Computer Science Professor Receives Fulbright Scholar Award

Professor Vladimir Zanev will teach in Bulgaria next fall as a participant in the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Zanev will take a sabbatical from the TSYS School of Computer Science in CSU's Turner College of Business to be able to take advantage of his U.S. Scholar Grant in the Fulbright program. He will serve as a visiting lecturer at the University of Mining and Geology in Sofia, the capital of the southeastern European nation.

Susan Hrach Wins Regents' Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award

Special congratulations are due to our colleague Dr. Susan Hrach, professor of English and director of CSU's Faculty Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, for winning the coveted Felton Jenkins Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award.

It's the first time that one of our faculty has been honored in such a grand fashion by the state Board of Regents. This is exceptional recognition for Dr. Hrach, who was praised for her work in three major areas: reading and assessing literature in translation with core curriculum students; analyzing the historical and cultural function of translated literature with upper-level students; and managing culture shock in study abroad programs.

Beethoven Project Breathtaking; Hear all of his Violin-Piano Sonatas

Last night, three of professor Sergiu Schwartz's violin students -- Diego Gabete, (Spain), Tian Xu (China) and Boris Abramov (Israel) -- were accompanied by professor Alex Kobrin's student, Alina Sarkisyan (Russia). They performed, respectively, Beethoven's Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Sonata No. 9 in A Major and Sonata No. 7 in C Minor.

These students' performances were breathtaking. Alina volunteered to perform, over three weeks, all 10 of the Beethoven sonatas for piano and violin. This incredible commitment to her peers and CSU's Schwob School of Music is remarkable. My thanks go to these faculty mentors and these wonderful students. I'm looking forward to evenings two and three.

Elixir of Love Performance Showcases Music, Theatre

On Sunday, Lauren and I had the extraordinary opportunity to see The Elixir of Love, by Gaetano Donizetti, presented by our Schwob School of Music and performed at the RiverCenter's world-class Bill Heard Theatre.

Professor Joseph Golden was artistic director, maestro Paul Hostetter conducted, J.J. Hudson was stage director and professor Constantina Tsolainou managed chorus preparation. The CSU Philharmonic orchestra students were truly exceptional, and the cast and chorus were so very talented.

This great collaboration between music and theatre in the College of the Arts rocked RiverCenter and provided an important glimpse into the depth of talent in our student population and the impact of our faculty. For three hours, we remained riveted to our seats, and our only regret was when the final curtain fell.

Kudos to all involved in this great performance.

Board of Regents Meeting Emphasizes Priorities

I was delighted to be joined at today's monthly Board of Regents meeting in Atlanta by Dr. Pat Hogan, executive officer of the Faculty Senate; Dr. Sheri Noviello, director of the School of Nursing; Tom Helton, our vice president for business and finance; and John Lester, assistant vice president for University Relations.

This was a busy meeting as the Regents approved the consolidation of eight institutions into four. The meeting was also significant because it was the first with Regent William “Dink” H. NeSmith Jr. as chair, and he opened the meeting emphasizing three priorities of the University System of Georgia:

• Complete College Georgia. With this incredibly important initiative, Georgia is one of 30 state participants in the Complete College America Program, which hopes to graduate an additional 200,000-plus students over the next seven years with certificates, two- and-or four-year degrees. It is driven by retention, progression and graduation, and nothing is more important to the USG.
• Good stewardship. With 315,000 students, 40,000 faculty and staff, the USG budget exceeds $7 billion. We are absolutely responsible for ensuring prudent use of resources as we move forward.
• Economic development. The USG is committed to creating more jobs. USG is a major driver of economic development, and we along with the State of Georgia need a global brand.

Regent NeSmith emphasized that this will only happen with teamwork.

This is a tremendous and important challenge for all 31 USG institutions.

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.