President's Blog

Graduation Reflects Lots of Outstanding Work by Many

Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 3:20pm -- Graduation represents what Columbus State is all about, and our 106th commencement on Monday was no exception. It’s also rewarding to get good reviews for a ceremony that, by its nature, must exceed two hours.

One local VIP noted Monday’s graduation was his first at CSU. He and others enjoyed stories of a few graduates we shared – from one older student who got help from our faculty returning to college after a disastrous academic start years earlier, finally realizing his dream of following in his parents’ footsteps as a teacher, to the biology major who won national recognition for her research in Alaska, helping her earn a full ride assistantship for a University of Hawaii Ph.D. program.

“The program was outstanding, and we enjoyed every moment,” the VIP wrote in an email. “The personal stories done at the beginning of the program added a personal touch to the graduation experience. We are so proud of you and your fine institution. Kudos on a job well done!”

Another email, from a parent, mentioned music provided by CSU’s Trumpet Ensemble and our graduation speaker, Dink NeSmith, chair of our state Board of Regents.

”I just wanted to take a brief moment to tell you how much my husband and I enjoyed the ceremony last evening,” the parent wrote. “The speaker was delightful and `right on’ with his remarks, the music was wonderful, and the faculty comments were brief and appropriate. My husband and I especially enjoyed your `spotlight' section on selected students. Thank you for your commitment to excellence in education and for ensuring my daughter gets a great education. She is starting grad school next week, and I look forward to her next graduation at CSU, when she earns her master’s degree.”

Another writer summed up his thoughts succinctly as a graduate student’s parent, supporter and volunteer: “You were on your `A’ game last night. Great job and thanks for your leadership!!!”

We appreciate those kind words, but I have to share credit for commencement –- from faculty who plan the ceremony to behind-the-scenes logistics staff handling audio, video and other technical details. We had one person on our staff who spent Monday morning setting up chairs for the students awarded more than 960 degrees. On Monday night, that staffer was able to fill a couple of those chairs as she got her associate’s degree and her son got his bachelor’s degree. Now she’s got her sights set on a bachelor’s degree, too.

My thanks go to everyone at Columbus State and beyond who makes such happy endings possible.

Happy 10th Anniversary to CSU Servant Leadership

Tueday, April 30, 2013 at 7:17pm -- I just had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 10th anniversary celebration of the Columbus State University's Servant Leadership program.

Dr. Stuart Rayfield, CSU's Frank Brown Distinguished Chair in Servant Leadership, directs an extraordinary program in a city named by the Greenleaf Center as the first Servant Leadership City in the U.S. At today's celebration, the 24 graduating seniors in the CSU program discussed their experiences and their yearlong project, yielding 1,500 volunteer hours. The celebration also revisited annual projects from the first nine years of the program.

This special program, now includes both the baccalaureate scholars as well as an M.S. program that focuses on servant leadership as well. My sincere thanks go to all involved in this wonderful initiative.

Rocking the House with 360 Degrees of Music

Tueday, April 9, 2013 at 8:50pm -- Congratulations to the Columbus State University Choral Union, the Trumpet Ensemble, the Trombone Octet and the Trombone Choir for their exceptionally powerful concert, Surround Sound: 360 Degrees of Music.

Special thanks to professors Constantina Tsolainou, Robert Murray and Bradley Palmer for their teaching and conducting on behalf of this event at our own Legacy Hall. The hall was packed with patrons of all ages, and the music was wonderful.

Berlin Study Abroad Program Offers Powerful Lessons

Tueday, April 9, 2013 at 6:55pm -- A special shout-out goes to professors Mariko Izumi (Communication) and Carmen Skaggs (English) for their exceptional work in orchestrating an incredibly powerful study abroad experience, a Berlin-based course focused on "Memorializing the Holocaust." Last night I attended a series of incredible presentations by our talented students who recently returned from a spring break trip to Germany. The poetry readings, digital storytelling and counter-monument presentations were exceptional. I remain most impressed by the power of what takes place in our classrooms and the enormous benefits of study abroad.

Hunter Lecturer Astronaut Enlightens, Helps CSU Celebrate Center Donation

Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 8:27pm -- This year's Hunter Lecture featured Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr., the first African American astronaut to walk in space. The lecture coincided with an incredibly powerful conference, NeXtGen STEM: Innovative Solutions for Tomorrow's Emerging Workforce.

As a special bonus, Dr. Harris appeared at our Coca-Cola Space Science Center, where Dr. Shawn Cruzen and team announced a $250,000 gift from MeadWestvaco to support continued expansion of the center, as well as to honor its unveiling of the NASA space shuttle nozzle. On campus, Dr. Harris spoke to close to 1,000 high school students from Columbus to Atlanta and mesmerized them with his epic stories of space, including traveling over 7 million miles!

Southern Literary Festival Speakers Enthrall; Organizers Recognized

Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 8:23pm -- What a weekend! Columbus State University had the distinct pleasure of hosting the extraordinary 2013 Southern Literary Festival and bringing to the campus and community such luminaries as Natasha Tretheway, the nation's poet laureate.

Also speaking at the festival were fiction writer Kevin Wilson, poet Daniel Albergotti, nonfiction writer Madge McKeithen and Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried, our First Year Experience common reading for 2012-2013.

My sincere thanks go to CSU professors Nick Norwood, Aaron Sanders and Terry Irvin, as well as the Department of English, for their exceptional work in orchestrating this important event. I had the pleasure of hearing O'Brien twice, once on campus and again at the Springer Opera House. His talks were powerful and moving.

Computer Science Professor Receives Fulbright Scholar Award

Monday, March 25, 2013 at 5:32pm -- 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

Monday, March 25, 2013 at 3:13pm -- 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

Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 10:03pm -- 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

Tueday, January 15, 2013 at 3:25pm -- 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

Tueday, January 8, 2013 at 9:34pm -- 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

Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 3:36pm -- 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

Sunday, December 2, 2012 at 6:53pm -- 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

Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 6:01pm -- 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

Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 5:59pm -- 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!

Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 5:45pm --

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

Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 5:35pm -- 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

Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 5:32pm -- 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

Tueday, November 6, 2012 at 4:23pm -- 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

Tueday, October 23, 2012 at 2:51pm -- 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.