Phase two of the plan begins this fall.  We've hired an experienced videographer and editor (the director of our university's former Broadcasting and Media Services unit) to help us create and distribute podcasts for all of our programs. Soon these will begin to show up on departmental websites so that we can share our story with potential students and their families.  We will also mail out our first-ever college alumni magazine this fall. One of many truly enjoyable parts of my job as dean is  being part of the team that tells everyone about the engaging and innovative things that are happening in the College of Arts and Letters. 

At the same time that we work to make room for all the new freshman and transfer students, we also take time to check on our continuing students. Have they all managed to get registered for fall classes? Are they still on track to graduate? Summer is a great time to touch base with these students and make sure they have the information and support they need from us so that they, too, can return to classes in the fall term.  It's funny to think about in the heat of July, but "the fall" term is actually just a little over a month away!

But how, I wondered, do we demonstrate to the public the "quality" of our teaching? I would resist any effort at calling our students a "product" and so, too, I'd resist efforts to say that our students are the primary evidence of our teaching quality. (Certainly our students' success points to our effectiveness.)  Upon reflection, I think the "quality" of our teaching can be seen in a number of ways. We can show the experience and preparation of our faculty. We can highlight their great care and concern for students both inside and beyond the classroom. We can draw attention to faculty efforts to actively engage students in the research and learning so vital to post-secondary education.

In the end, I also want to be sure that we focus some attention on our faculty as the genuinely kind, helpful, and generous people that they happen to be. I don't believe it is an accident that so many of our faculty take leadership roles in civic, community, and religious groups. They volunteer countless hours to local, state, and national causes. They care, and they care deeply, about improving our world for the next generation. As I continue to develop a communications plan for the College of Arts and Letters, I intend to make efforts at telling the story of our wonderful faculty a central theme. 

By all accounts, the effects on arts program enrollment, on arts outreach to the community, on downtown revitalization, and on quality of life for students and others who live and work in the downtown area has been spectacular.  Administrators at CSU told us the project was not accomplished without its share of challenges to overcome!  Yet everyone agreed it was well worth doing. 

I am so pleased to be a part of the ongoing development of arts education in our own downtown community.  Hopefully one day soon, our students can experience the same kind of living/learning community as that enjoyed by students at Columbus State.

In many ways, we are grappling with similar issues here at Southern Miss. Tomorrow and Thursday I'll spend a great deal of time with the strategic enrollment management team trying to figure out how we build upon the past success of our university while moving us forward strategically.  I'll also talk to the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association about our plans for the old Hattiesburg High School property. I'm convinced that old things can serve new functions beautifully.

External grants and contracts are an important source of support for research initiatives ranging  from archaeological digs to music educational outreach.  Some grants may have restrictive criteria or requirements that make them an unattractive option for us, but most provide needed resources and support with no drawbacks. Many times the opportunity to receive funding can take faculty members' research in exciting new directions.

Finding and writing applications for grants is time-consuming work, and it is potentially very valuable to the university. Kudos to all those who researched, wrote and received funding via grants and contracts.

On the Hattiesburg campus, I have attended several recent meetings discussing the long-term goal of moving some of our arts programs into the Old Hattiesburg High School building once the historic downtown association (which owns the building) has completed its recovery and renovations at the site.

These are longer-term plans, but we are also in discussions about short-term plans to bring a greater presence for our arts programs in downtown Hattiesburg this year. We hope to offer several significant events/exhibits in the downtown area, and as soon as those plans are firm I will share more details here.