Last year, Ivan Allen College faculty and staff celebrated at the Atlanta Aquarium, so it was hard to identify another Atlanta landmark to emulate that experience. Thanks to Kimberley Cartier, my amazing executive assistant, this year's event happened at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, a space even more inviting and impressive, and just the right "expanse" to celebrate our expanding college. The ancient Greeks thought of "museums" as places in which the "muses" (goddesses who inspire artists, poets, philosophers, and musicians) lived and in which arts and humanities treasures would be archived and protected. For a liberal arts college at a major university of science and technology, gathering in the place of the Muses of "natural history" was therefore kind of fitting. We literally dined next to and under two giant Mezozoic skeletons, and there were more dinos outside the building. A great way to celebrate community, acknowledge achievements, and relax after a long semester.
