Columbus State University President

Terrific students make for terrific programs, events

2012-02-16T16:15:00.002-05:00

Special thanks go out to so many Columbus State University students who committed so much time, energy and effort to fighting cancer with a series of special events at our men's and women's basketball games this week. The players were adorned in pink, and the efforts of these students and funds raised will contribute wonderfully to cancer research. For our family, where my wife Lauren is a 20-plus year survivor, this is most important work. Thank you.

Both our men's and women's basketball teams will play in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, which will be held in our own Lumpkin Center arena. We are thrilled.

Last Sunday, Lauren and I, had the opportunity on our anniversary to hear our violin studio gala featuring the students from the studio of professor Sergiu Schwartz, the William B. and Sue Marie Tuner Distinguished Faculty Chair in Music. There are 18 students in the studio from the U.S. and seven other countries. What a concert! Immediately after, we went to Columbus' famed Liberty Theater to hear the Pershounin Project, the jazz quartet led by Schwob School of Music faculty Alex Pershounin and Paul Vaillancourt. It was a truly great evening.

Today, our Student Government Association learned their voices were heard as our 2012-2013 senior meal plan for residential students was modified to meet the needs and desires of students. A great shout out goes to SGA President Antonio Orsborn for his wonderful work.

From the Capitol to our campuses, what a week!

2012-02-05T15:34:00.003-05:00

Columbus State University will never be accused of demonstrating anything but an abundance of energy. The past week was one more exceptional example.

On Tuesday, a team of CSU students, faculty and staff descended on the state Capitol in Atlanta and hosted our first-ever CSU Day. With great support from our legislative delegation and wonderful friends of CSU like Pete Robinson, the day was a huge success. We left the campus at 5:30 a.m. and showcased an incredible array of programs, from our UTeach initiative and various graduate programs, to the Coca-Cola Space Science Center to Oxbow Meadows. Our exhibit areas were packed with visitors and our students were incredibly engaged all day. Special thanks go to John Lester in University Relations and Steve Morse and team in Logistics for all of their pre-visit work and set-up.

We had an exceptional program at Legacy Hall featuring our Woodruff Scholars in the Schwob School of Music and honoring our donors. This followed a great musicale delivered by select Woodruff Scholars hosted by Dr. Catalina Aranas and Mr. and Mrs. Akitoshi Kan.

Following an amazing weekend of watching men's and women's tennis, basketball and our Cougar baseball team, Lauren and I had the great fortune of seeing Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom presented at our CSU Riverside Theatre, as well as seeing senior violinist, Zubaida Azezi's recital. Also, I stopped by our Ilges Gallery for our new art exhibition, Soft Science, and managed to visit the Coca-Cola Space Science Center's Mission to Mars.

What a great, engaged campus, offering best-of-class academics and community programs and interaction. That's what wonderful universities are all about.

Faculty help produce crowd-pleasing HMS Pinafore

2012-01-17T14:07:00.002-05:00

My sincere congratulations go to Schwob School of Music professor Joseph Golden, artistic director, and Dr. Lawrence Dooley, stage director, of HMS Pinafore.

The performances played before sold-out audiences in RiverCenter over the weekend, and everyone in attendance truly enjoyed themselves. The 22-member chorus was wonderfully prepared by professor Constantina Tsolainou, and the cast was fantastic.

The show, a great reflection of the College of the Arts partnership between music and theatre, portends great things for our opera program in the future.

Wishing all a happy and healthy 2012!

2012-01-03T09:41:00.002-05:00

Lauren and I so enjoyed the time spent with so many international students and athletes at our home over the holiday period. Many often forget that a number of students are simply unable to travel over the break. This is the fourth consecutive year we have opened our home for these students and a number of faculty to help usher in the holiday season. How very special when a terrific student athlete and a world-class faculty member, both from Croatia have the opportunity to visit for the very first time! This is truly one of the great distinctions of global institutions

Great weekend closes semester

2011-12-12T11:20:00.002-05:00

We are in the midst of final exams, clearly a demanding time for all but one that also validates the hard work done by students over the past 15 weeks.

On Friday, we had our annual holiday celebration in two shifts! Thanks to great work by Laurie Jones, director of Human Resources, we had a huge afternoon event for faculty and staff at our Cunningham Center and than later a smaller but no-less-wonderful event for our many staff who work the evening shifts at the university. This is important recognition for very important people who many rarely see because of their work hours.

On Saturday, our men's basketball team posted a victory over the University of West Alabama, and two of our soccer players were named All-Americans, marking the first time ever that two student-athletes in soccer were honored the same year.

Later on Saturday, our Student Recreation Center hosted the annual holiday gathering for one of the Valley's great non-profits, Big Brothers,Big Sisters. We had the "bigs" and the "littles" on campus, and it was a great affair.

That evening, Lauren and I took the entire student delegation from the Beijing Institutue of Petroleum and Technology for dinner. They had a great semester and will be exceptional ambassadors for CSU in China.

We are looking forward to commencement on Friday the 16h and hosting Regents chair Ben Tarbutton and honoring our friend Mrs. Richard Hallock with an honorary degree.

From music to athletics to lectures, ours is a busy, busy campus

2011-12-01T09:49:00.004-05:00

Last night, Lauren and I had the great pleasure of enjoying a student chamber recital in Legacy Hall involving some 30-plus Schwob School of Music students performing nine different pieces.

From Beethoven to Brahms, Schubert to Dvorak, it was a great end-of-semester concert. My thanks go to professors Oberlander, Schwartz, Tomkiewicz, Pershounin, Kobrin and Jakovcic for coaching the various groups of students. Tonight is a wind orchestra concert. Last night, the men's basketball team beat the U of West Alabama for the first time and are 3-1.

Tomorrow, I will be visiting high schools in metro Atlanta with our enrollment management team, home basketball games resume, and we'll host an important presentation by Dr. Jane Nsubuga, a physician, originally from Uganda, who will present the "Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS: the Successes/Challenges of Current Treatment" and a global perspective on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including a Ugandan case example.

These days offer quite a reflection on the diverse array of quality programming at our university.

Week's events offer plenty of reasons to give thanks

2011-11-23T14:01:00.002-05:00

What a great week at Columbus State University. First, allow me to wish all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday. Special thanks to all of our troops serving around the globe during this holiday season. We can thank you and all veterans for the freedoms we enjoy.

Over the past week, I enjoyed an extraordinary concert in Legacy Hall presented by our Schwob School of Music Jazz Ensemble under the exceptional guidance of Dr. Alex Pershounin. The concert was truly spectacular, and the talent among our students is best-of-class. I then had the unique opportunity to attend an incredibly innovative performance comprised of music and art students at our Corn Center for the Visual Arts.

The audience was fully engaged and the program assembled by professor Kristen Hansen was most impressive. Three Sisters, the famed Anton Chekhov play, was performed by the students in our Theater Program in the Studio Theater. They were terrific, and the audience was again treated to great acting, costumes, set design and performance.

I attended a magnificent original short story reading by David Samuel Levinson, the 2012 Marguerite and Lamar Smith Writing Fellow, who has spent the fall semester living in the McCullers House on Stark Avenue. Levinson is a writer driven by passion and sentiment and experience. The reading was outstanding and one, I am certain, we will see in print.

Our campus Visitation Day was busy! Thanks as always to our Enrollment Management Team, CSU Cheer Team, all faculty who attended and the staff who work tirelessly to make the event run flawlessly. Saturday and Sunday , come help us cheer the CSU Lady Cougars basketball team at Lumpkin arena.

Inaugural, bike ride and Gusto!

2011-11-14T08:39:00.002-05:00

What an honor and a privilege it was for me to attend the 12th investiture ceremony for a University System of Georgia chancellor. Chancellor Hank Huckaby was formally installed in the State Capitol, and the ceremony, conducted by the governor and the speaker of the House, was truly exceptional. What an honor for Columbus State University that our Student Government Administration president, Antonio Orsborn, was in attendance. Also, of all the faculty in the USG, our own Curry Eminent Scholar Chair, Earl Coleman, was selected to represent the faculty in speaking at the investiture. His remarks were outstanding and a great day was had by all.

On Friday, my wife Lauren joined me as we biked from the RiverPark campus along the Fall Line Trace with students, faculty and staff to the recreation center on main campus. Thanks to a crack CSU Police escort, the ride was smooth and without incident, and all of those in attendance celebrated for the second year in a row this fantastic trail that gives a new meaning to personal transportation in Columbus. My thanks to the Student Affairs staff who ensured a fantastic evening.

Saturday night, our own Columbus State University Schwob School of Music hosted Gusto! an elegant evening of fare and flair at the RiverMill Event Centre. Co-Chairs Gail Greenblatt and Jackie Titus led a committee that produced a magical evening and the performances of our students were breathtaking. My thanks to all involved in every detail, from table decor to logistics. This set a new standard for CSU special events!

College of the Arts dean responds to student death

2011-11-02T16:35:00.004-04:00

As you may have read through an email and posting on the university's Facebook page, our campus is mourning the loss of theatre student Shea Barnett. Interim Dean of the College of Arts Richard Baxter offered his own words to members of that college today. They are touching, timely and thoughtful. With his permission, I'm posting his note here:

Dear College of the Arts Majors:

It is with great sadness that I share with you the tragic loss of Shea Barnett's family and our college family in Shea's death yesterday. On behalf of you, the faculty, and the staff of the College of the Arts, I want to express our condolences to the Barnett family.

The CSU Counseling Center has outstanding staff members who can assist you in coping with your grief for a lost peer or any anxieties you may be feeling as the semester continues and pressure in your classes mount. I would also remind you that your faculty members are dedicated professionals who care about your well-being and are committed to helping you with the challenges you may face.

I chose to come to CSU seven years ago because I was impressed by the genuine care faculty had for the students. My time here has only reinforced that perception as I have witnessed your faculty celebrate your success, through their laudatory remarks after your performances, and their expressions of empathy at your less successful efforts. They all have rich experiences in life and are a valuable resource available to you.

I personally can relate to your feelings at this challenging moment having tragically lost a fraternity brother when I was a senior in college. The death of a peer rattles our sense of security, it challenges our feelings of invincibility, and it heightens our anxieties about the ambiguity that is life.

Hopelessness is a state of mind; it is not a physical action. Like love and anger it can manifest itself in action, but in and of itself it is not an action. You must make a conscious effort to turn feelings into action. Sharing your feelings with family, friends, faculty or counselors can give you a broader perspective of what your feelings mean and how best to act upon them.

Do not lose sight of the fact that this is about Shea and the loss of her family and not solely about us the survivors. At the same time, commit yourself to create support networks among your peers, encourage each other, and remember your life is precious to all of us.

My door in the Dean's Office in One Arsenal is always open to your needs. My email is baxter_richard@ColumbusState.edu if you are ever alone and need to talk. I receive my emails on my phone, and I would rather be awakened by a call for help than the notice of another student tragedy.

May God watch over you,

Richard Baxter

Interim Dean, College of the Arts

CSU Again Rated Military Friendly University

2011-10-27T08:07:00.002-04:00

Thanks are due Mark Ridley, our military affairs representative, and his team for orchestrating this very important designation for the second year in a row. Our relationship with Fort Benning is so very important, and this national recognition emphasizes our ability to turn intent into action. Tonight, also for the second year in a row, our Cougar club football team goes head to head with the Fort Benning team at Doughboy Stadium. It should be another great event!

Several events, people contributed to Alumni Weekend success

2011-10-27T08:05:00.002-04:00

Thanks to to so many for a spectacular alumni weekend, our first truly comprehensive weekend devoted to alumni reunions, celebrations and visits. Jennifer Joyner and the rest of the alumni team led the celebrations while Lyn Riggsby-Gonzalez and a wonderful group from Student Affairs directed a great "Day of Service" for the community. From a reception at The Loft to a celebratory luncheon outside the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, campus tours, a great student jazz concert at RiverCenter directed by Dr. Alex Pershounin and a magnificent dance and dinner at the CSU Theatre and Woodruff Park. It was great to meet old and new friends and a wonderful reflection on our university.

Professor Andrew Zohn

2011-09-27T09:56:00.002-04:00

Professor Zohn enthralled a grateful audience at Legacy Hall last night with an incredible guitar program. For more than a decade, he has directed our guitar program and organized the annual Guitar Symposium. His own composition, Con Pulso, dedicated to Carlos Perez, our 2011 Amos Eminent Scholar, was truly exceptional.

What a weekend

2011-09-26T14:54:00.003-04:00

Kudos to our great Orientation and Student Affairs team for a wonderful Parents Weekend, as well as an early fall Open House. Great energy, programming and attendance. My thanks to all involved. The caricatures on Woodruff Park were a great hit, as was the spectacular weather.

Sunday afternoon, baritone student Byron Mayes rocked the Studio Theatre at RiverCenter with a wonderful concert. The program was great from Gagliano to Brahms to Hogan, and the audience was mesmerized by his passion and talent.

On Sunday night, our LegacyLive concert series brought P\professors (in alphabetical order!) Jason Eklund, Zoran Jakovcic, Lisa Oberlander, Alex Pershounin, Sergiu Schwartz, Wendy Warner and Ron Wirt together for an all-Beethoven concert. Legacy Hall was packed, and the concert was incredibly powerful. How fortunate we are to have this array of world-class talent on the faculty of the Schwob School of Music.

CSU Wind Orchestra

2011-09-23T16:51:00.002-04:00

What a night! Under the direction of conductor Dr. Jamie Nix, guest conductor\ Dr. Sean Powell and graduate conductor Josh Kearney, our Wind Orchestra mesmerized a great crowd at Legacy Hall. All the compositions played were written by composers who studied at either Eastman or Juilliard. The progression of one-half century of composition revealed some fascinating insights into the evolution of sound and musical style. Kudos to the Schwob Students who truly distinguished themselves last night.

Program Accreditation

2011-09-19T11:06:00.003-04:00

One of the key drivers in our strategic planning is achieving best-of-class status in our undergraduate and graduate program offerings.

For some programs, this includes a commitment to national or international accreditation. During the past few months, our colleagues in the Department of Chemistry (Drs. Floyd Jackson and Samuel Abegaz) and in the Department of Political Science (Dr. Kimberly Gill and Amber Dees) have worked tirelessly on their program submissions to the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).

These Herculean efforts pertaining to our exceptional chemistry program and our robust public administration program have been essential to the positioning of our university. While there are absolutely no guarantees of approval for initial or subsequent submissions, these efforts have served to galvanize and focus faculty and programs and have been incredibly impressive and rewarding to all involved.

Braves Game

2011-09-18T11:41:00.003-04:00

Kudos to Jennifer Joyner, director of Alumni Relations, for orchestrating a great day at Turner Field for 100-plus Columbus State University alumni and friends. The gathering at the wonderful 755 Club at Turner Field was terrific, and it was so very nice to catch up with friends and supporters at the game. The Braves helped as Chipper Jones had two of the three hits and knocked in the Braves' only run -- enough to clinch the victory. If anyone has great ideas for other Atlanta-area events, please let us know!

Thanks to a partner

2011-09-17T09:38:00.003-04:00

Dr. Tina Cross, with the Muscogee County School District, has, over the last three years secured more than $5.5 million in Department of Defense funding for profoundly important educational initiatives. Over $2.1 million of the funding has been directed to our Coca-Cola Space Science Center, our Center for the Quality of Teaching and Learning, our mathematics faculty, the Carson McCullers Center the Math Collaborative, Oxbow Meadows and the College of Education and Health Professions. This is truly how great community partnerships work!

A Proud Moment

2011-09-17T09:35:00.002-04:00

On September 11, 2011 the Columbus State University Wind Orchestra along with the Maneuver Center of Excellence Bank and the Columbus State University Singers mesmerized more than 1000 in attendance at RiverCenter's Bill Heard Theater with a stirring tribute to those who perished in the horrific attacks on our nation. Sponsored by AFLAC, this exceptional program included Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, Major General (ret.) Walter Wojdakowski, Colonel Walter Piatt Commandant of the Infantry, our own Dr. Tom Dolan and revered community leader Bunky Clark. Our Schwob School faculty and students were exceptional and the tribute was inspiring.

NSF grant to support STEM initiatives, complement UTeach

2011-08-29T11:59:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Mathematics Professor Tim Howard and team for securing a National Science Foundation Noyce Grant to support all of our many science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives. This is very important to CSU, parallels our UTeach grant and moves the entire institution forward!

Welcome back events well attended, appreciated

2011-08-29T11:58:00.002-04:00

Kudos to Dr. Kimberly Mullen, Collins Brown and the entire Orientation Team for a great opening two weeks of events. Chill with the President was a wonderful, on-campus frozen yogurt celebration. The Beach Bash at Callaway Gardens was fantastic. Both had terrific tunes and great attendance. Our O Team is first-class and the opening of the fall semester, supported wonderfully by Todd Myrick and the entire Residence Life organization, was outstanding.

Professors Earl Coleman, Robert Murray, Yien Wang Offer Grand Evening

2011-08-22T08:16:00.002-04:00

I attended Professor Earl Coleman's (The William and Isabelle Curry Eminent Faculty Chair in Voice) performance on Thursday, August 18 at Legacy Hall, and it was exceptional. Handel, Schumann and Ralph Vaughn Williams' works were reflected in the program, and The Trumpet Shall Sound benefited greatly from trumpet Professor Murray's participation. Yien Wang, our full-time collaborative pianist, was exceptional, and the evening was grand. Legacy Hall was packed with students, faculty and friends, and this was a wonderful kickoff program for the academic year.

Freshman Convocation gets students off to an insightful start

2011-08-22T08:12:00.002-04:00

Freshman Convocation was a wonderful, engaging event. Sunday afternoon brought together students, faculty, family and friends for an important kickoff for this academic year. CSU alumnus Alex Acton, former Student Government Association president and a graduate student at Georgia State, shared some incredibly insightful words with the students. Current SGA President Antonio Orsborn also spoke from the heart, and Dr. Tom Hackett led a stellar event. This was truly a wonderful day for our university.

Students get supplies, happy surprises with Walmart run

2011-08-16T09:40:00.002-04:00

Monday night at 10 p.m., Lauren and I were at Walmart with hundreds of CSU students, Dr. Kimberly McElveen, Collins Brown and our crack Orientation Team students as part of the welcome back celebration.

Students were lined up to jump into the "cash machine" to win one of scores of prizes, and Kimberly and Collins casually handed out gift cards to unsuspecting CSU students shopping for last-minute housing/personal items at Walmart. There were also lots of free food and sodas, a DJ and great spirit. We picked up some CSU gear and other essentials! A fun night for all.

Visit features alumnus guiding Army's budget at the Pentagon

2011-08-15T11:53:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday, Dr. Carmen Cavezza (retired lieutenant general, commander of Ft. Benning and currently special assistant to the CSU president and director of Cunningham Center for Leadership Development) and I visited Washington, D.C., and met with Maj. Gen. Phillip McGhee, comptroller of the U.S. Army and a 1979 alumnus of the Turner College of Business and Computer Science. Maj. Gen. McGhee oversees the entire budgeting process for the U.S. Army. The general is regularly at his desk at the Pentagon at 3:45 a.m. and is there until after 8:00 p.m. We know that the finances of the Army are in the best of hands! How proud we are to have a CSU alum in this position at this point in time.

Vibrant campus pulse beats as we greet fall semester

2011-08-11T10:00:00.003-04:00

This is a great and exciting week at our university. Opening meetings for faculty and staff, Move-In Day, great social events and activities, final class selection and more create a palpable pulse on campus. I was so very impressed with the breadth and depth of new faculty talent and with the willingness of faculty to expand core class availability to accommodate students. New computer labs at RiverPark campus are terrific and important. There's still lots of construction going on, possibly causing some inconvenience, but the promised results are a positive sign.

Residence Life has done wonderfully in managing "Cougar Inn," our fall partnership with the Holiday Inn, which is housing temporarily the overflow from our campus student apartments. These are all signs of growth and progress.

Several campus improvement projects under way this summer

2011-07-12T09:01:00.003-04:00

We typically undertake a variety of construction projects around campus during the summer so as to cause the least disruption as possible, and to also get the campus ready for a new fall semester.

This summer is no different, and there is a lot going on, funded by maintenance and renovation monies, stimulus grants or construction funds that cannot be used for personnel expenses. Here are some of the things we're doing:

Landscaping the entrance to Columbus State University from East Lindsay Drive, improving drainage and following the landscaping master plan to create larger usable green spaces on campus. This will be for athletic and student use.
Building two classrooms/computer labs in the Health and Wellness Center, replacing the volleyball court there. Outfitted with technology and computers, these should be finished by January.
Adding air-conditioning to Woodruff Gym. This should be finished by January.
Beginning a multi-year renovation in the lowest level of the library to house the archives and create more classrooms and usable library spaces.
Finishing the gating and fencing around our student apartment complexes to upgrade our security and create access control for student housing.
Constructing a press box at the softball field. This should be done by the end of September.
Using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) State Energy Program, upgrading lighting and reinforcing our commitment to sustainability and green initiatives with improved HVAC controls for a variety of buildings, better pathway lighting around campus and installing the campus' first solar panel for surplus power generation.
Renovating Clearview II to add labs and classrooms for the Department of Earth and Space Sciences.
Renovating the Cougar Food Court in Davidson Student Center to make room for Chick-fil-A to move in there by October. This is being done by Aramark in response to student requests for Chick-fil-A.
Columbus Water Works is building a new facility and outdoor animal area at CSU's Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center. Funded through the most-recent SPLOST, the facility will host a grand opening, featuring the new building, for the public on July 30. The center will also feature a renovation of its original building and a newly reopened treetop trail canopy walk.

I thank my colleagues for their patience in working around these projects as we strive to continually keep our campus in the best shape possible.

Thousands pack Civic Center for another extraordinary commencement

2011-05-13T13:33:00.001-04:00

Our 102nd commencement was extraordinary. Besides bestowing an honorary degree on retired Col. Hal Gibson, one of the nation's truly great band conductors and educators, who made an indelible impact on CSU, we heard sage insights and advice from Regent Kessel Stelling, president and CEO of Synovus.

The Columbus Civic Center was packed, and thousands celebrated Columbus State University graduates and faculty in a most fitting manner. How wonderful that our university offers a range of degree programs, associate's to doctoral degree, recognizing the needs of the region and providing points of entry for students coming from such varied backgrounds.

Col. Gibson, for some 17 years after his distinguished retirement from the U.S. Army, helped shape what is today our world-class Schwob School of Music. Joined by his wonderful wife, Marie, he was greeted by throngs in Columbus who have such a special appreciation for his legacy impact on our university. Regent Stelling, a long-term friend, now leads one of the nation's largest financial institutions, which has made an incredible impact on CSU and its five-state footprint. He delivered thoughtful and insightful messages to our graduates, who thanked him profusely as they crossed the stage at commencement.

We now, take a deep breath and prepare to launch Maymester, a variety of summer abroad experiences and undergraduate and graduate courses in dozens of discplines. This is the work of a committed university populated by devoted faculty intent on making a difference.

Columbus State's campus reflects diversity of activities, even on weekends

2011-04-21T11:35:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, our university hosted the statewide finals
competition for Odyssey of the Mind. This wonderful event attracts
hundreds and hundreds of students from elementary through high school
from around Georgia for a series of challenging and complex academic
events. At the same time, our Admissions office hosted another campus
Visitation Day, attracting scores of students and parents from
throughout Georgia and around the region. Layer three baseball games
onto this, plus a very busy Student Recreation Center, and it's just
another wonderful, active weekend at Columbus State.

Kaleidoscope concert demonstrates range, artistry of Schwob music students

2011-04-21T11:29:00.001-04:00

The Schwob School of Music's annual Kaleidoscope concert in RiverCenter's Bill Heard Theater was an incredible celebration of student success and faculty instruction. Virtually all Schwob students participated in this magnificent 80-minute concert that showcased the great range of talents among our students. From classical to contemporary, from violins to vocals to xylophones, the RiverCenter resonated with the exuberance of students supported by a committed faculty. Of special note is senior Emily Vold, an accomplished violinist who will be attending graduate school at Mannes, was named by the Board of Regents as the Outstanding Academic Graduate at CSU. Dr. Ron Wirt, interim director of the Schwob school, presented Emily with proclamations from both the Georgia House and Senate.

Tennis teams earn recognition; regional tournament next week

2011-04-21T11:19:00.002-04:00

Congratulations go to Coach Evan Isaacs and Assistant Coach Eva Petschnig on the great success of the CSU men's and women's tennis teams. Columbus State will host the NCAA regional tennis tournament next week. That's a true credit to the great seasons experienced by these student athletes.

Tower Day puts student research, creativity in spotlight

2011-04-21T11:17:00.002-04:00

Tower Day at Columbus State University on April 12 was truly an extraordinary event.

The annual showcase of undergraduate research and creative endeavors is the cornerstone of our Academic Week of Excellence. Students from across the disciplines present their scholarly activities and, in doing so, inspire others. Tower Day is sponsored by the CSU Honors Program.

I attended the opening colloquium kicked off by Provost Tom Hackett and Dr. Cindy Henning, Honors Program director. I had the pleasure of hearing presentations by Dr. Stephanie DaSilva in psychology, on engaging undergraduates in research, and by 2003 biology graduate Mary Hill Johnson, now the assistant director of the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, who provided an alumni perspective on undergraduate research.

Our Schuster Student Success Center and Davidson Student Center were filled with research presentations and exhibits. Every student project enjoyed the support of a faculty sponsor, and this truly reflects the power of undergraduate research in engaging faculty and students. Later in the week, student exhibits celebrating writing were presented in the multipurpose room of the new Student Recreation Center. These projects focused on intensive writing, also supported by faculty, and were equally impressive. What a great experience it is for students to commit to a semester or, in some cases, a year of research that results in truly exceptional presentations.

Greek Week activities are a tribute to growing presence

2011-04-07T14:00:00.006-04:00

Congrats to our director of Greek Life, Tinsley Hembree, for orchestrating another exceptional Greek Week of activities for our growing fraternities and sororities. Lauren and I had the opportunity to watch the always competitive chariot races. Great engineering, design and effort! Greek Life is but one of many important co-curricular options available at our multifaceted university.

Homecoming combined visitors, sports action and more

2011-02-28T00:43:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Homecoming 2011 weekend at Columbus State!

Saturday was an exceptional day at our university. The mathematics faculty, led this year by Dr. Brian Muse, orchestrated a wonderful mathematics competition for high school students from throughout the region. By 9 a.m., hundreds of anxious students and faculty coaches had gathered in venerable Stanley Hall for a grueling day of competition. Mathematics professors were everywhere in support of this long-term event, and Dean David Lanoue greeted the students with sage words of advice!

CSU's commitment to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) areas is unwavering, and I personally encouraged all of these students to look to CSU for our rigorous and demanding alternatives in these fields.

At 10 a.m., Kristin Williams and her great team of admissions recruiters helped shepherd hundreds of high school students and their friends and families for a our first-ever Visitation Day in the new Student Recreation Center. Our "takeaway" is that the rec center is too small to host the event but perfect for event registration. We learn every time! The weather was great, and students spent the better part of a day on our main and RiverPark campuses exploring their many options.

Cougar athletics were in full force this weekend with basketball, baseball, softball and tennis. At RiverPark, professor Andrew Zohn hosted the Schwob School of Music's 12th annual Guitar Symposium. Students and visitors attending his own concert Saturday night with the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo greeted Zohn with thunderous applause at Legacy Hall.

Carson McCullers would have enjoyed her birthday celebration

2011-02-21T13:04:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday, February 17, 2011 was a banner day for CSU. That evening, our Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians launched an extraordinary, interdisciplinary conference and 94th birthday celebration for Carson McCullers. Scholars gathered from around the world for dialogue, discussion and debate about this great writer and native of Columbus. Our colleague, professor Cathy Fussell, director of the center, hosted a grand welcome reception at The Rankin, and then opening ceremonies were held at the Springer Opera House. How fascinating that the conference began with a recording of Carson, made in 1958, the year CSU was founded. The event ran all weekend, culminating in a 94th birthday party, "Supper at the Sad Cafe (On A Good Night)," in Carson's honor, featuring foods referenced in McCullers' work. Thanks go to the Columbus Cultural Arts Alliance, Midtown, Inc. and the Southern Literary Trail along with CSU for the wonderful support of an exceptional program.

Weekend celebrates diversity, athletics and world-class faculty

2011-02-21T12:04:00.000-05:00

What a weekend! Last night, I had the extraordinary opportunity to attend a unique concert performed by a number of our faculty in the Schwob School of Music: professors Michelle Debruyn, Zoran Jakovcic Alex Kobrin, Alex Pershounin, Sergiu Schwartz and Wendy Warner.

Legacy Hall was near capacity, and the students, faculty, staff and community supporters in the audience were enthralled. These are world-class faculty who have helped build a truly exceptional learning environment for our students. They selflessly practice and perform as enthusiastically for our community as they do for global audiences. What a treat!

I traveled to Milledgeville and, unfortunately, watched our men's and women's basketball teams lose heartbreakers on Saturday. Athletically, I thought the weekend was salvaged by great performances by our undefeated Cougar women's tennis team, and great victories in softball and baseball as well. Spring sports are in full swing, and I am thrilled to see the enormous levels of participation in intramural and club sports enhanced by our new Student Recreation Center.

Bernice King, youngest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., spoke at our Inaugural Legacy Celebration Banquet on Friday night. She captivated the hundreds in attendance for almost an hour, helping CSU celebrate diversity and inclusiveness in a wonderful manner in the recreation center's multipurpose room.

Theatre, science, softball, tennis all part of busy weekend

2011-02-14T15:06:00.001-05:00

What a weekend on the Columbus State University campuses! At our downtown, waterfront RiverPark Campus, 3,500 raucous (but focused) high school students participated in the Georgia Thespian Conference. Opening ceremonies at the RiverCenter's Bill Heard Theatre were followed by competition, tryouts and performances at CSU's Theatre on the Park, Springer Opera House and other stunning venues. The sunny weather was great this year (compared to great snow in 2010), and a great time was had by all. We hope we can continue to host this grand event for many years to come. The Science Olympiad was on main campus, directed by Dr. Bill Frazier and a score of our great faculty and students, supported by Jill Carroll. The middle school participants, their coach-teachers and parents were incredibly engaged and challenged. This is a stellar opportunity for these young people to visit Columbus State and interact with our exceptional faculty and students. A softball tournament, NCAA tennis matches and more also contributed to the exceptionally busy, engaging weekend at CSU. I offer special thanks to Steve Morse and our crack logistics team, as well as Chief Rus Drew and other University Police, for their exceptional handling of all these great activities.

Schwob School of Music faculty give virtuoso performances

2011-02-08T10:39:00.006-05:00

Some say the week was all about the Packers and the Steelers. I say, at Columbus State University, the week is about Schwartz and Kobrin. These are two of our many faculty MVP's! Last night, Lauren and I had the distinct honor and privilege of attending a Schwob School of Music concert featuring these two virtuosos: Professor Schwartz, the violinist, the William B. and Sue Marie Turner Distinguished Chair in Music, and Professor Kobrin, the pianist, the L. Rexford Whiddon Distinguished Chair in Piano. An enthralled crowd at Legacy Hall heard a magnificent program including Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Strauss. Le Soleil calls Professor Schwartz one of the best violinists of his generation, and Professor Kobrin is a winner of several international piano competitions, including the Van Cliburn. The music was magical and to have these great faculty teaching our exceptional students is truly what a connected, engaged university is all about.

Astronaut talks, musical laptops highlight exceptional weekend

2011-01-31T10:16:00.002-05:00

The momentum built at our very own Coca-Cola Space Science Center (CCSSC) is extraordinary. In memory of the 25th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy, Director Dr. Shawn Cruzen invited former astronaut Col. Al Worden to our campus. Speaking to a variety of groups, including more than 350 Muscogee County School District children, Col. Worden reinforced the enormous value of space exploration and our space program to innovation, creativity, communications, medicine and more. Kudos to the entire CCSSC team for an extraordinary series of events. At the Schwob School of Music, while dozens of students and faculty were away participating in the Georgia Music Educators Conference in Savannah, professor Matt McCabe hosted the Latop Orchestra of Louisiana -- nine extraordinary musicians whose primary performance instruments are Apple MacBook Pros, supported by iPads, joysticks and a host of other unique technologies. The performance in our Studio Theater at RiverCenter was exceptional. These programs enhanced a special visiting lecture in the Department of Art, a hyper-busy new Student Recreation Center and Clear Channel broadcasts of Cougar basketball on the FM dial made to create another exceptional weekend at Columbus State.

Recreation center dedication represents historic milestone for university

2011-01-26T09:48:00.001-05:00

In 18 very short months, Columbus State University has enjoyed a construction renaissance that will forever change student, faculty and staff recreational opportunities.

The recent opening of the 106,000-square foot Student Recreation Center represents a milestone for our campus, reinforcing our commitment to live, work and play on one of the most student- and faculty-engaged campuses one will find.

Student Government President Joshua Burston rightfully acknowledged the work of the two SGA presidents who preceded him, Alex Acton and David Owen (both currently enrolled in graduate programs), as well as the students who voted for and who have supported this effort since day one. Offering everything from racquetball to rock climbing, sauna to swimming, basketball to zumba, jogging, fitness, roller hockey and more, this is a campus culture-changing construction project that represents a true destination for our students. It also features lots of study space, wireless network access, and a huge multi-purpose room for concerts, dinners and more. This is a truly terrific facility.

Our thanks go to the Student Affairs leadership team, including Drs. Gina Sheeks, Darryl Holloman and Campus Recreation Director Rick Cravens, as well as our construction oversight team of Eddie Woodhouse and Mike Medlock, for their collective diligence.

We were graced at the dedication by the presence of 10 CSU Foundation trustees, including chair Sherry Wade. Regent Kessel Stelling, state Reps. Reps. Debbie Buckner and Calvin Smyre and hundreds of students, faculty, staff and alumni also helped make the dedication a great milestone event for a great university.

Cookout helps international students enjoy holidays far from home

2010-12-27T11:33:00.001-05:00

On Dec. 22, Lauren and I had the opportunity to host a casual cookout at our home for 25-plus international students attending Columbus State University.

As these students are unable to travel home for the holidays, this event has become an annual celebration at our home. From Serbia to Brazil, China to Jamaica and Poland to Vietnam, these students brought a fantastic energy to our home, and it was truly a pleasure to visit with them all.

A brother and sister pair from China brought their mom, who was making her first-ever visit to the U.S. Tennis coach Evan Isaacs, cheer coach Jimbo Davis and Adam and Alysia Johnson, from CSU's Center for International Education and Center for Career Development, respectively, provided invaluable assistance and support. (The coaches cooked!)

What a treat it was to visit with these great students in a casual setting and for them to know there is always a "home away from home" with us. This is what the CSU family is truly all about.

Columbus State performs well in national cross country arena

2010-12-04T23:05:00.001-05:00

Imagine, if you will: 33 degrees, overcast, 2 to 3 inches of snow on the ground and hundreds of student athletes gathered for the NCAA Division II National Championships at Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky. This morning, I had the greatest of pleasures in watch our men's cross country team compete in the Division 2 championships and then to watch Naomi Tanui compete in the women's championship. While the team improved in the standings from last year, finishing 18th in the nation, senior Meschack Koyiaki finished No. 2 in the nation in an incredibly exciting finish on a very challenging 10-kilometer course. Coach J.D. Evilisizer, a truly exceptional mentor and guide and a terrific instructor of mathematics, brought the team again to the national championships and some incredibly inclement weather. Members of the men's and women's teams who were not competing cheered their mates, wearing red and blue paint, and themselves tracked their colleagues over most of the course. I was so very proud of these exceptional student-athletes competing just before final exams and reflecting so positively on the strength and value of DII athletics. It's a terrific group of Cougars who, like so many others, continue to distinguish themselves in so many ways. Later in the day, I drove across town to join a group of CSU faculty colleagues at the annual meeting of our primary accrediting body, the SACS Commission on Colleges.

Holiday socials offer a chance to thank hard-working employees

2010-12-02T15:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we had two wonderful campus holiday celebrations for faculty and staff. The first, from 2-4 p.m. in the Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center, was a packed house of colleagues enjoying the season and festivities. The second, at 10 p.m., also at the Elizabeth Bradley Turner Center, included more than 100 of our colleagues, many of whom we rarely if ever see. These colleagues work the evening and-or overnight shifts on campus or at RiverPark. When most of us arrive at CSU in the morning, and the buildings are spotless and secure, it is with great thanks to these associates. Many came to last night's party bundled for blasts of winter air. It was a chance for members of our leadership team -- such as Tom Helton, Eddie Woodhouse, Mike Medlock, Steve Morse and Laurie Jones -- to thank them for a job very well done. My wife Lauren and I were so very honored to spend time with them and express our thanks for the great and positive impact they have on CSU.

Basketball, jazz offer holiday excitement from campus to campus

2010-11-30T13:47:00.002-05:00

Last night, I left the Lumpkin Center excitement and energy created by our women's and men's basketball teams (the women remain undefeated!) to immerse myself in the energy and excitement at our Studio Theater at RiverCenter, created by our CSU Jazz Ensembles. Kudos to the exceptional leadership provided by Dr. Alex Pershounin, director of jazz studies, with exceptional support from Drs. Paul Vaillancourt (director of percussion acitivities) and Dr. Amy Griffiths, a stellar saxophone professor. The concert performed by 17 Schwob School of Music students was magical. Professor Pershounin shared his wonderful depth of jazz knowledge with the great audience, and the saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm sections were on fire. In preparing all for the holiday season ... everyone left "in the mood!"

Connect with Columbus State ... if you can keep up!

2010-11-11T11:27:00.001-05:00

What a week! I joined six busloads of CSU students, staff and faculty on a short ride to the new Auburn Arena to watch the preseason debut of Coach Robert Moore and the Cougar men's basketball team. Our student-athletes were terrific and won the cliffhanger, 54-52. The women too won their preseason opener against LaGrange, and Coach Jonathan Norton and team are poised for the season. Let's hope our great CSU community continues to support our men's and women's teams this winter.

At the Fall Festival, hosted by the Peach Belt Conference, our women's soccer team and men's and women's cross country teams both captured Peach Belt championship honors. We will host the NCAA Regional Soccer Tournament this Sunday at our stunning Walden Soccer Complex.

I had the great pleasure of attending our Tuba/Euphonium Studio Concert at Legacy Hall. What a treat. I also saw great new plans unveiled for our Coca-Cola Space Science Center as we make room for space shuttle equipment secured by the center's director, Dr. Shawn Cruzen. I attended a great lecture by Dr. Jonathan Schwabe, from the University of Northern Iowa, who presented great insights on his musical score from one of Carson McCullers' works. Today, a group of faculty across the university will participate in a colloquium on religious diversity moderated by Dr. Ron King of the Pastoral Institute. Tonight is the concert debut at CSU of our new Whiddon Piano Chair Professor Alex Kobrin. At great universities, the pace never slows. Engage, connect with CSU.

Columbus State's support of Fort Benning reflected in Doughboy Stadium game

2010-11-01T09:27:00.008-04:00

Thursday, October 28 was one more fantastic day at Columbus State University. That evening, our Cougar Club Football Team competed in an incredible game vs. the 3rd Infantry Division Team at Fort Benning's historic Doughboy Stadium. (While in the Army, Dwight Eisenhower coached a team at Doughboy, built in 1925.) The Army team tried out while on active duty in Iraq and, for the first time since 1983, competed in this fantastic, renovated venue. Thousands packed the stadium while thousands of others enjoyed food, festivities and fun outside the stadium. The game, broadcast over the Armed Forces Network reinforced the exceptional partnership between Columbus State University and Fort Benning. Our team coached by Bruce Hubbard (who played valiantly, as well, as a starting defensive end!) looked terrific and, although bested 29-13, kept the contest close until the very end. Special thanks to Phi Mu sorority for a great turnout and section and, as always, to our mascot, Cody, who never misses any events. All food provided by vendors was gratis, including the 10,000 pizzas, 10,000 hot dogs and tens of thousands of soft drinks distributed. Special thanks also go to our Annual Fund chair, John Hargrove, who orchestrated the event, and to Major General Mike Ferriter and Colonel Pete Jones for their enthusiastic support. Hopefully, this will become an annual event.

Campus talent impressive in concert, with visitors; come see game Thursday

2010-10-26T09:35:00.005-04:00

Monday brought a wonderful first-time experience. I attended a Bass Ensemble Concert conducted by Dr. Alex Pershounin. The music performed by this ensemble of five of our exceptional CSU Schwob School of Music students ranged from classical (Handel, Mozart, Brahms and Bizet) to funk (Pershounin). It was an amazing display of exceptional talent. One of the students, Jack Meisburg, just received word that he has been selected to perform for the LaGrange Symphony. The Schwob School of Music level of talent is extraordinary, and its concerts are so very impressive. My thanks to our Enrollment Management team and all other participants, faculty, staff and students for a great Parents Weekend this past weekend, as well as our earliest-ever Visitation Day on Saturday. We had exceptional weather and a great tour of the Student Recreation Center. This was a wonderful team effort. Finally, our club football team plays a team from the U.S. Army's 3rd Brigade at Doughboy Stadium on Thursday. This gives us great connectivity to the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning and offers a great platform for our student-athletes to compete.

Fall highlights include concerts, soccer, lectures, art and more!

2010-10-21T12:28:00.010-04:00

The last few weeks have represented a whirlwind of activities that are clearly reflective of a busy, engaged university.

I had the great pleasure of attending two exceptional concerts at our world-class Legacy Hall in the RiverCenter. Professor Paul Hostetter, our new Foley Distinguished Chair of Orchestral Activities, led an incredibly spirited performance by our CSU Philharmonic Orchestra. This grand evening was followed by an exceptional concert led by Dr. Jamie Nix, the new Director of Wind Ensemble Activities. This too was a wonderful evening.

Other recent events: I rode with our women’s soccer team to Savannah as they continued their stellar season. Jim Morpeth, a truly classic entrepreneur and founder of Country’s Barbecue, spoke to a packed house in Davidson Auditorium in a program sponsored by the Turner College of Business and Computer Science. Colonel (ret.) Conrad Crane, a Distinguished Professor at the Army War College, delivered our fall Hallock Lecture. Our Center for International Education organized a campus event featuring a wonderful range of study abroad options, staffed by faculty, students and staff who all encouraged our students to GO! A terrific exhibit has opened at our Ilges Gallery, an Exhibition of Drawings from the Kentler Flatfiles, and the opening night had a terrific turnout.

Looking ahead: This weekend is our first-ever fall Parents Weekend, and we look forward to hosting both prospective students and families of current students on our campus. In all, a great run for a great U.

Day of Service demonstrates spirit of Columbus State

2010-09-27T14:42:00.004-04:00

This weekend was truly what keeps all of us inspired, committed and amazed at the service focus of Columbus State University students, faculty and staff. For our second annual Day of Service, we again partnered with United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, which is one of the nation's top 100 such organizations among 1,200 in the U.S. Well before 9 a.m., hundreds of students, faculty and staff gathered and began to load buses, ably driven by our transportation team, and we fanned out to a dozen different United Way projects on both sides of the Chattahoochee River. My wife, Lauren, and I joined a great group at the Russell County Child Advocacy Center, where we went to work. Around 12:30, we gathered back at the CSU intramural complex for a cookout and thank you. We have a giving university community, in both treasure and talent, and this was a fantastic event coordinated by CSU's Center for Career Development.

Columbus State bike ride inaugurates `rails-to-trails' project

2010-08-26T15:57:00.005-04:00

Tuesday evening, August 24, offered a chance for spectacular reflection on the connectivity across groups on the Columbus State University campus. At 6 p.m., about 100 students, faculty and staff gathered at our Woodruff Park on the RiverPark campus, participated in bicycle safety training and, behind a City of Columbus police escort, rode the 6-plus miles to main campus. This was the inaugural CSU ride on the new fault line trail, a "rails-to-trails" project that connects our Uptown Columbus campus with the main campus. Ride On Bikes was so kind to loan bikes and helmets to all who needed them, and we took a leisurely ride behind flashing blue police lights on this beautiful trail. Once on campus, we were met by thousands of students and faculty and staff who joined us in a campus cookout, music and games. Dr. Kimberly Mullen and Mr. Steve Morse, both great colleagues, receive kudos for their exceptional logistical and support work for this evening. My wife, Lauren, and I had a great time, meeting new students and are so very grateful to community leadership to have constructed over 20 miles of paved bike trails (more to come) throughout our community.

More reasons to be proud of the students, staff and faculty at Columbus State

2010-07-16T17:25:00.002-04:00

Heard some great news in the past week about members of the Columbus State University family. These are just a few examples of why I continue to be inspired here.

First, communications major Hayley Henderson was notified that she is one of only seven young women in the state to receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Georgia Woman of the Year Inc. Scholarship Committee. Hayley is a member of Student Government Association and a very active member of our campus. She is just the latest example of the quality that we see in so many of our students every day.

Secondly, it was exciting to hear that Columbus State University's College of Education & Health Professions streaming television channel, COEHP.TV on the web was featured on Apple's iTunes Podcast site. Thousands of viewers saw a training series Dr. Mike Baltimore did about the iPad when it was featured on iTunes in the "New and Noteworthy" section for podcasts. Viewers from around the world visit this site every day to download video and other content for viewing. CSU's iPad Training series features six video training episodes for the new user entitled: iPad Fundamentals

Lastly, I would like to congratulate Brett Muller, director of Cougar Dining Services at Columbus State University. He was recently named outstanding manager of Aramark's Southern Region. Brett oversees all the outstanding dining options we now have on this campus. Their latest project is the Burger Studio, coming this fall in the Davidson Student Center. It will be next to Popeye's, on the other side of the cafeteria from the new bookstore (which looks fantastic, by the way!)

Tim

Whitewater and rock-climbing will soon be options for our students!

2010-07-10T13:48:00.001-04:00

Columbus State University is so very proud to play a key partnership role in the ongoing transformation of Uptown Columbus along and near the riverfront. The latest announcement by a team led by businessman John Turner and Mayors Jim Wetherington
( Columbus) and Sonny Coulter (Phenix City) precedes the summer 2010 construction/engineering on the Chattahoochee River that will create 2.5 miles of whitewater. The whitewater course will begin around 35th street and end near 11th street and will be the southernmost whitewater course in the eastern U.S. The "ready2raft 2012" project will attract whitewater kayaking, canoeing, rafting and freshwater surfers to Uptown Columbus on the shores of CSU's RiverPark Campus. Whitewater venues in Ocoee, TN, Charlotte, NC and Reno, NV attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. This incredibly exciting enhancement of the river coupled with completion of our new 103,000 sq.ft. Student Recreation Center which brings world-class rock climbing and bouldering to campus creates a great combination of extreme sports options for all.

Columbus State had a part in Extreme Home Makeover

2010-05-17T17:30:00.003-04:00

Sunday night, May 16, epitomized the Columbus State University core value of Servant Leadership on the season finale of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which featured the Williams’ family of four in Pine Mountain Valley, Ga. The home makeover benefited Jeremy Williams, his wife Jennifer (a 1995 CSU alum), their 6-year-old son Jacob, and daughter Josie, 8. During the show, the wonderful, caring parents, Jeremy and Jennifer, were moving in their perspectives on life, sports and family and their gratitude to the greater Valley community for their new home. Hundreds of CSU students, faculty and staff were engaged in this project, from serving food to workers to cleaning out the locker-room at Jeremy's high school (see picture) to helping load in the family's new furniture. The show Sunday night brought national attention to the family and highlighted Columbus State University’s legacy commitment to serve. Volunteers worked tirelessly on the build and last night’s episode revealed that the CSU Foundation committed 4-year scholarships to the Williams’ children, should they elect to attend our university. The parents were moved and the nation sat riveted to their TV's. For the CSU community, this was service as usual and one more great reflection of a higher level commitment to community. I was so very proud.

Organizers pull off flawless 100th graduation ceremony

2010-05-11T11:30:00.003-04:00

Our 100th commencement was extraordinary last night. It is difficult to realize the amount of time, energy and effort expended in creating a flawless evening for all. Dr. Tina Butcher and an exceptional team orchestrated a magical night that included thousands and thousands of family and friends celebrating the academic accomplishments of so very many. Recognizing the long-term generosity of Sally Foley and family and the great Capitol Hill advocacy of Congressman Bishop contributed to the special evening. Except for the fact that all of our graduates will have to return to the Lumpkin Center to pet the cougar, I would change not a thing. The greatness of Columbus State is our ability to serve such a diverse student population in baccalaureate and graduate programs, days and nights, weekdays and weekends. This, coupled with extraordinary faculty delivering exceptional courses, supported by a gracious community, spells greatness. The Chairman of our Trustees, Jimmy Yancey, represented this august group, and last night was the 40th anniversary of the graduation of Trustee Lamar Powers. All-in-all, a truly wonderful evening.

Some incredible accomplishments

2010-02-15T13:25:00.002-05:00

The wonderful thing about our university is the fact that there is so much progress, success and accomplishment. Kudos to our University Information Technology Team (UITS) and CIO Abraham George for their exceptional leadership in tough budget times. We are making great progress with Strategic Goal #5, referencing best-of-class technology platform. Recently, our UITS colleague Bob Dively was quoted in a University Business article about the development of our Google Mobile Apps. This articles now one of the "top 5 must reads in the higher ed blogosphere ..." http://universitybusiness.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1515 Over the weekend I watched our baseball team sweep St. Leo in a double header, our men's and women's tennis teams beat Tuskeegee, and read about our Rifle Team win the Regional Sectional at The Citadel, in their first season of competition. Sunday afternoon I watched the 12 students in Professor Earle Coleman's studio (Professor Coleman is the William and Isabelle Curry Eminent Scholar Chair in Voice in the Schwob School of Music) perform their Studio Recital. From Brahms to Berstein, Franz Schubert to Richard Rogers the students were magnnificent. Truth be known, this is all reflective of a great, engaged university.

Chemistry major's work pays off with graduate school admission

2010-02-10T13:54:00.004-05:00

Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting one of our more engaged students, Ryan Josefsberg. Ryan was a junior majoring in chemistry and president of the Campus Nerds student organization. His leadership skills were evident, and the geometric growth of Nerdacon at Columbus State University has been impressive. I asked Ryan about his academic plans, and he indicated his interest in chemistry research. I suggested he might want to speak with my friend Dr. Paul Neitzel, head of chemical engineering at Georgia Tech. They did. Ryan was very shortly thereafter admitted into the chemistry and biochemistry ten-week research program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. His experiences were extraordinary, only slightly enhanced by the $5,000 in financial support received for his research. Yesterday, I received a note from Ryan indicating he has been admitted into graduate school at Georgia Tech, where he will study inorganic and biochemistry. What was more compelling was, after alerting his parents, his next stop was to see Dr. Floyd Jackson, chair of chemistry and a true mentor to Ryan. Congratulations to Ryan and the faculty for a truly wonderful odyssey.

A Great Global Program

2010-02-05T11:05:00.002-05:00

This week, Columbus State University reiterated our commitment to global education and civil discourse by hosting a unique study-abroad opportunity and evening panel presentation. A team from Israel's renowned Arava Institute, affiliated with Ben Gurion University was joined by Columbus State University Environmental Science Professor Dr. Troy Keller and former CEO of the Columbus Water Works and honorary doctorate holder Billy Turner for a fascinating discussion on "Trans-Boundary Water Issues". The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) is the premier environmental education and research program in the Middle East, preparing future Arab and Jewish leaders to cooperatively solve the region's environmental challenges. Hosting this in Columbus provided a unique parallel to the water issues between Georgia, Florida and Alabama in the U.S. and between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians in the Middle East. A Palestinian civil engineer was joined by her colleague, an Israeli scientist, both alumni of Arava. Additionally, David Weisberg, Executive Director of Friends of Arava participated. The discussion was lively and engaging. It involved global socio-political-economic issues and while opinions varied, the consensus belief was that solutions must involve all parties. Attendance was terrific and questions from the audience were probing. This is truly reflective of a supportive and challenging university environment.

Columbus State University & Haitian Relief

2010-01-30T10:38:00.003-05:00

Last night I had the great pleasure of participating in a campus program led by Natasha Arora and the Columbus State University Honors Program, under the direction of Dr. Cindy Henning. Held in our new Schuster Student Success Center the gathering of students, faculty, staff and community members focused on the January 12 tragedy and devastation of the Haitian earthquake and the Columbus State University response. Joined by Professors Studstill and Wakoko along with Mitzi Oxford from West Central Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross, our students have mobilized an extensive amount of fund raising efforts to support the millions suffering in Haiti. I am so very moved and proud of our students and their passion to help. One of Columbus State University's core values is Servant Leadership and the efforts led by and implemented by our students endorse this value. These are the moments that are so very gratifying and give great confidence in future leadership.

A Belated Review of the Holiday

2010-01-23T09:08:00.002-05:00

For so very many students at most university's the holidays represent an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate in preparation for the next semester's challenges. At Columbus State University, like many of our peer institutions, there are a number of international students for whom travel abroad is simply not economically feasible. Likewise we have a number of student/athletes at the university from around the world who must continue to train over the holiday period. So the Mescons decided to host a cookout for a collection of international students and faculty at our home to introduce many of these students to their peers as well as to assure them there exists at Columbus State University an ongoing support mechanism as their "home, away from from". A number of students from our Schwob School of Music and throughout the university attended. From Venezuela to Bulgaria, Japan to England, Israel to the Netherlands, this was a terrific and engaging event that in a casual, interactive session allowed for students, faculty and friends to enjoy one another's company and to gain even greater insights into each other's very many opportunities and select challenges. Our favorite moment of the day was when an incredibly talented music student from the Schwob School and an equally talented tennis player enrolled in the Turner College of Business sequestered themselves in a corner of the living room and engaged in a spirited and ongoing dialogue in Bulgarian. They had not met previously and while one hailed from Bulgaria, the other did not, yet they found great common ground through a common language and set of student experiences that allowed them to become fast friends and colleagues. This is a hallmark of a great, global university. The confluence of cultures and the ability of the university to create a common forum, platform for discussion is so very fundamental to college life. The day was a great success and the connectivity among our students was magical. It really gets no better than this.

A Letter to the Campus Community

2010-01-05T14:05:00.000-05:00

Dear Columbus State University Colleagues, We are just in the first six months of the work on the implementation of our strategic plan in which we articulated our vision: "Columbus State University provides world-class education and assures student success through creative inquiry and community, regional, and global partnerships." Our mission is to "achieve academic excellence through teaching, research, creative inquiry and student engagement." To support our vision and mission, it is necessary to articulate the roles and expectations of faculty and staff in an engaged university aspiring to academic excellence. This year, the Columbus State University Foundation invested in a relationship with a Washington, D.C.-based firm, McAllister & Quinn that supports our efforts in seeking external support through grants, contracts and earmarks. We are proud to announce that this week, President Obama approved with his signature funding of $1.6 million to fund the TSYS School of Computer Science in conjunction with the University System of Florida's Institute for Human and Machine Cognition to support Cognitive Map-Based Modeling and Simulation. Additionally, Columbus State University will receive $150,000 to support laboratory equipment in the STEM areas. We want to personally thank colleagues Dr. Wayne Summers and Dr. Floyd Jackson for their tireless efforts in Columbus and on Capitol Hill leading to these grants. We also owe a great deal of thanks to Representative Sanford Bishop and his staff, who remain exceptional advocates for our university. In his recent communication to provosts of AASCU (American Association of State Colleges and Universities) institutions, George Mehaffy underlined a number of issues, including continual budgetary tightness, rising enrollments in the for-profit educational institutions, and the increasing emphasis of community colleges on offering four-year degrees, that will affect AASCU institutions. These clearly are important issues that have direct impact on our university. With a trend of community colleges being more involved in offering four-year degrees, one has to ask: "What is the crucial difference between getting a university four year degree and a community college four year degree?" For if we cannot articulate the difference but for the name, the bit of edge that the word "university" gives us will evaporate soon as community colleges offer a lower cost option. Why would a student choose Columbus State University over a for-profit? Here is what we would say to a potential student and a parent evaluating different options of a community college or a for-profit online versus Columbus State University: At Columbus State University, the instruction in your major will be provided by individuals with a deep and current involvement in the discipline. The caliber of your instructors is reflected in the fact that they are continually engaged in expanding the boundaries of knowledge by publishing peer reviewed journal articles in their disciplines, sharing their work with their colleagues regionally, nationally and internationally, and providing leadership in their professional organizations. Not only will you have an opportunity to attend classes taught by these individuals, but you will be able to interact with them on a regular basis through mentoring experiences outside the classroom. You will be able to work on independent research, scholarly or creative projects, and you will be mentored one-on-one by these faculty. You will be able to work directly with an individual whose name appears in world-class journals as a recent contributor. Your professor's name will also be the name of an artist whose latest exhibitions received rave reviews, or whose performances received critical acclaim. You will be able to apply for our Columbus State University undergraduate research and scholarship grants to support your work and explore a number of study abroad opportunities, including our own Spencer House in Oxford, England. It is through your ability to work with these high-caliber individuals that you, as a student, will be able grow intellectually and reach the most important expectations of a university graduate: Someone who thinks deeply and creatively, who learns quickly and independently, who is able to communicate clearly, and who can collaborate on a global platform with individuals from a variety of backgrounds. You will also have the ability to grow as a member of our honors program; to participate in an intercollegiate, club or intramural sports team; to engage in academic study abroad; to be a part of the student leadership in a campus organization; and to be involved in our exceptional community Servant Leadership Program. With this quality of undergraduate degree you will have direct access to jobs where employers will invest heavily to attract a high performing rising star, or to graduate school and professional schools. There are definite lessons to learn from the best for-profit institutions: convenience, customer-friendly environment, agility, diverse platforms for course delivery, and continual assessment of the level of students' work and engagement. Our Columbus State University Distance Learning Grants reward the development of new online courses, with a special focus on offering complete online degrees, as we are mindful of different needs and life demands of our students. To this end, we are so very proud of the dozens of online courses developed over the past year that support some unique and distinctive, internationally and nationally accredited graduate degree programs in business and education. Indeed, for a treat, link to http://coehp.tv, and see the innovative work led by our College of Education and Health Professions. "Expect what you inspect" was said frequently by W. Edwards Deming, one of the founders of the total quality management movement. To this end, we have recently recruited a new director of institutional research, Dr. Sri Sitharaman, who will lead reinvigorated efforts related to analytics and appropriate metrics that will facilitate better, more focused decision making. Dr. Sitharaman will work closely with our new registrar, John Brown, to assure accuracy and timeliness of records and reporting essential to our university. The Task Force on Faculty Performance is being charged with a review and recommendations on expectations in terms of faculty personnel evaluations, including flexible work load agreements that would allow the faculty to contribute to the Columbus State University mission and vision in variety of areas. This task force will include two representatives from each college: one faculty member and one administrator. We are reallocating additional funds to support faculty professional work. A competitive CSU Faculty Mentoring Program is designed to support our faculty work with mentors in other institutions to advance their scholarship/professional activity and grant submissions. CSU's Summer Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Program supports summer work on external grant proposals, while the Professional Travel Program funds travel to work with funding agencies. These programs supplement existing programs in individual colleges, and an additional university-wide program that provides travel funds to present at professional conferences or support work towards external funding. Additionally, a new formula-funding model for summer semester, winter-term and Maymester courses should, if the state budget begins to stabilize, provide extraordinary financial support for the colleges across the university. This will greatly facilitate the delivery of courses and ultimately programs in West Point and at Fort Benning. To make sure that we provide high quality support to our incoming students and place our incoming freshmen in appropriate sections of our First Year Experience Program, we decided to end (except for military and dependents transferred to Fort Benning and select others on a case-by-case basis) accepting students' applications to Columbus State University on June 30. Leadership development is crucially important, and we are going to continue to provide many opportunities for engagement and growth. As academic leaders working on implementing our mission of excellence, remember: "Excellence can be obtained if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, and expect more than others think is possible." To this end we are seeking new training and development options and alternatives for faculty and staff, including unique programs for chairs, participating in the University System of Georgia's Educational Leadership Initiative, engaging in AASCU leadership development programs and identifying unique training and development options for staff. All of these are essential components of a university committed to building talent for the future with existing faculty and staff. Endicott Peabody, Franklin Roosevelt's Groton headmaster said that: "The great fact to remember is that the trend of civilization itself is forever upward; that a line drawn through the middle of the peaks and the valleys of the centuries always has an upward trend." This is, in fact, the Columbus State University odyssey over the past 50 years as we implement strategy for the next half century. We are an aspirational, comprehensive university, committed to academic excellence in undergraduate and graduate programs. Tim Mescon, President Inessa Levi, Provost and VPAA

A Great Weekend for Columbus State University

2009-11-08T20:04:00.003-05:00

Columbus State University is an incubator for exciting, interactive global activities that are a testimony to a truly engaged university. This week my wife Lauren participated in a tennis "pro/am" with the wonderful student/athletes on the Columbus State University Tennis Team and many supporters. Coach Evan Isaacs has assembled an exceptional array of men and women students from all over the globe who bring an exciting international dimension to our University. Leaving this great event I traveled to our RiverPark Campus to attend a stunning play at our Theater on the Park complex, in our black box theater, directed by one of our very talented seniors. Samantha had emailed me asking that I consider attending. As I watched the talented group of Theater students on a set designed and constructed by their peers, in costumes, created and produced by their peers I was taken by the reactions of those in attendance. To a "full house" audience comprised of engaged students, faculty and community members, the play was enthusiastically received. I was so proud of Samantha for inviting me and so very impressed with the cast and all of those involved in the production. At the 25th running of the Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens on Saturday, how delighted I was to see and hear a group of Schwob School students in our Jazz program perform. A group of our vocal students performed America the Beautiful at the kickoff of the races and a string quartet dazzled the attendees as well. With more than 10,000 in attendance, I could not have been more proud of our students so actively engaged in the region. On Sunday, Columbus State University celebrated the generosity of Kyle and Sally Spencer and their 25-year generosity with the official dedication of Spencer Hall and the Spencer House at the Center for International Education on campus. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer began a long-term passion for Oxford almost 3 decades ago and this has resulted in the Spencer House on Woodstock Road in Oxford, England a home-away-from-home for hundreds of Columbus State University students studying in short term and full year programs at Oxford. Again, the proudest of moments for our great University. Warm thanks to the Spencer family for their exceptional generosity over the years.

A Whirlwind of Activities

2009-10-08T15:07:00.003-04:00

Just returned from an incredibly impressive Officer Candidate School graduation ceremony on the Columbus State University campus. Using University Hall, 900 attendees enjoyed the impressive ceremony and recognized the exceptional service and commitment of the 151 graduates honored today. The fall semester is in full swing, and I am delighted to share with you an array of activities that truly energize the Columbus State University campus. Today, we kicked off our 2009-10 Annual Fund campaign with a faculty/staff leadership breakfast. These dedicated colleague volunteers and their associates raised record levels of support on campus last year (an increase of 6.5%) and have helped commit to Columbus State University's first-ever $2 million Annual Fund. Rick Gordy, a 1990 Columbus State University alumnus from the Turner College of Business, is chairing the Annual Fund and brings a wealth of volunteer experience and business leadership to this effort. Again, the Columbus State University Foundation has agreed to provide matching $$$'s for funds raised supporting specific departments on campus. Last week, Lauren and I thoroughly enjoyed the Theatre Department's fall premiere of Streetcar Named Desire. The acting was superb, and the house was packed. We have likewise enjoyed the Lamar Dodd Exhibit at our Illges Gallery as well as at the W.C. Bradley Gallery and a number of student and faculty performances at Legacy Hall by our Schwob School of Music talent. Last Sunday, we had the great pleasure of attending a Club Football game against the University of South Alabama at Kinnett Stadium. The Cougars won, 16-7, and more than 1,000 in attendance were treated to a great afternoon. Rick Cravens and Michael Speight have done a great job building an array of club sports that looks like the following: TACKLE FOOTBALL- established, has a 7 game schedule. COED TENNIS- established, first match against Auburn University, Saturday, Sept. 20 BASS CLUB- established, first tournament of the year is middle of October. MEN'S SOCCER- established, first tournament at the University of Florida, Sept. 27-28. WOMEN'S SOCCER- established, first tournament at Clemson University, first part of October. WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL- established, first tournament at the University of Central Florida, first part of October. WRESTLING- established, first tournament at University of Florida in the middle of November. ICE HOCKEY- Have a core group of 11 students who are forming the club sport ice hockey. Have had one general organizational meeting Sept. 16, will have another Monday, Sept. 20. ULTIMATE FRISBEE- trying to form. These activities help to provide an array of options to our students. Tonight, former envoy Jack Pritchard speaks at our Hallock Lecture Series. In two weeks, Ishmael Beah, the author of A Long Way Gone, visits Columbus State University to speak and meet with our students and faculty and staff. The campus is vibrant, alive and engaged. Great things are happening here, and we invite all to join us on this exciting odyssey.

A day-long walkabout in Georgia

2009-09-08T11:20:00.003-04:00

On Friday, September 4, just prior to the launch of the Labor Day weekend, I had the great pleasure and opportunity to travel from Columbus to Athens to visit with Regent "Dink" NeSmith and state Senator Bill Cowsert. It's always a pleasure to return to Athens, where I had the opportunity to attend graduate school in the late 1970s at the University of Georgia. Regent NeSmith's offices at Community Newspapers Incorporated are in the spectacularly renovated Coca-Cola Bottling building on Prince Street. Mrs. NeSmith had a grand vision in renovating this complex and the result, a live, work, walk, play complex is stunning. Regent NeSmith was kind to welcome me with a building and neighborhood tour and it was a great reflection on gentrification projects and the ability to transform areas creatively. We had a wonderful visit and fortunately Senator Cowsert's office was only 5 minutes away. Senator Cowsert began his legal career in Columbus, with Hatcher, Stubbs and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Higher Education Committee and as a member of Appropriations. We had a very productive visit and I look forward to seeing Sen. Cowsert again. From there, I traveled to Evans, GA for a meeting with Rep. Ben Harbin, Chairman of Appropriations. Rep. Harbin shared with me that on that evening the Va.Tech band was coming to Evans to play at a high school football game honoring a young man from Evans, tragically murdered in the senseless rampage at Va. Tech. What a commitment from the band to participate the night before the Chick-fil-A kickoff classic at the Georgia Dome. We too had a wonderful and insightful visit. The efforts of these State leaders is enormous. The time devoted to the State of Georgia is astonishing. I was most appreciative for their time and visits and look forward to continuing to bring the Columbus State University story to others.

Off and Running!

2009-08-29T11:29:00.004-04:00

The 2009-10 academic year at Columbus State University is off and running.Institutionally we have a number of colleagues to thank for an incredibly smooth launch this fall. -Thanks to our Enrollment Management team! Marketing, admissions, financial aid, our great 1-stop shop, veterans affairs, registrar have all done superlative work. Teaming with our financial management team and working diligently on processing a record number of applications, financial aid packages, emergency loans, veterans requests, has truly been a team effort and I am thankful to all involved. -Housing. What an effort! We are "full at the Inn" and this is thanks to the teamwork between our Residence Life staff and Plant Operations for enormous upgrades inside and out to our housing complexes and increasing the "livability quotient" for all. -Faculty for accommodating greater numbers of students in our classes due to budget constraints. This is always tricky and required great efforts on behalf of faculty to manage our enrollment demands. -Staff for supporting an exceptional customer service culture that redounds great benefits to all. -First Year Experience instructors who are pioneers in our effort to launch an exceptional First Year Experience program. We look forward to hosting author Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone, on campus in October. -University ITS Team for continuing to roll out our wireless footprint, working with Plant Ops on the build out in the Schwob Library, CCT 24/7 computer lab, PC Repair Shop, Apple Kiosk in our Rankin Bookstore and a host of other initiatives. -Students for their enthusiasm and patience. Work is still being finished by ARAMARK on the new new Popeyes, by Follett on the new bookstore, by APPLE on our product display at the new bookstore, parking challenges due to the construction of the 100,000 sq.ft. Student Recreation Center, http://campusrec.colstate.edu/recbuilding/, logistical challenges due to the completion of the new 37,000 sq.ft. Schuster Student Success Center, and more. My thanks to the entire Columbus State University family for a great start to a great year.

Cougar Kickoff Events

2009-08-19T13:25:00.003-04:00

The Cougar Kickoff events scheduled this week have been fantastic. All activities are designed to welcome our students back to campus and introduce the campus life. I've tried to make an appearance at many of the great events. As you can see in the picture here, I was one of the volunteers in the dunking booth at the "Wet and Wild Ice Cream Social" on Tuesday. The annual Welcome Back picnic at the Clock Tower was today. Country's Barbecue and all the student affairs will do it all over again tomorrow for the RiverPark students. Then on Friday, we'll have a big blowout beach party at Callaway Gardens from 2-7 p.m. Check out http://studentlife.colstate.edu/cougarkickoff/ for all the details. Thanks so much to all our partners for helping make these events a success, and to all the staff people on campus who have worked tirelessly to make the start of the semester a memorable week.

Presidential Inaugural Address

2009-08-17T18:23:00.004-04:00

My sincere thanks to all for a wonderful weekend. I want to take this opportunity to share my words with you. Your input, comments, observations are welcome. Thank you and welcome to dignitaries, guests and family members, faculty, staff, students and friends, visiting marching dignitaries and fellow presidents. And a sincere thank you to our Cougar Battalion, Columbus State University ROTC unit, winner of the General Douglas MacArthur Award, and thank you also to the men and women serving in the armed forces here and abroad, preserving our freedom so that we can participate in events like this. My thanks as well to these exceptional young men and women from our Schwob School of Music in our newest College of the Arts and the director of the Schwob school, Dr. Fred Cohen. Chairman Hatcher, you bring wisdom and energy to your leadership role impacting 290,000 University System of Georgia students. Thank you. Chancellor Davis, thank you for your guidance, your advocacy and your support. Thank you for your visits to Columbus, and thank you for your impact on our system. Dr. Herbst, you are an advocate, coach, mentor and academic leader. Thank you for always responding to e-mail in real time, day or night. Thank you for your support. Jimmy Yancey you are Columbus State University. From student to regent. From chairing corporate boards to chairing Columbus State University capital campaigns. You are a special source of inspiration to me. Your leadership and execution sets the highest of standards for performance. Thank you for all that you do. To Mr. Bill and Sue Marie Turner. You represent the soul of this community. As you review the six core values of Columbus State University, you see servant leadership as one of our defining principles. Mr. Bill, you are the embodiment of servant leadership and Columbus State University, in general, and me, in particular, benefit from the example you set. Thank you for your access, wisdom, courage and support. My parents, Mike and Enid Mescon, epitomize first-generation Americans pursuing the American dream. They have instilled that unique spirit that de Tocqueville described when he wrote: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Thank you. My sister and brother, Nance and Jed, thank you for your lifetime of support and encouragement. Abbie, David, William and Preston, our precious children. I am so glad you are here, so proud of your accomplishments and so excited about your intent to pay it forward. You mean the world to me, and I will always, always be there for you. Most importantly, to my wife, my friend, my cheerleader, my partner, Lauren, I could not, I cannot, serve this great university and great community without you. As hackneyed as it may sound, you are my rock, my foundation, and we are a great team. Thank you for everything. I am humbled and proud and honored to have the opportunity to serve as the fourth president of Columbus State University. For 51 years, Columbus State University has enjoyed an exceptionally unique partnership and alliance with this great community. It is my distinct pleasure to embrace the great tradition of this great institution and the legacies left by Drs. Whitley, Brooke and Brown as we create and commit to enlightened strategy and focused execution in the coming years. The late Herman Wells, former president at Indiana University, said this about a university president: “To be successful, the president must have the physical charm of a Greek athlete, the cunning of Machiavelli, the wisdom of Solomon, the courage of a lion, the skin of a rhino and the stomach of a goat.” So at the very least, I have the physical charm of a rhino and the wisdom of a goat … It is almost inconceivable for me to believe that three decades have passed in a blink of an eye. It was 30 years ago this week that I said goodbye to my office mate, lifelong friend and catalyst, George Vozikis, a noted chair at California State University-Fresno. I said goodbye, loaded a U-Haul trailer in Athens, Ga., with all of my worldly possessions, and I and my distinguished colleague and friend, Ken Nusbaum, a long-term professor in the veterinary medicine school at Auburn, made the 1,918 mile drive from the University of Georgia to Arizona State University. That is where I began my academic odyssey 30 years ago this week. Over these three exceptional decades, I have been joined by thousands of students, faculty and staff colleagues on an exceptionally engaging, challenging and formidable quest to make an impact, make a mark; on this wonderful arena we call the academy. It all happened in a blink of an eye. I so vividly remember my own excitement in seeing my name listed in the fall, 1979 course catalog and the extra buzz when I noticed that, among a faculty of 45 in the Department of Management, I was the only professor assigned to Metro Center. Shortly thereafter, I learned that Metro Center was a mall in northwest Phoenix and, as a new faculty member, it was my turn, my first semester to teach at that mall, an hour from the main campus. It became imminently clear to me at that moment, as a neophyte faculty member that sometimes, many times, you take one for the team. While I am so very thankful and grateful for the opportunities that I have been given, no single recognition has meant more to me than this handmade plaque, on my office wall, that Iwas given my first semester 30 years ago by my 75 students in my undergraduate course in corporate social responsibility. The plaque reads as follows: “The Premium Bean Award (I frequently made references that semester to Jelly Bellys, jelly beans, just recently released on the market and a true reflection of innovation and creativity in the world of business). In recognition of the ability to make the fifty minutes between 9:40 and 10:30 Monday, Wednesday and Friday an eye-opening, entertaining, educational, enlightening and most of all enjoyable experience, this award is presented to Dr. Tim a genuine, through and through, inside and out, fantastic prof.” You see my friends, at the end of the day, at the blink of an eye, after 30 remarkably exciting and invigorating years, this is what it is all about. The gratification from scholarly research, book publishing, sponsored grants and contracts, leadership in professional organizations is so very important. But all of these activities pale at the buzz, at the impact, at the wonder of engaging students in challenging thought and dialogue, and writing and research to truly make a difference and to sincerely make an impact. This is our raison de’etre, “reason for being”. Engaging in research, creative inquiry and in the Columbus State University tradition, servant leadership all contribute to making us truly better in the classroom and, thereby, producing a truly superior product, engaged committed students who will forever make an impact in the world in which we live. As faculty, this is indeed our reason for being. So to honor the freshman convocation component of this grand event … students, I urge you to continue to question, probe and challenge our faculty. Faculty, I encourage you to continue to raise the bar on classroom expectations and challenge our students, here at Columbus State University. This give and take, student to professor and professor to student has a time-honored tradition that creates vitality on our campuses that is truly without equal. In these exceptionally challenging times, we must stay hyper-focused on our strategic goals and key performance indicators. Jim Collins, the renowned author of Good to Great, said this: “It doesn’t matter whether you can quantify your results. What matters is that you rigorously assemble evidence, quantitative or qualitative, to track your progress. About this, we must be vigilant. The maxim states: If you don’t measure it, it does not matter. We must constantly evaluate and measure our progress, our efforts, our outputs, to determine if we are, in fact, on track to reach, to attain our goals. Nothing will be more important to us.” Ronald Heifetz, the founder of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Marty Linsky, a faculty member there, have written for years about leadership in complex organizations. While I have been endowed with an exceptional opportunity to work with faculty, staff, students and the community in mapping strategy and building structure for our next half decade, it is essential, as Chancellor Davis has reiterated time and again, to build exceptional bench strength at all levels of the organization. Heifetz argues for the distribution of leadership across the enterprise, sharing responsibilities, sharing decision-making and sharing the successes. The key he writes is simply to mobilize everyone. To build a collective will. To energize many to focus on real and meaningful and timely solutions. To encourage all to feel as if this is “my responsibility.” To encourage diverse and inclusive thoughts and insights and to challenge historical assumptions. So, first, I commit to encouraging leadership development as a critical element of our strategy and building to the best of our ability bench strength from within. I have written for years about incremental entrepreneurship as driving innovation and creativity in organizations. Heifetz and Linsky reference corporate adaptability coming not from sweeping changes but rather from accumulation of micro adaptations originating from our many micro-environments. Fostering adaptation is crucial in today’s challenging, competitive, demanding higher education environment. Launching new initiatives in West Point to support the economic development explosion led by Kia is essential. Online course development leveraging world-class technology is requisite. New and innovative programs in servant leadership, earth and space science, education, creative writing, jazz, new media, real estate, history, gaming and simulation, defense and critical languages captivate our adaptive thinking today. As Heifetz suggests, we hit the organizational “reset” button, building on the turbulence of the present to better meet tomorrow’s higher education needs. So second, I commit to incubate, to foster an environment committed to innovation and creativity. It cannot be education as usual. We must collectively commit to building on the traditions and successes of the past and mapping new practices and programs that meet the needs of the future today. Finally, we must as Heifetz suggests embrace disequilibrium. The status quo is that there is no status quo. The challenge they say is to keep our hands on the thermostat. If the heat is too low, we won’t make difficult decisions. If it heats up too much or too quickly, we panic and run. It is about embracing tough and challenging dialogue, courageous conversations that challenge assumptions. This is particularly difficult in higher education. The late great Peter Drucker once suggested that higher education generally embraces successful, applied theories about 20 years too late. This is reflective of our deliberative, pensive culture. Today, embracing discomfort must become more the norm than the exception. Watching the development of the nation’s first-ever graduate degree program in servant leadership embodies innovation, seeing our Department of History and Geography and the Department of Communication move to the RiverPark campus is a good thing. Seeing our College of Education and Health Professions launch our first-ever doctoral program is a positive but different development, like the Turner College delivering an online-only MBA program. We must embrace and celebrate disequilibrium because, from it, from disequilibrium comes positive and productive change and response. You see, in the material unlike the spiritual world, the meek will inherit nothing. So my third and final commitment is to foster and embrace courageous conversation that challenges convention and pushes the norm. So, one, I commit to encouraging leadership across the university, faculty, staff and students. I commit to embracing leadership development as a critical element of our strategy and building to the best of our ability bench strength from within. Two, I commit to incubate, to foster an environment committed to innovation and creativity. It cannot be education as usual. We must collectively commit to building on the traditions and successes of the past and mapping new practices and programs that meet the needs of the future. My third and final commitment is to foster and embrace courageous conversation that challenges convention and pushes the norm. Family, friends, colleagues and students, I make these commitments to you. I am humbled by this great opportunity and enthusiastically commit to embracing the future on behalf of the great history of Columbus State University.

Thoughts from Move-In Day, Kids to College event and more

2009-08-14T17:21:00.004-04:00

This has been an exhilarating and challenging time for all. Move-In Day was exceptional, and I commend the entire Residence Life, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management team for a job well done. Today, I am greeting 5,000 fifth-graders from Muscogee and Harris counties, as well as Fort Benning schools, as part of the "Kids to College" program at Columbus State University. Dean of Education and Health Professions David Rock and Professor Roger Hatcher orchestrated an exceptional event, and the students will continue to visit campus all year. Lauren and I had a great dinner with Congressman Sanford Bishop and his staff. Congressman Bishop has been incredibly responsive to the needs of Columbus State University, and we are grateful for his support. I met with a group of our new Honors Program freshmen today at the Cunningham Center. What an impressive group. Equally impressive was the gathering of our Servant Leadership students at the Pastoral Institute. This program is one of a kind, and we look forward this year to developing the nation's first ever Master of Science Program in Servant Leadership. Finally, at the opening of school sessions I presented the hard news of the budget challenges. Faculty and staff alike have been positive and responsive to our absolute commitment to maintaining the highest levels of academic quality ... For this, I am most grateful, appreciative and proud. We are seeing exciting things unfold at Columbus State University and it is wonderful to play a role with great colleagues in this process.

On the Road with State of GA Leadership

2009-07-19T10:04:00.004-04:00

How very important it is for me to attempt to keep in touch with our local legislative delegation along with key leadership in the Georgia House and Senate. Advocating for Columbus State University is key along with the challenge of conveying our brand and message. How we differentiate our great university from all others in the University System of Georgia is an ongoing challenge and bringing our message to state leadership represents an equally daunting effort. I traveled from Columbus to Americus to visit with the true "Dean of the Georgia Senate", Senator George Hooks. Senator Hooks has a wealth of experience and insights about the legislative process, great observations about decision-making under the gold dome and his downtown Americus business provided a great setting for a visit. Following my visit with Senator Hooks, I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting with Rep. Mike Cheokas and his wife Gaynor in Americus. Mike and I had the pleasure of attending high school together and it was a treat visiting with him in Americus. Mike is an entrepreneur and business owner and has great insights on the needs of small and emerging businesses in Georgia. The next day, I hit the road and met in Reidsville with State Senator Jack Hill. Sen. Hill is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and also serves on the Ethics, Natural Resources and the Environment, Regulated Industries and Utilities and Rules committees as well as exofficio for the Committee on Assignments and Finance Committees. Past chairmanships include: K12 Education, Ethics and Higher Education. We had a terrific visit and I learned a great deal about the appropriations process and the current budget challenges. I left Sen. Hill and made the short drive to Lyons and visited with Senator Tommie Williams. Senator Williams, a Republican, was first elected to the State Senate for Georgia’s 19th District in 1998. Sen. Williams represents Appling, Jeff Davis, Long, Montgomery, Toombs, Wayne and Wheeler counties and portions of Liberty and Tattnall counties. Sen. Williams serves as Senate President Pro Tempore, Georgia Senate Majority Leader. I visited with Senator Williams at his office and we discussed business, international affairs, art and the university system. From there I drove cross state to visit with Representative Jerry Keen in St. Simons the House Majority Leader. Rep. Keen currently serves on the Rules, Appropriations, Ethics, Insurance, and Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications committees. We had a very informative and interesting visit. I did so appreciate the time that Representative Keen and his colleagues spent with me. It was a great post-graduate learning experience and I look forward to more sessions in the future. I followed this visit with a call on my long-time friend Jack Dinos. Jack has one of the great entrepreneurial stories to tell and at one time had the nation's largest private label tea company. He has been a great friend and counselor and it was a treat to catch up with him. From St. Simons I drove to Atlanta to prepare for a University System of Georgia presidents meeting the next day.

Best wishes for the 4th of July Holiday

2009-06-29T15:32:00.002-04:00

What a couple of weeks I've had. The marvelous dedication of the National Infantry Museum at Ft. Benning, followed by another impressive basic training graduation ceremony and than the ever so moving Change of Command Ceremony in honor of Major General Michael D. Barbero and Major General Michael Ferriter. The ceremony was hosted by General Martin E. Dempsey, Commander, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. The pavilion at the parade grounds at Ft. Benning was packed and the ceremony was so very impressive. General Barbero has been at Ft.Benning since November, 2008 and was recently tapped to return to Iraq as commander of Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq and commander of NATO Training Mission-Iraq, United States Central Command. General Ferriter was most recently Deputy Commanding General for Operations, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg. The smoothness of the Change of Command ceremony and the expansive respect felt at the parade grounds that morning reinforced to me the value of freedom and liberty and the role these rights play in higher education. At the dedication of the National Infantry Museum former Secretary Colin Powell reinforce the maxim that "freedom is not free." (Secretary Powell will be at Columbus State University in August with General Petraeus participating in our Blanchard Leadership Forum) As we develop and deliver a myriad of undergraduate and graduate degree programs on the Columbus State University campus we must be ever mindful of the tremendous latitudes we are given to express and share and debate opinions and ideologies in a uniquely "American" way. This discourse defines U.S. Higher Education and allows for tremendous flexibility and options in what we say, write and do both inside and outside the classroom. My sincerest thanks to all of the men and women in uniform today and in the past who have put their lives on the line to protect these same freedoms. At a time of unbelievable challenge we still enjoy unique rights and privileges that many have served to protect. To those who have served thank you and have a happy 4th of July holiday.

Kudos to Turner College graduate Vance Smith!

2009-06-19T16:23:00.004-04:00

So very proud of State Representative Vance Smith on his appointment as Commissioner of the State Department of Transportation. Commissioner Smith and his wife, Michele, are both Columbus State University graduates. This is a great testimony to Commissioner Smith's leadership abilities and his long-term advocacy for transportation solutions for the State of Georgia.

Dedication of National Infantry Museum impressive

2009-06-19T14:56:00.008-04:00

What an honor and a privilege for Lauren and me today to attend the dedication of the National Infantry Museum at the parade field at Ft. Benning. This $100 million, private project, was conceived by Major General (ret.) Jerry White and opens officially today to rave reviews. The facility is a stunning testimony to the U.S. Army Infantry and celebrates the "last 100 yards" always covered in battle by the Infantry. General Colin Powell delivered a stirring address and appropriately thanked U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop for his leadership of this effort in Congress. Additionally, General White made special reference to Mr. Bill Turner and the Bradley-Turner Foundation for their foresight and investment in this huge project. Mayor Wetherington discussed the huge legacy value of this project to Columbus and the region and the many in attendance today were awestruck by the scope of this project. Major General Barbero, Commanding General at Ft. Benning, presided over an impressive graduation ceremony at the Parade Grounds and also actively participated in the dedication ceremony. Senators Chambliss and Isakson were in attendance along with Rep. Westmoreland. This was truly a wonderful day that will have enduring impact on this community and the nation.

CSU Staff Council Garage Sale

2009-05-28T15:31:00.004-04:00

Just heard that the Columbus State University Staff Council is having a Garage Sale on June 20, starting at 8 a.m. Faculty and staff can reserve a table for $10. Everyone is invited to come out - it will be held in the parking garage (which our ROTC folks have dubbed "Cougar Mountain") next to the Lumpkin Center.

Another Budget Cut Announced

2009-05-28T15:24:00.004-04:00

More bad news from the state today - another 2 percent budget cut has come down from Atlanta. This economy is really starting to sting. We've got lots of good people on campus though, people committed to our mission academic excellence, and we'll work through this. We've got to get the academic folks and the business folks in a room and prioritize our end-of-the-year expense requests. Some things may not get funded. If a P.O. is issued, then there was money for the purchase. Thanks for your understanding, and your leadership in working through these issues.

And You Thought We Only Knew Mozart

2009-05-28T15:16:00.004-04:00

Want to see something fun? Columbus State University's Schwob School of Music is internationally known for its excellence. We have students and faculty down there who can play with anyone, anywhere, at any time. You can see some of their talent on YouTube. This one in particular sure could be an Internet sensation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzlfbA9791k

CSU To Offer Classes in West Point

2009-05-28T15:10:00.005-04:00

Columbus State recently got the green light from the Board of Regents to offer classes in West Point starting this fall. This will be a great step ahead for both Columbus State University and that region of Georgia. For more information, go to http://WestPoint.colstate.edu