Wearing aprons labeled “Pancake Breakfast,” several senior staff members spent their Sunday morning yesterday mixing and pouring batter and flipping pancakes for about 50 students who stopped by the Mount Vernon Alumnae House on the Mount Vernon Campus.
The pancake breakfast was the third in a series that GW Provost Steven Lerman and his wife, Lori, are hosting this year.
The Lermans, who say that the breakfasts are a great way to connect with students outside the classroom, estimated that they have hosted about 90 pancake breakfasts since they began the tradition at MIT nine years ago.
Since coming to GW last summer, the Lermans have hosted one public and one private pancake breakfast before yesterday’s, which featured two varieties of pancakes (blueberry and plain), two types of maple syrup (Aunt Jemima and Spring Tree), sausages (pork), coffee, orange juice and oranges.
The pancake breakfasts are open to students and held at Alumnae House, where the Lermans live. The next scheduled breakfast is Dec. 5.
At yesterday’s breakfast, Sara Melita, managing director of GW’s Staff Learning and Development Team, and Peg Barratt, dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, served as master bakers alongside the Lermans.
Chris Diaz, B.A. ’09, a second-year master’s candidate in higher education administration, said blueberry pancakes are his favorite.
Mr. Diaz, a Presidential Administrative Fellow who works with Dr. Lerman, admitted he had never seen the provost in an apron.
“That’s awesome that he can be very casual,” he said.
“I think this is exactly what students want from the higher administration,” agreed Rob Maxim, executive vice president of the Student Association, who also favors blueberry pancakes.
“Them being accessible, being real and being able to sit down and say, ‘We are here. Let’s chat,’” he said.