So when and why did you begin undertaking this endeavor to visit 500 campuses across the U.S.?
I officially got started doing this when my wife Caroline and I were honeymooning in the Boston area in September, 1984. As part of our trip back east we decided to visit some of the major schools just because they were famous. So we decided to visit Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, Brown and a few others. After visiting these schools I declared to my wife, “These campuses are nothing like the school I graduated from in Montreal, Quebec.” The campus [of Concordia University] was a 12-story office building with not one inch of grass. So I think I really missed out on the college experience and from then on whenever we travel I like to visit colleges and universities along the way.
Do you limit it to visiting only American colleges or do you cover all of North America?
I have visited approximately 20 to 25 Canadian schools.
Our Lady of the Lake University will be your 500th campus. Is there any reason that particular school is making the milestone or did it just happen that way?
More or less. Basically what happened is that I work at Caesar’s Palace as a pit boss and I talk to people from all over and I often ask them about the schools in their area. I met a couple from San Antonio, Texas who was telling me about their school Our Lady of the Lake. They said, “Oh you ought to make this school your 500th school. It’s beautiful and San Antonio is a really special city.” And this is a coincidence, mind you, but the name of the school is Our Lady of the Lake and my last name is Lake. So I asked if they would consider changing the name of the school to Our Lady of the Steve Lake. I haven’t gotten a reply yet and I’m not optimistic [laughs].

When you go to these campuses, do you purchase a souvenir from the bookstore or take a picture of the school’s main sign to officially commemorate each visit?
I would say for the last 200 schools I take a picture in front of the sign and I do my best to get myself in front of the sign by asking someone who is passing by, “Would you mind taking a picture of me in front of the main school sign.” Also, I like to try to stop in the buildings and check out the bulletin boards and see what’s going on or pick up a student newspaper. I have a lot of T-shirts from schools and a lot of notebooks. But I don’t have 500 T-shirts. Probably the biggest prank I do, and I don’t know if you can really call it that, is go into an empty class room, pick up a piece of chalk and write something like “Steve Lake just visited the University of Delaware, his 350th school on July 19, 2007.” But I would say that’s the wildest thing I’ve done on a campus.   
Do you stay very long on each campus or does it vary depending on the school?
If the campus isn’t that interesting or there isn’t much to see, I might be there for about 20 minutes. Typically, I could be there for about two hours if it’s something really special and if I have a tour organized and if I have lunch. But my average visit is about 45 minutes to an hour.
So what have been some of your favorite campuses amongst your travels?
The University of Richmond is way up there, Colgate University in upstate New York and the University of Virginia. I like all of the Ivy League schools, but so many of the schools back east have a lot of charm and a lot of history.
Have you noticed that the culture of the campuses reflects the region of the country it’s located in?
I can’t tell you that I notice a big difference. I’m always in the situation where there’s young people looking for a good education and I can’t honestly say that I spend that much time on a campus or interact to a great degree with students. People have often asked me if I’m going to write a book about the experience, but I don’t really stop people and ask them about their school and what things they like and dislike. All I notice is that when I’m on campus I feel good about it and it feels like I never left school.
Do you ever get the chance to attend an athletic event when you’re on campus?
I attend sporting events if there is one going on while I’m at the campus. I’ll walk in on the event, but I won’t stay for that long. Last year, I went to the Boston College versus Army football game, which was a huge game. I happened to be there during the third quarter, so I just walked in and stayed maybe 20 minutes to be part of the home crowd and cheer for Boston College.
Have you had any odd or unusual experiences on these campuses during the course of your travels?
One interesting event that took place was in Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. The were doing a Civil War reenactment that weekend and people came from all different parts of the country and they basically dressed the way they did in Civil War times and cooked out and marched. As I was touring the campus I became part of the Civil War reenactment. They gave me some Civil War garb and the next thing I knew I was beating a drum and marching with some of the attendees.
You mentioned earlier that you started this hobby on your honeymoon. Does your wife get as much enjoyment out of these experiences as you do or is she just being a great support?
I’m going to answer both to that question. She enjoys going to the top-name schools that are really interesting architecturally and have a history behind them. But she supports me wholeheartedly. Some of the college trips I’ve taken have been on my own where she hasn’t gone. I keep up a really strong pace. In other words, I have visited as many as 12 schools in one day, which is my record.
Once you’ve reached the milestone of 500 are you going to stop and concentrate on another hobby?
For all intents and purposes, I’m going to say that I’m going to stop. Over the last five years I’ve taken trips strictly dedicated to visiting colleges. Now I won’t do that anymore. If my wife and I travel and there happens to be a university that I haven’t visited on the way, I’ll probably go visit it.
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