This interview with Dr. Grant Olson was conducted on October 9, 2019 in the audio recording studio located at the DeKalb Public Library in DeKalb, Illinois. Dr. Olson recounts his experience with the Peace Corp and journey around the world in pursuit of higher education and Southeast Asia Studies. Finally arriving at Northern Illinois University in the late 1980s, Dr. Olson began a lengthy career that spanned across a wide variety of departments and projects over the course of nearly thirty years with the university. From his initial start as a Thai language instructor, Dr. Olson branched off into the realm of computer program development and assisted in the technological expansion of Northern in the early days of video streaming and MPEG cards. Dr. Olson details a few of the trials and tribulations associated with these in his interview along with key insights regarding the structural requirements of such projects. His interview was not limited to these programs as he also discussed his views on the changes over time to campus culture and his views on what the main campus could provide to better the college experience at Northern and blend with the outside city of DeKalb. These improvements he stated included, and were not limited to, the creation of more open spaces and gathering places for the greater student community to come together and blend in the comfort of peaceful study or even over a café table without the need for structured recreation activities but at one’s own leisure.
