Last week, I was in Philadelphia for the Northeast Greek Leadership Association’s 2002 conference. The NGAL is an organization that educates fraternity and sorority leaders in the Northeast. Travis Apgar, assistant dean of students and director of greek life, attended the conference as a member of its board of directors and was awarded the prestigious Philippi Award, which recognizes the most outstanding greek advisor in the Northeast. After the other 11 NGLA board members had left the conference room following a pre-conference meeting, Apgar remained for our interview.
Apgar, a lifetime resident of New York State, was born in Horseheads, N.Y. In his youth Apgar was passionate about athletics. “I played football, wrestled, and ran track,” he recalled. It was his skill as a high school football player that earned Apgar a full scholarship to SUNY Cortland to study physical education. “Since it was only an hour away from my home town, it was almost an extension of high school,” said Apgar. “The mentality was not ‘serious’ at that time—it was fairly well known as a party school.” In addition to playing Division III men’s football, Apgar also became a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Although he enjoyed his involvement in Tau Kappa Epsilon, he was not happy at Cortland and transferred to SUNY Albany to study psychology.
“It was very different. For me, Albany was the big city. It was a great experience and exposed me to a more culturally diverse environment,” said Apgar. It was at this time that Apgar redefined his attitude towards academics and realized a passion for student affairs by becoming a resident assistant. “Interestingly enough, I worked for Dean of the First-Year Experience Lisa Trahan when she was a residence coordinator at Albany and loved the job,” he said. Apgar enjoyed the job so much that he decided to stay at Albany to study for his master’s degree in educational psychology.
Apgar became a full-time professional staff member in Albany’s Office of Residence Life and elected not to continue on for his doctorate. After this decision, he entered into the educational administration and policy studies program at Albany and earned another master’s degree with a concentration in higher education. During his time at Albany, Apgar continued to be involved with his fraternity. “I’ve been a chapter advisor since I was a graduate student, and I’ll probably remain involved with TKE [for] the rest of my life,” said Apgar.
Apgar was quick to apply for the position of dean of greek life when it was created at RPI in May of 2000. “After learning more about the greek community at Rensselaer, it seemed like a great opportunity to work with fraternities and sororities in a very positive way,” he said. “It’s not often that you get the chance to work with chapters that are actually living up to their fraternal expectations and values, and I think that that is really happening at RPI.” In addition to his passion for greek life, Apgar also enjoys the responsibilities that come with being a dean and working with students. “I truly think that Rensselaer is a ‘world class’ institution. I encourage students to take advantage of all the opportunities that present themselves. There is a group of students who do that, and I believe they are the ones [who] one day, everyone else will call ‘boss.’ Explore campus for all it has to offer and remember that some of your college education will be outside of the classroom,” said Apgar.
Apgar spends his free time with his wife, his 18-month old daughter, and his dog. “They get all my free time, and we have a blast!” he grinned. “Greek life is also my hobby, as well as my work.” He can be reached at apgart@rpi.edu.
Next Week: Eddie Ade Knowles, Vice President for Student Life
