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.