I have scheduled a Brown Bag Town Meeting for March 2 from 12:00 to 1:00 in the Thad Cochran Center Ballroom.  The chairpersons from the University Priorities Committee will be reporting on the group's progress.  Come early and get a good seat.

Any words I might use to describe last Friday's Southern Miss Symphony performance would surely fail to describe the brilliance of the evening. According to one of our faculty members in attendance, the event was "incandescent." Kudos to director, Jay Dean, and his talented staff for a magical night that will not be soon forgotten.

We have been looking forward to this day for a long time. Tonight, world-renown soprano, Renee Fleming, will provide an unforgettable start to a host of events celebrating our university's centennial anniversary.

Accompanied by the Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Fleming (known as the Voice of the Century) will perform selections from some of the world's most beloved operas.

While tonight's performance will undoubtedly be a magical experience for our audience, it will provide a profound life-changing experience for our students who will be sharing the stage with an internationally acclaimed artist.

Southern Miss has long been committed to high-quality arts events that enrich lives.  As we celebrate tonight's performance, we are also reaffirming our legacy of excellence.

I met with the USM Website Redesign Team last week and was impressed with their progress thus far. We discussed Phase I priorities which include hi-level site map organization, sites we like (as identified by the focus groups), strategies and timeline. With very tight resources, we are set to move forward because of the tremendous cooperation among campus stakeholders. The team will be "borrowing" people and resources from several units across campus to move us to a good outcome.

Questions about our progress? Contact Geoff.LoCicero@usm.edu.

Just heard from Brett Kemker, Assistant Provost for Student Success and Retention, that our fall to spring retention rate is up - the best in 9 years.  Retention has been an important area of focus for the past couple of years.  Seems our efforts are paying off.

I have been on the road a good bit this year with the folks from student recruitment. Visiting local high schools and talking with students about Southern Miss is one of the highlights of my week. This month's visits have included: Gulfport High School, St. Patrick's Catholic High School, McGill-Toolan High School (Mobile) and Baker High School (Mobile).

Yesterday's stop at Clinton High School was especially delightful. A revved up bunch of seniors and juniors cheered our arrival and listened attentively as we talked about Southern Miss. Melissa Cirino (former SGA president), Annie Ellis (a Southern Miss freshmen and CHS alum) and Matthew Godfrey (area recruiter and CHS alum) gave passionate testimony on behalf of the university.

Dr. Eddie Peasant (CHS Principal and Southern Miss grad) hosted a lovely reception, giving us an opportunity for quality time with some talented prospects.  Look for some of their best "Class of 10" to enroll with us in the fall.

Our very first Centennial event appropriately involved a reunion of alumni.  Former basketball players and coaches returned to campus to renew friendships, relive old times and marvel at the changes that have occurred over the past 10-50 years.  Reed Green coliseum sported our new Centennial logo and hosted a terrific competition against Memphis.

 

Shortly before the holidays, we kicked off a new initiative:  the Southern Miss Website redesign. Approximately 70 people from across campus donated their time to participate in 3-hour advisory sessions. Attendees were people who have direct involvement with various websites across campus. Their assignment was to help define characteristics of a "best in class" website for the university. The results of the advisory sessions will be used to develop a new, improved Southern Miss website.

Next steps: our web team will hold a project planning meeting January 7 - 8. Outcomes of this meeting will determine the scope of work, project plan and production timelines. Phase 1 of the redesign will be completed by August 1, with subsequent phases to be completed by December 2010. The web redesign is being led by Geoff Locicero, Southern Miss Director of Web Services.

As we approach the formidable task of finding a new Campus Executive Officer for Southern Miss Gulf Coast, it may interest you to know a few facts about that campus:

• Current enrollment 3000+. That's as large or larger than three of our sister state universities.
• Current enrollment is the highest ever for that campus and reflects double-digit growth over the past three years.
• Potential growth in the area is high.

Future development of the university's Gulf Coast operations is a top priority of the university, the IHL Board of Trustees and the state. I have discussed this opportunity with numerous stakeholders and have agreed to restore the position to Executive Cabinet status.

We will begin to search in earnest at the start of the New Year. Joe Paul, VP for Student Affairs, will lead a national search for an individual with a clear vision for Southern Miss Gulf Coast, a deep understanding of higher education, an ability to connect with community and demonstrated fundraising experience (among other attributes). The search committee is currently being formed.

Charge to the University Priorities Committee, December 15, 2009

The purpose of the newly formed University Priorities Committee is to examine all areas of the University for potential cost savings and make recommendations to the President and Provost as to how to achieve those savings.

A detailed outline for accomplishing this formidable task is included in the UPC Proposal that you all have reviewed. This is a thoughtful plan, approved by your constituent leaders, imbued with good rationale and inspired by best practices at other institutions.

I look forward to working with you as you proceed with this important work. Please let me, or other members of the Executive Cabinet, know in what ways we can be of good assistance.

As you proceed, please be mindful that the recommendations you are making will shape this university for years to come. Your participation on the UPC is a commitment to the university as a whole.

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for the work you are about to do. I appreciate your dedication to Southern Miss.