It has been another busy day at Norwich University.  The started with breakfast around 6:30am.  That was followed by a presentation about how to conduct an academic debate.  The remainder of the day was spent with our debate teams devising a structure to present tomorrow.  Dinner happened at 5pm and I am down for the count.  This trip is refreshingly exhausting and I am loving it.

I have a new perspective on distance education.  I used to think a residency didn’t matter or might be somewhat of an inconvenience.  It is “distance education” after all, isn’t it?  I am only two days into this trip and the festivities have really yet to begin and I don’t think any distance education program should go without having some brief residency attached to it.

We’re not only getting to meet the people that we worked with on the student level through the last 18 months.  We’re also getting to meet some of the professors that taught us throughout the program.  We are getting to meet the faculty and administration people that we previously only knew by e-mail.  This is really a great experience.  

Tomorrow is “Debate Day” where all grads argue a point against each other.  We will have three judges made up of faculty members.  My debate is at 1pm and will last an hour.  I am looking forward to it.

But I am serious when I tell you about the value of some type of residency.  In two days I feel like I have been here a week because of all the things packed in.  Meeting new people, bonding with the new “family”, taking in the beautiful scenery in Vermont, and more.  You cannot put a price on the value and experience of this type of interaction.  These are friends that I will have forever and it makes me glad I went to Norwich.

I will write again tomorrow about the events of the day.  I am off to sleep now.  I am exhausted as usual.  And that is a good thing!