A pleasant and productive summer

Summer 2015 was pleasant and productive for Bloomsburg University and for me as president. Significant university accomplishments included:

• three successful summer sessions with enrollment equal to summer 2014
• the arrival of Dr. Robert Aronstam, dean of the College of Science and Technology, and Dr. Jeffery Krug, dean of the College of Business
• completion of the first Bloomsburg University Action Plan, which I presented to the State System Board of Governors
• successful projects completed by six undergraduates under the guidance of faculty mentors and support of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (URSCA) grants
• and the State System Board of Governors’ approval of a new major in Supply Chain Management

The summer’s personal highlight for Robbie and me was spending a week with all three of our children and all seven grandchildren at our home in a beautiful canyon in northcentral Washington.

Unfortunately, the fall semester did not begin as smoothly for me. I was involved in a significant vehicle accident, caused by severe anaphylactic shock in response to multiple yellow jacket stings. Luckily, no one was injured, including me.

However, I spent the weekend in Geisinger Medical Center in Danville due to the severity of the anaphylactic shock. I am now completely back to full health.

In addition to my day-to-day activities on campus, the fall semester started with meetings with special groups and other opportunities to represent our university. These included:

• hosting new and continuing members of the Presidential Leadership Program (PLP) at Buckalew
• meeting with students during the third annual Meet the President Day on the Academic Quad, sponsored by CGA
• focusing on enrollment management and the university budget in these trying fiscal times during the fall retreat and meeting of the Council of Trustees
• participating in insider campaign training for our It’s Personal comprehensive capital campaign
• taking part in a presidents’ breakfast meeting and town hall meeting in Harrisburg on proposed changes in the Middle States Accreditation Process
• and representing Bloomsburg on a panel with five other university presidents on Small Schools, Big Medicine: Working Together and Opportunities for Collaboration as part of Geisinger’s Centennial Celebration conference on A Century of Transformation and Innovation

During the coming week I will host the fall retreat for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Board of Directors at Bald Eagle State Park with Steve Murray, commissioner. I serve as chair of the board, which is composed of the presidents of the 18 universities in the conference.

Also this week, Robbie and I will host a reception for the recently tenured and promoted faculty at Buckalew, I will hold my first “Fireside Chat” with the new and continuing members of the Presidential Leadership Program and, on Friday, I will participate in the inauguration of Dr. G.F. “Jody” Harpster as Shippensburg University’s 16th president.

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