Daniel Armitage retires after 31 years.
Daniel Armitage, associate vice president for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, will retire from the University of Memphis on April 22.
Armitage has worked at the university for 31 years as an area coordinator in Richardson Towers, director of residence life, dining service, child-care services, conference planning and operating and ending as associate vice president and dean.
“I’ve grown up at the University of Memphis,†Armitage said. “I started working here when I was 24. I met my wife and some of my best friends in the world here.â€
Although Armitage is retiring from Tennessee, he accepted a job at the University of Texas as the vice president of Student Affairs, where he will have housing, dining, conference event services, bookstore, university center and some other components in that area.
“It’s a great opportunity,†Armitage said. “My family is very excited and I feel really blessed to be able to go and learn something from those students. It’s going to be completely different than the University of Memphis, so it’s an exciting challenge.â€
In the 31 years he has worked at the university, Armitage created the concept of dining dollars in an attempt to help students engage more on campus.
He was also a part of the design team that designed buildings like the Living Learning Center, Centennial Place and the University Center.
“When I walk through some parts of the University Center, I can say that I had an impact on that aspect of this building,†Armitage said.
Regarding leaving the university, Armitage said it will be bittersweet.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes in myself and the university,†Armitage said. “I never thought in a million years that I would have the opportunities to do the things I have done here. I work with some of the best people in the world and the students have been absolutely outstanding. I sat and watched the world change from the University of Memphis campus. From the O.J. trial to the Berlin Wall coming down to the planes crashing into the Twin Towers, I was here.â€
Armitage said his goals have been to help students maximize their college experiences to the fullest potential.
“In my 31 years here, I have gotten to see students meet astronauts, playwrights, actors, film directors, comedians, state senators, legislators, governors and presidents,†Armitage said. “There is not another place like a college campus. Where else in your lifetime do you get the opportunity to engage and meet some of the greatest thinkers in our world? We had a biomedical engineering student who created a prosthetic for a 4 year old who couldn’t feed herself. Where else do you get to see things that impact the world like that?â€
As fas as advice to the students at the university, Armitage said to take advantage of all the opportunities that you can.
“I feel like I did,†Armitage said. “I don’t feel like I’m leaving anything behind that I didn’t get to do. I’m excited for what happens next.â€
