Remembering Dean Gordy Weil

By Chris Hassay ‘17

One of the biggest draws of Moravian University is the small environment that promises to connect student and faculty on a deep level. It’s one of the reasons I am so proud of our college, and the relationship I developed with former Academic Dean Gordon “Gordy” Weil is a testament to the fact that Moravian educators go beyond the classroom. I had the pleasure of taking Dean Weil’s First-Year Seminar (FYS), Poverty in a Global Context, in the fall of my freshman year. It was engaging, informative, and challenged me to think constructively about the ethics of poverty: everything that I had hoped glean from a semester’s worth of research and writing based off the course description, but I had also taken much more from the class, a connection.

When I first checked the box indicating Weil’s course as my preferred FYS class, I didn’t know what to expect; I could not have possibly anticipated someone like Weil. He was engaging and smart, but he also had a charming quirkiness that anyone who has heard his boisterous laugh can attest to. Weil dominated the classroom with a brilliance of study, and helped foster the thoughts of anyone willing to participate. He provided tireless support to his students and sage advice for anyone willing to ask his opinion.

When grades were in, and I began my Spring semester, I had assumed (incorrectly) that Dean Weil would take a more passive role in my future. He had his own plans however, and pushed me to achieve well beyond his own classroom. He inspired me towards becoming a FYS student-advisor, gave me the confidence to pursue an English major (one of the most positive/, ransformative choices in my life), and served as a true mentor to me throughout his time at Moravian. But that was not all. I remember sharing a meal with Weil in his home before he retired, where he assured me I could call upon him whenever needed. The last email I sent him was in September. I was curious how he was doing and asked for some advice, he responded with a phrase that had become synonymous with his character:

If there is ever anything I can do to help, just let me know.

take care,

gordy

Moravian University’s Dean Weil was a beacon of what higher education should be: extremely intelligent, incredibly kind, and a little revolutionary.