I spent a great day today visiting the Gulf Coast campus. The occasion was a reception to honor Dr. Tom Lansford, the new academic dean for the Coast. Lansford, a veteran Coast faculty member (political science), is a longtime colleague. When he and I were both associate deans in the College of Arts & Letters, I had the pleasure of witnessing his able leadership first-hand. He'll be a first-rate dean for the Coast campus.
The day was also an occasion to touch base with Dr. David Holt, a geography faculty member who is also the coordinator of Senior Honors on the Coast. We named David to the position last year with the intention of attracting more students into Honors. We've had good success so far, and I'm certain David's drive and energy will result in growing numbers of Senior Honors students in coming years. (In Senior Honors, students complete an honors thesis and pass a comprehensive exam in their major field.)
David and I enjoyed po-boy sandwiches at Lil' Ray's in downtown Long Beach, then adjourned to the reception to throw in our applause for Tom and mingle with Coast colleagues over punch and cake.
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