For 42 years, Pitman has served UI and its students
Homecoming Weekend is one of the most anticipated social weekends of the year — from the fireworks to the football game, Vandals near and far come to show their pride.
This year though, Homecoming means just a little bit more, and people are coming from all over for another festivity. This weekend marks the retirement celebration of long-time Dean of Students Bruce Pitman.
With nearly 42 years of service to the University of Idaho under his belt, it’s safe to say he has touched countless lives. This is made clear by the more than 400 people who plan to attend his retirement party and take this Homecoming Weekend as an opportunity to say “thank you.”
And though the gratitude will be overwhelming, Pitman should enjoy the spotlight and this appreciation of his service.
Pitman was a stabilizing force in a university that has experienced constant turnover and gained a reputation as an institution known as a stepping-stone to better options. It’s always been clear Pitman never thought of UI that way.
Pitman stuck with the university through thick and thin, tragedy and triumph, president after president. He’s always been in it for the long hall, and even when given the opportunity to retire several years ago, he waited until the time felt right.
When Pitman announced his plans to retire last spring, it didn’t quite seem real. In August, he welcomed the new school year and fresh-faced first-year students, just as he had the previous four decades. He still comes into work every day and remains the guiding voice in Student Affairs.
Never did Pitman’s impending retirement feel more real than it did Thursday, when the Idaho State Board of Education approved UI’s request to rename the Student Union Building. As of Jan. 4, the building will be known as the Pitman Center — the university’s retirement gift to a man who has become a part of the school’s identity. It wouldn’t be right to let him go quietly or entirely.
He has worked in a division of university administration that is neither glorious nor highly paid. Yet he did it without complaint, and with enough love and dedication for the student body that few would argue he deserves anything less than a building and a well-deserved retirement vacation.
Pitman embodies what it means to be a university administrator. He never once believed the students came to school for him, but every day he came to work for them.
If there was ever a time Pitman didn’t feel like going to work, or would have rather been doing something else, he never once showed it, and his dedication was felt by everyone. Through student deaths, angry parents, student disciplinary issues and countless other unsavory situations, Pitman went above and beyond to protect student rights and show he truly put them first.
Even without a building, Pitman would be remembered for decades to come as an advocate for students, a thoughtful and calming voice in times of student tragedy, a careful mediator and a friend to many.
So, as we congratulate Pitman on his retirement and remember his decades of service, we recognize that UI would not be the place it is today without him.
And from The Argonaut, thank you, Bruce Pitman. Thank you for your advocacy for the student voice, for answering our endless questions and letting us write feature after feature about you and your time here. There truly are no two better words to express our gratitude for everything you’ve done for us and for this university.
Thank you. You will be missed.
–KK