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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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.