Dave Faulkner
Dave Faulkner
Lifestyle: Commuter
Major: History
It is a conundrum of Norwich University that an institution with such great esprit de corps, community values, and unity of purpose can occasionally nurture a complete non-conformist. Dave Faulkner is such an individual. He originally attended another local college and “didn't enjoy [him]self there.” In fact, he didn’t intend to return to college. Ever. However, some Norwich alumni convinced Dave to give NU a try, and now he’s laying plans for his doctorate degree and a career of his own as a professor of history.
Asked about the faculty in his degree program, Dave says, “I think all the professors that I have had: Professor Brucken, Professor Pennington, Professor Taylor — all great, great teachers — I think that they are probably some of the best instructors I have ever had.”
It was Dr. Taylor who inspired Dave to pursue History as a major. “Professor Taylor really got me into feudal Japan and the religions of feudal Japan. My first semester here, I was taking a class with Dr. Taylor, and I just never thought about how I like certain aspects of history. It made me think I could do something with my vast reserves of useless information, so I became a history major.”
Of course, Dave doesn’t seriously consider his growing knowledge of history useless. “I'm definitely thinking more about my career than I was when I got to Norwich. I was just thinking about getting a job and making it day-by-day, and now I’m thinking more about long-term plans.”
Dave says he likes the “get-things-done-if-you-want-to-pass kind of attitude” at Norwich. Asked if he fits in, he laughs.
“I don't think I fit in at Norwich at all. I think I kind of stick out like a sore thumb. I don’t know too many people who dress the way I dress or, you know, talk the way I talk. But I don’t know — I think it’s been a good experience for me to [encounter] so many differing opinions. I like debating with my fellow students, and I get to do that quite frequently here.”
One of the things I like here is that the professors encourage every opinion. And every opinion matters.
~ Dave Faulkner
Dave denies ever being singled out in a negative way. “I haven’t really gotten too much flak for being a civilian student or for living off-campus. In fact, I like most of the Marine staff sergeants. Those guys are pretty great. They seem to be interested in what’s going on and what I think. I met most of them through classes I’ve had, and I always seem to get along with them really well. Two of them were in my senior-level history seminar, and they would always give me good feedback about my paper, what they thought I could do to change my thesis topic, and I tried to return the favor.”
Dave’s advice to prospective students? “One of the things I like here is that the professors encourage every opinion. And every opinion matters. So even if you’re wrong, they’ll want you to try to fight your way through it and prove that you’re not as wrong as everyone thinks you are. So I think it’s a good place to learn.”
