President’s Blog
Opening of the year
October 08, 2007
Renee Fisk recently sent a wonderful thank-you message to the campus highlighting the faculty, staff, and students who participated in making Civic Engagement Day such a great success. I have included her message below because she expresses so many of the things I want to say.
I don’t think the SOU community fully realizes the tremendous efforts everyone has made over the past six months to recruit, support, and welcome the new students to our campus. We know individual parts but not the whole. Civic Engagement Day was one huge piece. The planning was extensive and intense—from contacting agencies to arranging transportation to ensuring students reflected meaningfully on the important role they each play in their new community.
But what about the classroom experiences? On September 21, Alena Ruggerio challenged our new students to consider how to create an educated community in a convocation address on the role of language in shaping thought. About two dozen faculty then led small–group discussions designed to prepare students for the interactions we expect of them in the classroom.
At the same time, there were classroom experiences for parents and families. Families got to participate in mini–classes—like Greer Markle’s Visual Art as a Form of Knowledge, Rich Lang’s Essential Wisdom for Creative Living, Lee Ayers’s CSI:SOU, and Dennis Dunleavy’s My Wired World. Families left SOU with a fuller appreciation of what will be expected of their daughters and sons.
And what about the food? Our catering folks prepared a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception for parents, several picnics for new students, and a salmon bake in cooperation with the Native American Student Union and Native American Studies——not to mention food from breakfasts to late–night activities throughout the new student orientation events. The Schneider Museum of Art was open for a special preview of this fall’s exhibit on minimalism.
And then our enrollment services folks: they have been reorganizing, cross–training, and moving into their new spaces at the same time that students were converging on campus. There are many heroes in this story.
And, of course, work has been going on all year to create this freshman class. The first year matters. Our data and best practices are clear—we must use the recruitment process to teach students how to take charge of their learning. This really is the beginning of our retention efforts. Many, many people worked on Preview Weekends, as well as Raider Registrations. And, throughout the year, faculty, staff, and students called prospective students and their families. Many parents told me those calls are what sold their students on SOU.
And then there was summer advising. Each new student received one–on–one advising this year. Faculty helped students choose their courses and gave them a better understanding of both the academic challenge and the academic support they’d receive at SOU. This group of students is better–prepared to face the rigors of their freshman year than any other group of first–year students I have seen.
And there’s more. On September 10, inspired by Jonathan Eldridge’s leadership and with the assistance of our amazing grounds crew, nearly seventy–five staff and faculty worked on campus cleanup. Folks weeded, swept, pruned, raked, and cleaned to get the campus ready for the new academic year. It was an amazing effort—and it truly made a visible difference for the families and students coming to campus.
I can’t begin to list all of the people who have contributed to recruit and engage the SOU Class of 2011—from our Bookstore staff to the office managers who welcome them to their new homes. Every day, in each interaction we have with any student, we impact their potential success. You have gone above and beyond—and our students will greatly benefit from your work. A sincere thank–you to everyone.
Mary Cullinan
Greetings,
Civic Engagement Day last Saturday was a huge success! Five hundred new students participated at twenty sites around our Rogue Valley community. We continue to hear great stories of the day from our community partner agencies and from the students who participated in the projects.
I want to take a moment to thank the amazing members of the committee who were involved in the planning of this day for many months now. Deb Myers, Pam Ogren, Dee Perez, Ryan Green, Jody Waters, and Chanel Sniffen all helped create and then carry out the vision for Civic Engagement Day.
Many faculty and administrators also participated right alongside our new students. Their involvement was integral to the success of the day. Big thanks to Mada Morgan, Eva Skuratowicz, Kathy McNeill, Carol Ferguson, Lee Ayers, Cody Bustamante, Diana Versluis, Irv Lubliner, Jean Maxwell, Echo Fields, Paul Steinle, Terry DeHay, Angela Huftill, Alice Geankoplis, Lois Debruno, Gail Patton, Marianna Bogomolny, Preston Moser, John Richards, Anne Chambers, Jon Eldridge, Sue Walsh, Craig Stillwell, Dan Morris, Peter Weston, Alma Rosa Alvarez, Josie Wilson, Laura O’Bryon, Elsa Cabrera, Dan DeNeui, Laura Jones, Diane Potratz, Marvin Woodard, Janelle Wilson, Bill Smith, and Claire Cross.
We look forward to continuing the tradition of Civic Engagement Day next year!
Have a happy fall!
Sincerely,
Renee Fisk
Civic Engagement Coordinator
