The Man, The Myth, The Legend: Dean Joseph Urgo
By Apolon '08Dean Urgo remains the most elusive member of the Hamilton Administration, ever secluded in the well-decorated catacombs of Buttrick Hall or roaming abroad. But on Thursday he unveiled himself in his full glory and revealed to HALT (Hamilton Alumni Leadership Training) the many duties of a dean.
Urgo revealed to HALT that "nobody raises their hands in first grade and says they want to be the Dean of Faculty." Not even him. He took a more tortuous road, attending Haverford (a school much akin to our own) and studying political science because it was "important." A stint in a law office soon showed him that literature suited him better. When he emerged from Brown, PhD in hand, he became a professor, "because that's what you do with a PhD." But, when he became the head of the English Department at the University of Mississippi, his passion for improving the lives of students and faculty alike shone through. And, two years ago, he came to the Hill as Dean of Faculty. For Urgo, it felt like coming home.
He's a busy man. He describes himself as Hamilton's Quality Control agent and the prince of the campus. Any problem on campus that two people can't agree on ends up at his desk. Seven hours of meetings and over five hundred emails a day. It's an intensely personnel driven job. But he still manages to find time to stay engaged with the students. He's a regular in the athletic stands and at Minor Theatre. Rumor has it that he even writes for The Daily Bull.
Dean Urgo likewise guides Hamilton to the future. His Strategic Planning Committee decides our direction (look for preliminary results of this year's work in two weeks!) for years to come, and he makes sure that the quality of the Hamilton education keeps up with the increasing quality of the Hamilton student.
Dean Urgo regularly travels across the country and abroad to speak to Hamilton alumni. While we are here, Urgo says, Hamilton dominates our thoughts. The Hill is timeless. It grants eternal youth to whoever is here. But once we leave, our old home becomes just a ghost in our minds. Urgo speaks to alumni to make Hamilton live again in their minds. He reminds them of what this place means and how it feels.
Alumni tell Urgo that they miss one thing in particular more than the rest--the classroom. That's why Urgo begins his meetings with alumni by reading poetry to them. He creates a free intellectual environment where anyone can say what they want without fear of being fired. And that's how Urgo ended his meeting with HALT: a poem by Robert Frost. That's just how he does things. It's a very different approach. But it works very well. That's why he's the Dean.