As high school students, we compared lots of elements when we looked at colleges and chose to attend Southwestern. For Laura Lancaster Faulk, “the beautiful campus, old stone buildings, and small numbers were some of the aspects attractive to me. But I think the feeling of community clinched the deal. I felt like Southwestern was my extended family.”

And no wonder. From the age of three, Laura lived in Georgetown because her father, Robert Lancaster, was an art professor at SU. She remembers her childhood in the University community within a tiny Georgetown as “almost idyllic.” As you’d expect, she and her parents “attended all art exhibits, almost all musical performances, theater productions, many lectures, and other campus events. Some were boring to me as a child, but I absorbed a lot.”

When Laura began her freshman year, she recalls, “I had no idea what to major in, but I could take courses in a wide range of subjects and then decide what really interested me.” She says she steered away from studio art because “there was no way I could live up to the talent and vision my dad had.” She minored in art history, though, and “will never forget Professor Claude Kennard.”

Eventually, she declared majors in both humanistic psychology and sociology. Since graduating, Laura has “worked in many fields beginning with older adults, then environmental issues, and ending with early childhood education. That’s the beauty of attending a liberal arts school—I have used both my majors in every aspect of my career.”

When asked if she felt she received preferential treatment because of her connection to faculty she confided that she received the grades she deserved and wound up on scholastic probation her freshman year. However, she believes she was probably given more emotional support when she arrived because the faculty all knew her father had passed away the spring before. And she was mentored by Cary Campbell ’74, daughter of Dr. Jeff Campbell in the English department, who helped stock her first dorm room.

Laura’s social life as a student revolved around Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, being a Kappa Sigma little sister, and recycling programs in town. As an alumna, she has attended and/or coordinated milestone class reunions, served on the Alumni Council, and as Homecoming Chair. In addition, her family has established an endowment in her father’s name.

Reflecting upon her life growing up in Georgetown Laura says, “Southwestern has always been, and continues to be, an influence in my life. (Her daughter attended from 2010-2014.) I remember dinners and social events with other professors and their families, visiting artists and their families, and traveling to art exhibits. I was exposed to so many experiences growing up and attending college due to being part of the SU community, but I don’t think that’s exclusive to children of professors. Southwestern offers such a wonderful opportunity to grow, learn, think, and challenge yourself in a safe environment. I feel so fortunate to be part of this University.”

- Written by Iris Bullard Foster ‘75