i'm walkin', yes, indeed

Tonight marked the fourth time that I've participated in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Light The Night" walk.
As part of the support group from Armstrong State University, representing the College of Science and Technology, I was team captain of the "Cheering Scientists Toward a Cure" bunch.
I originated the team name, with some help from Cynthia Graves, in 2011, our first year of participation as a group.
Here's the team page and my page.
Even though the event is over in Savannah, donations are always welcomed for the cause!

Here I am with my dear friend, Marilyn O'Mallon. She and I have known each other a LONG time.
She was a student of mine, once upon a time, earning her Bachelor's degree in Nursing.
Now, she has a doctorate and is a faculty member in the College of Health Professions. Here's her team's page for the walk.

She had asked me to be a team captain last year and I had accepted.
After all, I had been part of the Chemistry & Physics Department for almost two decades.
Getting folks there to support the cause should be fairly easy, right?

Silly me!

At least
I had
the good sense
to create
my own
T-shirt
in honor of
the event!




By the week of the Walk this year, I knew I would not earn a lighted balloon to carry, the LLS' commemorative T-shirt to wear, or the title "Champion for Cure". All I needed for that title was a mere hundred dollars to be donated to my page.
I did try to earn the funds.
I sent emails to the professors in each department of my college, to alert them to the team and to request support, either by joining the team or providing funds. I challenged them to give up the cost of just one cup of coffee, one fast food meal, one 6" sub.
I graced bulletin boards in the Science Center with posters of the event. (Just like the one above!)
Two students from CST joined the team.
No one, except me, donated any money.
That's right.
No contributions from Engineering.
No contributions from Biology.
No contributions from Computer Science & Information Technology.
No contributions from Psychology.
No contributions from Mathematics.
No contributions (except mine) from Chemistry & Physics.

Yeah, that last one was disappointing, but hardly surprising.
Still, I had hoped for at least some token support.

I had even appealed to my family and friends, in person, via emails, and by use of facebook requests.
No takers.
Rather, no givers.
(smile)

That's okay.
There's always next year.

name change swag!

What's in a name?
Quite a bit, as you well know.
Armstrong Atlantic State University is no more.
Long live Armstrong State University!
Everyone calls it simply "Armstrong" anyway, and have since the school's inception as Armstrong State College. That is evidenced nowhere more strongly than in the name of its website, predating its promotion from college to university.
That promotion in status was the impetus for the name change, about fourteen years ago. You see, a geographical locator was deemed mandatory for all state universities in the Georgia system.
Now, of course, that has been repealed, no doubt because of a change in the membership of the Board of Regents.

I was on campus for the Fall Convocation. As I've said before, I do enjoy these pep talks!
This time was a little different.
This time, President Linda Bleicken was reiterating to one and all that we are, always have been, and will continue to be, a teaching university.
Believe me, there are tenured instructors here who think we are primarily research oriented.
No.
The students are not here to perform research for the instructors' benefit.
The instructors are here to encourage the students to explore a different dimension of the learning process, to better serve the sutdents.
The instructors are here for the benefit of the students.
Period.
This is not a new message from her.
However, this time, she means to get tough on violators.
She has enhanced communication between her office and the deans, between her office and the student government, between her office and the faculty senate, between her office and the department heads.
That's a two-way communication along those avenues.
She intends for the deans to have better intracollegiate communication, too. In other words, any faculty member who insists that they are "special" might want to look for work elsewhere.
As have some of the deans and administrators already.
Me?
I fully support her, as I always have.
I believe in what she wants to accomplish here.
Why?
Because she is restoring the school to the one I so loved attending, to the one I have so enjoyed as an instructor.
Well, except for the past few years, after the current department head took over. I still enjoy teaching, but not my interactions with him or with the "department" secretary. Primarily, she acts as his guard dog, there to drive away all but the staunchest applicants for his favor. That's not how she started out, but it is something that developed over the past few years. You know, ever since he became department head.

Today, as part of the celebration of a new school term and a new name, gifts were being bestowed upon attendees.
A lunch bag or a drink mug?
Lunch bag, please!
Now, I will have two to choose from!
Oh!
Even better!
I can use the Armstong bag to keep cool items cool and the Red Cross bag for the hot ones!
(Think about it. You'll get it...)
Makes sense to me!
(smile)

celebrate, with fireworks

Make a wish!
Galaxies colliding!
UFO!
So many wonderful fireworks patterns!

The university was celebrating its alumni past, present, and future, this past weekend and culminated the event with the first-ever, on-campus, fireworks display extraordinaire.
Nice!

I had finally decided that I would, after all, throw myself out of the house, and southward, on that chilly Saturday night.

So, in typical short-notice style, I had invited my first niece and her current kids to join me there for the event. After all, we all enjoy fireworks!

Amazingly, she and the two boys were able to meet me there.
Yeah!

And such a fabulous show it was!
I think it may have lasted twenty minutes - maybe more!






Afterward, we stopped for some FRESH! HOT!
You know what I mean!
But in between the fireworks and the doughnuts, we met the firefighters who were there to chase stray embers.
The younger boy really enjoys meeting firemen and police officers.
They all shook his hand and he was able to climb up into the cab of the fire engine and pose for pictures of him "driving".

We must have visited with them for almost thirty minutes.
Thanks, Bobby, for your cheerful patience!
And for the toot of the siren as y'all left campus - you made a 7-year-old so very happy!