August 2007 Archives

I'm putting on my track shoes to get to all the campus activities this weekend.  We'll kick off today with a one-year anniversary party at The Thad Cochran Center.  What an amazing facility...beautifully appointed...where we meet, and eat, and gather.

Next, we'll celebrate LETTERS Day in recognition of our successes in research and scholarship.  The acronym stands for Lives Enriched Through Their Endeavors: Research and Scholarship.  Faculty research has been an important area of growth for the university.  It's fitting that we recognize some outstanding examples.

A few more meetings...and it's ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL!  See you at the fountain tonight and tomorrow's game.

The Children's Center for Communication and Development [ C C C D ] serves the needs of communicatively and developmentally-delayed children through a team-based approach.  I'm having lunch today with the team:  faculty, staff, students, parents and children.  I've looked forward to this all week.

Yesterday's breakfast with the participants at the Marine Aquaculture Economic Development Roundtable reminded me of the significance of our research initiatives.  Aquaculture is big business in the world.  Now, thanks to our researchers at GCRL, it may be big business in Mississippi. 

I wish you could have been there.  Southern Miss Gulf Coast's Convocation Day was the best I've ever attended.  We held it at the newly re-opened Gulf Park campus, just two years after Katrina knocked it out of commission.  We planted the university flag, then adjourned to the much cooler library where we heard from a variety of folks who have pledged to make our offerings on the coast stronger than ever.  I was most proud of the Interim Provost and Deans.  It is on their shoulders that the academic enterprise rests and they are more than equal to the task.  After a moving inspirational talk from faculty member, Allan Eickelmann, we sang a personalized Gulf Coast rendition of This Land Is Your Land.  Words Follow:

"This land is your your land, this land is my land; From John C. Stennis, to Jackson County; From the piney forest, to the gulf stream waters; Southern Miss was made for you and me.

"As I was walking the sandy beaches; I saw above me the golden eagles; I was below me the endless oceans; Southern Miss was made for you and me.

"This land is your land, this land is my land; From John C. Stennis, to Jackson County; From the piney forest, to the gulf stream waters; Southern Miss was made for you and me."

 

(What we lacked in singing ability, we made up for in volume.)

 

It was a great day on the coast yesterday.  We re-opened the Gulf Park campus...two years after Hurricane Katrina wrecked it.  Seeing all those students moving about was like getting a bouquet of flowers.  So beautiful!  We celebrated moving our film program there with a media event and reception.  This is a first step toward a comprehensive Entertainment Industry offering.  Stay tuned!

 Athletes hear about leadership, courage, and faith.

 

Baby Golden Eagles get a taste of what graduation will be like.  Only four more years...!

 "Well, ladies, back when I was a student, just as the earth was cooling..."

They hail from near and far...Hattiesburg, Gulfport, Yazoo, and Bakersfield, California.  Today they're new baby Golden Eagles.  Soon...alums!

 

AY '08 is poised to kick off this week.  Joe and I hosted the new faculty tonight and I was so glad to get to meet them.  One of the best things about working at a university is the opportunity to have true colleagues.  I do hope our newbies bond with each other and us.  We want them to succeed AND we want them to stay to pass the baton to the next generation of educators.

It's Move In Day for our freshmen.  Joe and I will be on hand in our box-totin' clothes with a cooler of cold water for the parents.  Campus parking will be dicey today but the festive atmosphere should compensate for any inconvenience. 

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One of the most prestigious book awards in the world is the Newbery Medal for children's literature.  Our own Ellen Ruffin, curator for the deGrummond Children's Literary Collection here at Southern Miss, will have a hand in deciding on the winner.  She has been elected by her peers to serve on the selection committee in 2009.  This is an important honor for her and reflects positively on the work she and her colleagues are doing. 

 

It's IHL Board meeting day.  The team and I are leaving at 6:45 a.m. to arrive in time.  I'm thankful for a volunteer driver who is even more of a morning person than I am. 

I'm not sure how she managed it, but a woman was going the wrong way down one-way East Memorial Drive yesterday at noon causing a nasty traffic snarl.  Cars going in the correct direction couldn't back up and she didn't seem inclined to rectify her error by turning into a parking space and getting out of the way.  Must be the heat.

Today is bid day for the young ladies participating in sorority rush -- the last to be held in panhellenic hall.  (It was new when I was a student xx years ago.)  The new Greek village is opening this week with more modern, comfortable quarters.

It's 5:30 a.m. and already 80 degrees.  With highways exploding in Jackson due to the heat, one might be tempted to stay in bed.  But breakfast with a distinguished alum beckons today followed by a packed agenda with the executive staff.  I just hope the AC in the Lucas Building holds out.

I planted my herb garden a little too late in the season for it to get well established before the brutal heat of the summer.  Cilantro succumbed first, followed shortly by Dill.  Thyme and Tarragon are battling valiantly but are looking a little crisp around the edges.  Only Basil seems to be thriving.  Must be some equatorial variety. 

I was really glad to learn of the $2.5 million grant awarded to USM's Institute for Disability Studies.  I visited with Jane Siders and Royal Walker a few weeks ago and was blown away by the impact of their programs on thousands of Mississippians and their families. 

More importantly, they do it all on soft money -- a major juggling act.  Stable funding from the state would enable IDS to continue its great work without fear of interruption.  Check them out at www.usm.edu/ids.

 

This from the national news...while the rest of us were struggling to cram all our important liquids into a quart-size baggie, a man smuggled a monkey into LaGuardia Airport under his hat.  I know there's a lesson in all this but it's too hot to wrestle with it today.

Speaking of hot, I don't know who is suffering more today -- the candidates who put up a valiant fight but did not win their primaries or the folks who did and are facing more door-to-door campaigning in the August heat and humidity.

It's election day in Mississippi!  Joe and I will vote at Thames School as soon as the polls open.  This will be particularly satisfying for me.  The last time I lived here I was ineligible -- too young -- the voting age was 21 at the time.

I'm speaking to 3 Rotary Clubs this week.  The Hattiesburg Rotary Club, The McComb Rotary Club, and The Edgewater Rotary Club on the coast.  I always look forward to the questions after my talks  -- they run the gamut and keep me on my toes.

I look forward to Mondays now that I've reserved them for spending time with my staff and staying on campus.  It's good to be around smart people who know how to do their jobs.

Last night's dinner with new friends was amazing.  Authentic Middle Eastern fare prepared to perfection.  It's nice to know people who've been places.

It was hard to put down Deathly Hallows knowing there will be no more Harry Potter books to enjoy.  I read the last couple of chapters twice (needed closure) but it's time to get back on the horse I suppose.  My "to read" stack includes Water for Elephants which was recommended highly by my procurer of books. 

 

So far, the two highlights of my week have been lunch with a friend during which we discussed children, husbands and fun things, and hosting the Miss Hospitality contestants on campus.