President’s Blog
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
March 17, 2009
Dear Campus Community:
We can't avoid it; the news is depressing. Every day we hear bigger and bigger numbers—numbers we can't imagine. Budget shortfalls, foreclosures, and job losses fill the news and our conversations. We await bad budget forecasts and then learn that the next one will be worse. We're all feeling nervous, not sure what bad news will hit next.
And yet, for me, it remains a thrill to walk across our Ashland campus and enter our building in Medford. It's hard to stay depressed when I see so many people doing great things.
We've been conducting several faculty and staff searches, and so I've been able to see ourselves through the eyes of an exceptional group of job candidates. Visiting candidates meet our students, see the work we have done together as a campus, hear about the university throughout the region—and they tell me over and over what a special place this is.
Even my visits to Salem this year have had uplifting moments. Legislators and their staff frequently recount the good things they hear about SOU. Many know (or are related to) current SOU students or graduates. Increasingly, legislators from outside our immediate area are coming to understand our critical importance to this region.
I'm also elated when I hear from community members—business owners, teachers, retired folks, parents of high school students, and others—about SOU's strong, positive presence in the Rogue Valley. Our students are impressive, and people are noticing.
The work many faculty, staff, and students are doing to connect SOU with the broader community is reaping great benefits. Community members are still praising last month's Darwin Week. Many people generously and enthusiastically support our athletic events and artistic performances.
In April, we will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of our relationship with the city and the University of Guanajuato. In May, I hope many community members will join us for SOAR II. These events serve as windows into the world of this remarkable university. They help the wider community connect with us and appreciate what we do.
Even more importantly, events like these help to remind us all why we're here. And they serve to lift our spirits during these challenging times.
Mary Cullinan
