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Now, of course, that has been repealed, no doubt because of a change in the membership of the Board of Regents.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)

wonderful Wednesday, y'all!

One of the best things about being full-time on campus is being able to attend special pomp-and-circumstance events like the convocation. The event is akin to a Presidential State of the Union address, meant to not only address any weak aspects, but to compliment our good points and inform us on improvements to be made.
And, afterward, there's always a nice lunch. Bonus!
I had arranged to attend, as I'm always up for these events, as I said.
The crux of this meeting concerned the upcoming inspections this spring. The inspectors will be checking to see how the new QEP is working. But also, and of more concern to those in charge, the inspectors will be checking to see how well-known the QEP is on campus. Are the students aware that there is a Quality Enhancement Plan? What about the staff, do they know of it? And, perhaps most importantly, are the faculty well-versed in the basic tenets of First Class? These are questions which keep administrators up at night.
Seriously.
Well, I consider the head administrator a friend of mine. She and I have been chatting over coffee and at events (from tree-planting to art show receptions to wherever we happen to be together), for the past three years and we have found we have several things in common. Nice! We are always sure to give each other a warm hug, too!
So, there we were, chatting post-convocation, and the concern over spreading the word about the QEP arose. Out of nowhere, the words spring out of my mouth: Why not have practice runs on campus before the investigators arrive? Why not have folks get randomly stopped and asked about the QEP? If they don't know, then would be the time to educate them. If they DO know, and can briefly describe First Class, why not reward them with a pin or something that they can show off? You know, give them bragging rights!
Let me tell you, she LOVED the idea! Much excitement! She called over others to have them note the idea and made sure they wrote my name, too. Wow! And soon it was being determined what type of reward... pins would be good, pins that maybe said "First Class"... and what a boon it would be to surprise the investigators with an informed and active community before their very eyes!
Sometimes, I have no idea what my mind is coming up with next. Like that time I was talking about the chairs in my dining room being in an aromatic configuration...
Bit I digress.
I can say that those words to the administrator friend were derived from my marriage for fifteen years to a man in advertising, all the while listening to his ideas and concerns and analyses of current ad campaigns.
See, I did listen. Thankfully.
I'll be very interested to see how this works out!
After the luncheon, I resumed my regularly scheduled activities.
And after THAT, I was off to the latest Wednesday night offering by the PFS. Woohoo! Film noir with my bfe! The film was from 1952, "Kansas City Confidential", and was one I had been eagerly anticipating. I'm a fan of noir and the whole good-guy-triumphing-over-evil thing, especially, and although I can't ever seem to match the man's face with his name, I like John Payne, too. He fits right in with old time favorites like Montgomery CLift and Gregory Peck, you know? But in a more rugged, yet more sensitive, style.
So, there I was having a marvelous day, spending the tail end of that day sitting with my bfe watching a good, old, movie, on the couch he had snagged for us at the coffee house. Usually, we were the only ones on the couch; tonight, there was a third, a fellow I had spoken with before about the house tomato soup. I was in the middle.
I like to give my bfe plenty of room. In the past, I've gotten the impression he preferred it that way. Not tonight. When I settled back to watch the movie, I became aware that my arm was touching his... and he was keeping it that way. Then, my arm was allowed to slip down a little farther, and I could feel his chest rising as he breathed. And we stayed that way, amazingly.
I was being nestled.
So very nice.
You know how I am about touch.
And I just settled into his touch there, enjoying his company, breathing the air together, watching an old black and white film made before either of us were born.
How very soothing... and what a marvelous end to my golden day...