek out well known restaurants or perhaps look for a cooking class. History buffs may head to the nearest museum, and nature lovers will find the local public garden. But have you ever considered touring the local college or university? These places of higher education often have much to offer that can appeal to many interests.
One aspect of universities I often appreciate is the architecture. While some college buildings are built for function alone, many universities have some unique buildings. Some have interesting older, historical buildings while others may have unusual modern structures. Universities may also have interesting exhibits or features to explore. Many will have art exhibits. Others may have historical sites or markers to check out. Concerts or plays might be available for a night out at a more affordable price than the local professionals. Certainly many people would enjoy a college athletic experience. A little bit of research ahead of time can offer some insight into what might be available.
One overlooked aspect of a university might be its tours. These are not tours just for prospective students, but tours for the general public. One can learn about the university, its history, and its programs. We discovered these when we traveled to New England. Here are some notes on our experiences at four well know universities: Harvard, MIT, Yale, and Dartmouth.
Harvard is one of the most well known universities in the United States. Its beginnings go all the way back to 1636. John Harvard willed his library and half of his estate to the college, and now his name graces the university. Over the years eight graduates have served as president of the United States from John Adams to Barack Obama. This prestige of the university is enough to warrant a visit.
Harvard offers free public tours guided by undergrad students. Visitors can check at the Smith Campus Center near the main campus to sign up. (As of this writing all tours are virtual). We found the tour interesting, and it offered information about the campus and its history. One of the buildings we entered was Memorial Hall. The interior has rich wood and beautiful stained glass. The university built it to honor the Harvard men who served in the Union army during the Civil War.
We did not get the opportunity to go into the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library. Nevertheless we learned that the library goes quite deep underground so the portion we can see is only a part of the library. There are apparently 5 miles of aisles with book in the stacks. That’s a lot of books.
Another major building on campus is the Harvard Memorial Church. While Harvard began as a religious school, one would not consider it such today, but there on the campus is the Memorial Church. It was built following World War 1 in memory of those who died in the war. Its dedication was on Armistice Day in 1932. It is currently an active protestant church with Sunday services each week.
One of the things that surprised me was the wall around the main campus. The area within the walls is known as the Harvard yard and is the oldest section of the school. There are 27 entrance gates. Over one of the narrow entrances in the wall I saw the inscription “Enter to Grow in Wisdom.” I thought it was a thoughtful choice of words. Gaining wisdom is different than gaining knowledge which is what one usually considers the goal of an education. It hearkens back to the religious roots of the university for in Proverbs 2:6 we read, “For the Lord gives wisdom.”
Not far from Harvard is another prestigious institution, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT. There was a time when the two universities almost merged, but the state prevented it. MIT was founded in 1861 in response to the vast changes in industrialization. It struggled initially and was more of a technical school. Eventually it moved more into scientific research. The result has been significant advances indicated by its 97 Nobel laureates. It has also produced 41 astronauts.
MIT is located across the Charles River from Boston. The campus is open, and the main building is quite large but not particularly interesting architecturally. However across the street is more of the student zone, and there are two buildings of interest here. The architect Eero Saarine designed them both. One is a chapel, and the other is an auditorium, both dedicated in 1955. The chapel is an interdenominational building that can be scheduled for use by different religious groups.
Despite being a school that focuses more on science, there is a significant amount of public art around the campus. However, even these can have a scientific theme to them.
The third University we visited was Yale. While we took public transportation to visit Harvard and MIT, we drove to Yale. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, traffic and parking were a challenge. Thankfully we eventually accomplished the latter.
Chartered in 1701, Yale received its name in 1718. The name Yale comes from Elihu Yale who donated money and books to the school. Over the years Yale grew, developed, and graduated a number of well known individuals. Yale boast connections to five presidents and 65 Nobel laureates.
Yale also offers public tours of the university, currently all virtual. It takes visitors into places that they would not be able to see if they were visiting on their own, specifically the residential colleges. This is one of the unique aspects of Yale. All students are assigned to one of 14 residential colleges. These colleges have their own quarters which even includes their own libraries. By breaking the student body into smaller units, the university strives to make the college experience more personal. On the tour we were taken into some of the college residential spaces which are locked to the normal visitor.
Two other spaces visitors see on the tour are the Sterling Memorial Library and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The latter has an interesting wall of translucent marble as well as a Guttenburg Bible. These spaces emphasize the historical opportunities the university offers to the public.
The fourth institution we visited was Dartmouth College. Eleazar Wheelock founded the college in 1769 in Hanover, New Hampshire. Its charter statement referred to the education of the youth of Indian tribes as well at English youth. The latter quickly became the focus. William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth is the namesake of the college. He had contributed to earlier educational work by Wheelock among the Native Americans. Unfortunately he opposed this college and never contributed to it despite bearing his name.
In 1816 the state tried to change the school’s charter to become a public university. Dartmouth University did indeed exist for a short time, but the college fought back. The case made it to the Supreme Court. Daniel Webster argued the case and won thus returning the college to its original position. It has retained its name as a college since then.
While no graduate of Dartmouth has been elected president, Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller was a graduate. In a different vein Dr. Seuss was a graduate, and the poet Robert Frost attended Dartmouth. Of course many other well known political, media, and academics have graduated from here.
Our visit to Dartmouth was not as successful as we had hoped for one specific reason; it rained. But it didn’t just rain; it poured. That negated our chance to explore the area as much as we would have liked. We sheltered in a building when the rain began and decided to leave when it let up.
The Dartmouth campus is much more open than the other schools being in a small town location. The college centers around a large open space called the Green. Most of the buildings around it are constructed in a similar style using brick which gives a feeling of uniformity to the campus. Although the college does offer a tour, we didn’t take it. Time was short, and the rain discouraged us from figuring out the schedule. Maybe the next time we are in the area, we will be able to take a tour. In the meantime virtual tours are available.
So there you have it, a quick guide to four highly respected educational institutions in New England. We certainly enjoyed our time visiting these well known institutions and look forward to exploring others. Have you toured a university in a location you visited or taken advantage of something they offered? Is there a university near where you live that you enjoy exploring? In the comment section below I’d love to read your thoughts about visiting educational institutions as you travel.