Holiday Dinner Celebrates CSU's International Reach

Last night, Lauren and I had the great pleasure, for the fifth consecutive year, to host international students and student-athletes unable to travel home for the holidays.

This was an exceptional mix of cultures from Romania to South Africa, Vietnam to Jamaica, China to Germany and many, many points in between. As our university continues to grow international enrollments, it becomes ever so important to provide a warm and welcoming environment. Attending too were some of our incredible corps of resident assistants, colleagues from our English Language Institute and our Center for International Education.

It was a lovely evening and always special to see students across disciplines and interests engage with each other.

World AIDS Day 2012 Program educates packed audience at CSU

Dr. Leo Moore, a Columbus State University graduate now completing a medical residency at Yale University School of Medicine, delivered a powerful World AIDS Day address on campus Saturday afternoon before a packed audience of students and faculty at Stanley Hall.

Dr. Moore's address provided an important historical overview as well as update on current research and best practices addressing AIDS prevention. Our thanks go to Dr. Paula Walker, associate professor of health science, who orchestrated the event, and to all who attended and acknowledged the need to continue vigilance, after 31 years of globally attacking this tragic and terrible disease.

Women's Cross Country

From Joplin, Missouri...Looks to me like this appearance in the NCAA National Tournament led to a 27th finish by the women, who won the NCAA Regional. Congratulations to all for a great season!

Cougar Soccer

So proud of our Lady Cougars for battling the #1 team in the nation for 110 minutes before dropping their 3rd Round NCAA Match 6-5 in penalty kicks. The ladies had an outstanding season and while this was a heart breaker, I know they will be ready to launch the 2013 Season soon.

Proud of our Men's Cross Country team finishes in Top 25 in the Nation!

Men's 10000 Meter Run

Team Scores

Place	Team	Points	Avg Time	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7
1	Adams State	34	29:29.4	2	3	4	11	14	(23)	(26)
2	Colorado Mines	102	30:03.8	8	18	20	27	29	(64)	(127)
3	Alaska Anchorage	148	30:11.3	1	13	21	54	59	(109)	(167)
4	Augustana (S.D.)	182	30:28.0	9	22	46	52	53	(55)	(76)
5	Chico State	183	30:30.9	12	25	41	48	57	(86)	(129)
6	Western State	194	30:33.3	15	33	35	51	60	(101)
7	Grand Valley St.	222	30:38.7	16	28	44	65	69	(81)	(219)
8	Missouri Southern	308	31:01.7	37	39	40	89	103	(155)	(207)
9	Edinboro	325	31:04.0	17	47	56	99	106	(115)	(194)
9	Ashland	325	31:04.8	32	43	50	80	120	(160)	(187)
11	UC-Colo. Spgs.	340	31:10.8	49	62	67	77	85	(134)	(143)
12	American Int'l	357	30:54.7	6	10	88	107	146	(208)
13	Ferris State	370	31:16.9	45	71	74	84	96	(141)	(166)
14	Southwest Baptist	377	31:10.5	24	42	66	117	128	(149)	(173)
15	Cedarville	390	31:15.4	34	61	72	111	112	(126)	(133)
16	Humboldt State	448	31:27.7	31	83	97	116	121	(178)	(182)
17	Southern Indiana	479	31:34.8	58	95	102	110	114	(140)	(152)
18	Eastern New Mexico	493	31:28.3	7	68	87	162	169	(171)	(192)
18	Lock Haven	493	31:25.1	5	75	119	137	157	(197)	(211)
20	Minnesota State	498	31:38.9	73	79	105	118	123	(185)	(195)
21	Western Washington	542	31:41.0	30	108	124	135	145	(164)	(174)
22	San Francisco St.	548	31:45.1	38	93	125	144	148	(161)	(172)
23	Fort Lewis	598	31:53.7	70	104	132	139	153	(189)	(212)
24	Columbus St.	606	31:58.3	90	91	122	147	156	(183)	(200)
25	East Stroudsburg	610	31:55.8	19	100	142	159	190	(198)
26	Bentley	657	32:07.0	82	98	138	163	176	(204)	(220)
27	King	664	32:10.5	36	94	165	170	199	(203)	(209)
28	Mount Olive	687	32:15.9	78	92	158	175	184	(188)	(218)
29	Florida Tech	742	32:25.3	63	131	151	196	201	(213)	(215)
30	Stonehill	791	32:30.4	113	154	168	177	179	(181)	(193)
31	Alabama-Huntsville	885	32:55.8	136	150	191	202	206	(210)	(216)
32	Nova Southeastern	915	33:13.9	130	180	186	205	214	(217)	(221)

CSU Wind Orchestra

Conductor Jamie Nix and graduate conductors Joshua Kearney and Jeffrey Lawson directed a truly wonderful performance by our Wind Orchestra at Legacy Hall. The 5 pieces were exceptional and the almost 60 students performing provided a packed house with a most impressive performance.

Amadeus

Lauren and I were enthralled at the professionalism, direction and performance at our Riverside Theater performance of Amadeus. The students were exceptional and the standing ovation clearly reinforced the appreciation of the audience for the acting, directing, costumes and scenery. Kudos to Salieri, Mozart and cast for a job very well done.

Cheer for our student-athletes Sunday

Lauren and I had the opportunity to watch the CSU Lady Cougars soccer team play in the Peach Belt Conference Championship at Blanchard Woods Complex in Augusta.

The team played great but lost 2-0 to the currently ranked No. 1 team in the country. Because of a great season though, CSU will host the NCAA Regional Tournament this weekend at CSU's Walden Soccer Complex.

Our ladies earned a bye in the first round and will play in Round 2 at 1 p.m. Sunday. Come cheer them on!

Weekend enriched by CSU fine and performing arts

I had the wonderful opportunity to see a group of our theatre students perform masterfully in Circle Mirror Transformation. The acting was outstanding, and direction was impressive. Our students continue to impress audiences and tackle challenging dramatic works.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a concert by our CSU Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Paul Vaillancourt. The concert was wonderful, and the students performed two pieces with Matthew Welch, a world-class bagpiper who premiered The Favrile Opalescence, commissioned by our own Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians. The final piece involved our Percussion Ensemble and a premiere screening of Day of the Dead by professor Hannah Israel, gallery director for our Art Department.

In all, it was a terrific weekend connecting the dots in the fine and performing arts at Columbus State University.

Conference equips students to become leaders

This afternoon, I had the great pleasure of kicking off our inaugural CSU Student Leadership Conference at the Cunningham Center. More than 100 students from across the university will spend the afternoon and most of the evening immersed in leadership training. The training workshops/seminars will be delivered by 20-plus CSU faculty/staff/grad students and community leaders who have worked mightily in building a great agenda.

Our director of orientation and student leadership, Collins Brown, working closely with her boss, Dr. Kimberly McElveen, developed an exceptional agenda. The interest level and enthusiasm among the students was sky high and, this spring, these students will attend a monthly leadership session as well. This is very important for our university and will have a profound impact on these students.

Alumni Weekend 2012 events impressive

Kudos go to Jennifer Joyner, our CSU alumni director, and the extended team in University Advancement for a great Alumni Weekend series of events.

The recognition luncheon was particularly impressive, and special congratulations go to Sommer Bundy, Heather Avery, Dr. Jason Harrison, Capt. Charles Anklam and Jay Knape on special recogntion received for their many accomplishments.

The final event, Evening on the Top, at our parking deck in Uptown, was truly wonderful. Not only was it a perfect evening, but the view of the upcoming whitewater course was magnificent, and many alums enjoyed reconnecting with friends from days gone by.

Join in concert, weekend activities!

Tonight, September 27, at 7:30 p.m.  at Legacy Hall, our wonderful friend, Hal Gibson, conductor of the 1976 Centennial Celebration Military Band and former CSU faculty member, will be guest conducting the CSU Wind Ensemble concert, titled "Military Connections." This will be a grand event that also honors our Assistant Rifle Coach and Olympic gold medalist Jamie Gray.

This weekend is also our annual Parents' Weekend, and there will be a range of wonderful programs, including a "screen on the green" movie at Woodruff Park, campus lectures and tours and much more.

An open letter to my Columbus State University colleagues

Columbus State University colleagues:

It is a great pleasure to share with you some of the detail regarding our recent recognition by U.S. News and World Report. This acknowledgement reinforces the goal outlined in our strategic plan to elevate our profile and performance in this most important annual assessment. I have provided you with some detailed insights below.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Georgia Summit Conference with a number of our CSU colleagues. The Georgia Summit included more than 600 University System of Georgia (USG) personnel from Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, HR and IT. At the conference, Dr. Houston Davis, the USG Chief Academic Officer, delivered an incredibly compelling talk on the Complete College Georgia initiative.

Dr. Davis’ presentation reinforces many of the CSU initiatives that are making a difference in our national recognition and performance in retention, progression and graduation (RPG). I am sharing Dr. Davis’ presentation (PDF | PPT) for your review.

We should be proud of these efforts, which have apparently been making an impact. Consider these points about Columbus State University:

• Ranked No. 46 among public “regional universities” in the South, and No. 91 among all similarly classified universities in the South, the same ranking as University of West Georgia and Charleston Southern University.
• First time university has ever been recognized by U.S. News and World Report..
• Recognition is overdue and likely responsible to:
• Improved recognition of university and its programs by peers.
• Improved financial resources (expanded CSU Foundation allocation, endowed positions, private sector support for academic programs).
• Alumni giving rate.

• Rankings measure retention rate, 6-year graduation rate, student-faculty ratio, peer assessment, alumni giving rate, and many other factors.
• Many initiatives Columbus State University has under way to improve the university will likely also help the university continue to rise in the rankings. Examples include expanded retention efforts, continuing to increase minimum academic admission requirements, and more flexible degree completion options (Complete College Georgia).

Thank you for all you are doing for our University.

Tim

Weekend combines music, drama and football

We enjoyed a great series of weekend events on campus. I had the distinct pleasure of hearing organist, Jonathan Ryan perform in our LegacyLive! Series at Legacy Hall. In 2009, Jonathan won our Jordan International Organ Competition. Our own incredibly gifted Professor Joseph Golden introduced him, and it was a great event.

Lauren and I also had the great pleasure of seeing our terrific students perform at the Riverside Theater Complex in Anton in Show Business. The women in the cast were magnificent, and the show sold out all weekend.

Saturday, I couldn't miss watching our club football team play at McClung Memorial Stadium. It featured great weather and a great crowd.

Fall semester off to an exceptional start

I had the pleasure of seeing some exceptionally talented CSU theatre students over the weekend in a wonderful children's musical, Miss Nelson is Missing!  The cast was terrific, sets wonderful, and this was a great kickoff to our theatre season. Next up: Anton in Show Business on Sept. 20-23.

This was also the weekend for sorority rush, and our CSU Lady Cougars soccer team improved its record to 4-0 with two tough road games. Fall semester is off and running!

Bike Ride with the President a success

On Thursday, we had another spirited group of students, faculty and staff who joined me on a terrific bike ride from our RiverPark campus along the banks of the Chattahoochee River in Uptown Columbus to the main campus. Thanks to the work of Chief Rus Drew and other University Police, we had an escorted ride along the Fall Line Trace, the rails-to-trails route, ending with a Student Affairs "foam party" at the Whitley Clock Tower on main campus.

Steve Morse and his logistics team and Dr. Kimberly McElveen in Student Life helped with all the many details. Bikes and helmets were provided by Ride On Bikes, and we had a terrific time. Columbus is now graced with close to 30 miles of paved bike trails, and this has greatly enhanced student and community life and recreation.

Hundreds participate in CSU Day of Service; Freshman Convocation packed

What a great weekend!  My sincere thanks to Lyn Riggsby-Gonzalez and her team for helping to orchestrate our fourth annual Day of Service. In all, close to 300 students, faculty and staff worked at five different United Way sites, demonstrating our university's deep and abiding commitment to service.

On Sunday, Major General H.R. McMaster delivered a moving address on the history of the Vietnam War at a packed University Hall Freshman Convocation. Students, faculty and staff gathered for this most important rite of passage and welcome to the academy. It was another great CSU weekend.

Fall semester 2012 officially under way

This is my favorite time of year.

Last night, there was a spectacular cookout at the RiverPark campus, with more than 400 in attendance to help usher in the new academic year. Coinciding with this was a series of intramural events on the main campus that saw huge crowds as well.

Today, Professor Joseph Golden totally mesmerized a packed house at Legacy Hall with his performance on the Jordan Organ. This was a treat for all in attendance. Also today, Lauren and I had the great pleasure and honor of hosting the "O Team". These orientation leaders, are incredibly gifted CSU students working under the direction of Collins Brown and with the overall guidance of Dr. Kimberly McElveen. This annual event is our modest offer of "thank you" to these students who make the transition for incoming freshmen so much  more palatable.

Tomorrow, Monday, August 13, we are off and running.

Transit of Venus coverage extraordinary

Kudos are due to our team at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center for their extraordinary work on the coverage and broadcast of the Transit of Venus in partnership with NASA.

From the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, to Australia, to Bryce Canyon in Utah and back to Columbus, the world was riveted to the coverage and commentary on this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Lauren and I so enjoyed visiting the CCSSC at 5:30 p.m. and later at 10 p.m. to witness the exceptional teamwork. The event was covered in more than 3,000 articles around the world!

Enjoying our incredible community connections

It was, once again, a most incredible weekend at Columbus State University.

Friday evening, on the green, at the Saunders Center for Music Studies in front of Columbus State's Schwob School of Music, Dr. Alex Pershounin led our CSU Jazz Orchestra in a wonderful concert under the stars. We brought lawn chairs and joined so many others for a truly remarkable performance. Immediately after, Dr. Matt McCabe led a multi-talented band of students in a terrific contemporary concert that kept everyone engaged.

We were on the lawn as the Ron White show ended at RiverCenter's Bill Heard Theatre, and I could sense so many wished they had joined us for the evening of food and fun outdoors, perfect weather and great talent.

On Saturday, CSU students partnered with the First Freedom  Climb, a fundraiser for the Fountain City Chapter of the national Federation of the Blind of Georgia and, at our world-class Student Recreation Center, helped an incredibly brave group of friends maneuver and climb the 40-foot vertical walls. Our students served as spotters and belayers and again reflected that culture of servant leadership that is such a dynamic part of our university.

Lauren and I had the great opportunity to watch our men and women's tennis teams battle it out at the NCAA Regional Tournament at the Blackmon Tennis Complex on campus. The women compete in the finals this afternoon and the men lost a heartbreaker. The tenacity and focus of these student-athletes is incredible, and we still marvel at how they balance full-time academics with an incredibly rigorous competitive schedule.

This morning at 6:30, I met Lt. Col. Feret and the Cougar ROTC Battalion at our intramural field. I joined them on a 5k run and proudly brought up the rear!  What a commitment these students have in terms of academics, country and more. It was a real treat to join in the cadence calls of the battalion, and I thank Lt. Col. Feret and his team for the great work they are doing.

Oi Sigma Alpha, Pi Alpha Alpha induct new members

Kudos to the students involved in these two academic honorary societies for political science and public administration for a great induction ceremony. Dean David Lanoue, Dr. Kimberly Gill, Dr. Kyle Christensen and Ms. Amber Dees, along with chair Dr. Tom Dolan, were in force with a number of their faculty colleagues.

Gerald McKenna, finishing up in a couple of weeks shared insights on his 10-year service as a Marine working at embassies around the globe and how this along with his great CSU academic experience is shaping his future. The evening featured Israel's consul general for the Southeast, Opher Aviran, who delivered a terrific message and challenge to those in attendance. This was truly a wonderful celebration of academic success.

Volunteers rally to deliver CSU Day signs

Today is the 18th annual kickoff for CSU Day at our university. For 18 consecutive years, faculty, staff, students, friends and alumni have fanned out across the region to deliver CSU Day signs to residences and businesses throughout the region. We had a great pancake breakfast this morning, and Kelley Gibson, director of our Annual Fund, and Russ Carreker, this year's campaign chair, rallied our supporters for this important event.

Jimbo Davis, an assistant athletic director, paid special tribute to Sharon Wiley, who has worked tirelessly on this campaign for 18 years and will be retiring in June. There was a great turnout this a.m., including our Cougar ROTC Battalion, Lady Cougars soccer team, deans, provost and more to get the day started right. When you travel the region in the next few weeks and see thousands of CSU Day signs, you realize the impact of the university on this region and our community.

Holiday Weekend Celebrates Inclusion

I want to begin by wishing all who celebrate a happy holiday weekend. The combination of both Easter and Passover over the same weekend reinforces our exceptional commitment to celebrating diversity and inclusion. Our recent Legacy Celebration served to remind our campus of our unwavering commitment to inclusiveness on the Columbus State University campus. Indeed one of our core values reads: "Inclusion – Fostering and promoting a campus that embraces diverse people, ideas, views, and practices." I want to thank our Student Affairs team for choreographing such a wonderful and spirited event.

It's been another great week for faculty and student music on our campus. The LegacyLive concert by professors Sergiu Schwartz and Alexander Kobrin was moving and powerful. The packed house was so very impressed by the performance of these faculty, performing works from Mozart to Mendelssohn. Three days later, professor Kobrin performed with professors Wendy Warner and Lisa Oberlander, offering another exceptional evening, including works by Schumann and Brahms. Last night, Legacy Hall rocked with the sounds of the CSU Jazz Band led by professor Alex Pershounin. The 17-piece band has grown in such popularity that the concert was moved from the Studio Theater to Legacy Hall. The audience cheered, and the students responded. It was a great evening for all.

Finally, yesterday, I had the great pleasure of introducing Georgia's gifted Attorney General Sam Olens at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The AG was here to promote his food bank campaign across Georgia involving attorneys and law firms. This great effort will provide a much-needed boost to Feeding the Valley, and it was a great honor to participate in this visit.

Busy Campus Keeps Us on the Run

For the 20th consecutive year, our College of Education and Health Professions (COEHP) brought the National Teacher of the Year to Columbus. This year, Michelle Shearer, an AP Chemistry teacher at Urbana High School in Frederick County, Maryland, spoke to COEHP students and faculty, to the Columbus Rotary and to honorees in the 2012 Muscogee County Teacher of the Year program. Ms. Shearer embraces technology and teaching strategies and pushes students to push themselves into the STEM disciplines. Her talks were inspiring, and the STEM focus was incredibly appropriate, given our participation in the UTeach program. What a treat to have her on campus.

This past weekend, professor Alex Kobrin, who directs our piano studio in the Schwob School of Music, performed at Legacy Hall in a special concert with some of his students. The concert, performed on four Steinway concert pianos, was truly exceptional. No less exceptional was the performance of our Women's Tennis Team, a gifted group of international student-athletes who remain undefeated, and the great first place showing of our Women's Golf Team in a tournament in Carrollton.

By the way, I did manage to finish in the middle of the pack in Cody's Run on Saturday, a 5K coordinated by our Sustainability Committee.

CSU ensemble wows National Band Directors Association audience

I know this is homecoming weekend, and Lauren and I look forward to continuing to participate in an exciting array of activities (including getting a whipped cream pie in the face for charity).

But today I had the remarkable pleasure of driving to Atlanta to attend a meeting of the National Band Directors Association, where our Schwob School of Music Wind Ensemble was invited to play before attendees. Under the direction of  Dr. Jamie Nix, the students (over 60, in all) were truly remarkable. The students, taught by 15 wind and percussion faculty, were poised for a great evening. Additionally, Dr. Amy Griffiths performed flawlessly in conjunction with the ensemble in the Concerto for Saxophone by Ingolf Dahl. I was so very proud of this magnificent performance.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to Dr. Nix and the ensemble was the thundering standing ovation delivered by a very grateful audience.  To which I say, bravo!

Terrific students make for terrific programs, events

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!

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

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!

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