President’s Blog
A Myriad of Choices
February 16, 2009
Dear Campus Community:
I sat in the Music Recital Hall Sunday afternoon, enjoying a concert by the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers. The hall was packed; the music was glorious. Outside, despite the chilly wind, daffodils were beginning to show their first green shoots.
I know that difficult times are with us; probably even more challenging times lie ahead. However, I am uplifted and amazed at the rich opportunities offered by this university and this region. It's hard to choose among the offerings, so rich is the schedule of events.
The concert was just one example: our faculty bringing together students, faculty, and community members in a splendid two hours of Mozart, Handel, and Haydn.
Last week, faculty from Biology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Psychology, and University Seminar attracted hundreds of folks from on and off campus to celebrate Darwin's birthday in a series of lectures. On Saturday, Rogue Valley Community Television and SOU broadcast a seven-hour program "Oregon Stories: Remembering Southern Oregon" to commemorate Oregon's 150th birthday.
Meanwhile, on Friday, our women's basketball team won their twelfth consecutive game, defeating Northwest Christian 75-66 at McNeal Pavilion. And, on Saturday, our fifth-ranked wrestling team routed Pacific University 53-0 in the final dual of the season.
The list of events goes on and on. Dennis Powers spoke to the campus about his book Taking the Sea: Perilous Waters, Sunken Ships, and the True Story of the Legendary Wrecker. All week the Music Recital Hall was bustling with visiting musicians—from a visiting pianist from Guanajuato to high school bands to the Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra. The Schneider Museum of Art continues to delight and amaze with Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. Hannon Library is displaying an exhibit of Oregon's Native American heritage. The Theatre Arts Department opened its first winter term production, Dick Whittington and His Amazing Cat. And this is just a portion of the events we had to choose from last week.
The offerings this week are just as bountiful. Despite the challenges facing us, this university does an amazing job of connecting with and contributing to the external community—while creating a myriad of opportunities for all of us to learn, enjoy, and be uplifted.
Thank you, everyone!
Mary Cullinan
