When Mike Hamrick accepted Marshall University's offer to return to his alma mater as Athletic Director last summer, he did so with one request: Could the school provide him temporary housing while his wife stayed behind to sell their house? What Hamrick didn't expect was to be placed in an apartment in a campus residence hall, in an all-freshman building, and on an all-female floor.

While Hamrick initially held some reservations about his new living arrangement, he couldn't be more pleased with how it's turned out. "I want to build a house with my wife here, and live happily ever after at my alma mater," says Hamrick, previously the Athletic Director at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. "But there's a transition period, and living in a residence hall has made it a wonderful experience for me."

There were some awkward situations at first, Hamrick admits, including a resident advisor who didn't believe he lived in the building and a freshman who questioned his use of the laundry room. But that didn't stop him from immersing himself in dorm life, and he regularly joins students to eat pizza, watch television, shoot pool, or chat near the front desk. And when the timing is right, he enjoys discussing issues such as athletics, leadership, making positive choices, and succeeding in college with the students.

"Living here has connected me back to young people and given me an opportunity to understand the pressures they deal with on a daily basis," Hamrick says. "I had a tendency to be tough-minded at times, but this experience has taught me to be a little more patient and caring with young people and find out what their problems are.

"I would advise others, even if they're not living in a residence hall like me," he continues, "to ask kids what stresses they have in their lives."

Hamrick plans to continue his on-campus experience through the spring, until his wife, also a Marshall grad, joins him in West Virginia. "But for the meantime," he says, "I'm thoroughly enjoying where I'm living. It's been a really unique experience."