Most of the weekend was spent at Campbell University so, a few words. As a creature of fancier schools, it is tempting to harsh on the place. It has a nice little campus, but it's nothing special and is ringed with parking lots. It's not very selective and doesn't exude much scholarliness or anything. It is mostly surrounded by chain restaurants and even a place that claims to have hot dogs, burgers and fries, but didn't have them when I went in there. I have a client who used to work in the law school who said the management was pretty durned Baptist (all meetings began with prayers).
Then again, they've worked hard to build the place over the years and have done a pretty good job. The newer health sciences buildings look rather nice. They take good care of the place. I have a former colleague who is an alum and has been successful and I see out on LinkedIn that he (and I'm sure others) continue to work hard to raise money for the place and improve it further. I remember walking with my client to lunch in Raleigh (where the law school is) one day and running into an enthusiastic young Black student whom my client praised to the skies. Honestly, we should be celebrating and encouraging all of our small colleges and universities. They do a great job hosting the state robotics competition. There is, I was told, an independent coffee shop that was perfectly decent in an adjacent strip mall. Certainly it is much better that they are there than it would be if they weren't there.
The drive down there took us through Holly Springs, where subdivisions are clawing there way through a formerly bucolic landscape, with all the attendant tradeoffs. As the Northeast replants itself down here, we need to be careful not to replicate its mistakes, but I see that's not really happening.
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