Great weekend closes semester

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.