Fall 2008 Convocation Address Dr. Jonathan Gibralter Tuesday, October 7, 2008 3:30 p.m., Pealer Recital Hall Convocation Slide Presentation Download Address MP3 for the audio version (32 MB, 1 hour 5 mins)

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today.

You just saw one of our award-winning videos from the Frostburg: Take 5 YouTube contest organized last semester. I wanted to begin today’s Convocation with this video because, well, I thought it was cool and it reminds all of us how much there is to love about Frostburg State University. It also demonstrates that our students are communicating with us using technology and media production that is beyond what many of us grew up with.

As many of you know, Fall Convocation is an opportunity for me to give you an idea of how things are going and set the course for the year ahead. It’s very important to me that you’re part of this conversation and that you’re aware of where we’re going. So thank you for making an effort to stay informed and involved with the future of Frostburg State University.

When I arrived in Frostburg in the summer of 2006, my primary objective was to determine what the most pressing institutional priorities were and to immediately address them. It was just two years ago that Frostburg State University had hit its lowest overall enrollment in 17 years. For many prospective students, this school was seen as a last resort, a fallback option. Academic standards were not as high as they should have been. And FSU was unfairly (or, depending who you’re talking to, fairly) branded with a reckless party school image, where binge drinking was supposedly the norm. I think it’s safe to say that there were many faculty and staff here who felt disconnected from the administration and its priorities. I also feel it’s truthful to say that this institution was struggling with ongoing problems involving salary equity, benefits and limited professional development opportunities.

I did what the president of any promising institution does: I took my time and listened to your concerns. I assessed our strengths and organized a talented team within my administration. Most importantly, I tried to find a balance between preserving that which was most important about our cultural heritage and what was necessary to move Frostburg State University into the 21st century.

Today I want to give you a snapshot of how we have progressed over the past 2 years, because things are changing in powerful ways right now. These changes are transforming the direction the University is now taking. And as I tell you where we’re going, I want you all to understand that everyone at Frostburg State University—students, faculty, AND staff-- is part of this journey. I’m deeply appreciative of everything you’ve done to help this institution realize its potential and become greater with each passing year. And I need each of you to remain open to increased campus-wide collaboration and dialogue as we move forward together, because change is an ongoing process.

Let me begin by saying that our enrollment situation is improving. Thanks in no small part to the Enrollment Management Task Force, Admissions and the dedicated faculty and staff who have participated in Open Houses and talked to prospective students and parents at every opportunity. The total enrollment of 5,215 students for fall 2008 is up 305 students from 2006’s enrollment of 4,910. 26 percent are minority students, up from nearly 10 percent in 1994. The number of transfer students also continues to rise—and this is all accompanied by a slight increase in both average SAT scores and high school grade point averages among first-year students (and this needs to be even higher and it will be in the future). We’re also seeing more students returning for a second year: 74 percent of first-year students returned for the 2008-2009 school year, a 7 percent increase from the 67 percent retention rate of 2007-08. So basically, we’re turning our enrollment situation around and being more selective about the students we admit to Frostburg State University. This accomplishes two significant things:

• It communicates to the rest of the world that we’re an institution of higher learning that expects and encourages academic excellence,

• It puts us in a better position to absorb potential budget cuts from the State of Maryland. As tuition revenues grow through increased enrollment, we build a stronger foundation to deal with possible limits to our funding. To put this into context, 2 years ago we started the year with a 2-million-dollar plus financial deficit. This year, now that our enrollment is in full recovery, we begin fiscal year 2009 with a flush budget.
  
  

Being in a stronger, more stable financial position makes it possible for us to reinvest in Frostburg State University’s future. This administration can finally deal with some long-term problems that faculty and staff members have faced for years. Here are some ways we’re successfully changing the professional environment at FSU and responding to our employees’ needs:

• I am very pleased to tell you that, in addition to the normal Cost of Living and merit, we invested $250,000 into equity and establishing base salaries for faculty this year. Tenured and tenure-track faculty, including librarians, are now paid $50,000 or more. Increasing faculty salaries enhances our ability to recruit and retain our faculty, which is especially important in an era when so many long-term professors are retiring. And we intend to continue to address this issue as we move forward. 

• This year, we also doubled the Faculty Development Fund from $25,000 to $50,000. This fund, allocated through the Faculty Development Subcommittee, helps professors attend conferences, pursue their research and grow their careers here. FSU must become a place where our faculty feel reassured that they can meet their goals as academic professionals. 

• In Fall 2007, adjunct salaries were raised $200 per 3-credit course from $1,800 to $2,000. For FY 2009 this has cost us $174,000.

• Frostburg State University would truly suffer without the hard work of our dedicated staff. And, while I know there are still Contingent Category 2 positions out there, I want to assure all of you that you WILL receive a PIN position. Positions are being converted according to USM policy; sooner when financial conditions warrant. The total cost in salary and benefits to convert Contingent II positions to PINS has cost us $361,000 for conversions in 2008 and 2009. We look forward to the day, in the not too distant future, when Contingent Category 2 employment will be a thing of the past.

All full-time employees deserve full benefits for their hard work. The system we have been using to convert positions to PINS, while at times frustrating, has been fair and equitable. I thank all of you for your patience and understanding during this process.

• In addition, we now offer health insurance benefits to Non-Tenure Track full time faculty and retirement benefits according to USM Board of Regents policies. The total cost for 2008 and 2009 to offer these benefits has been over $90,000.

• The total cost of just these investments back into our faculty has been over $900,000 since the fall of 2006. What you all need to understand is these are on-going costs to Frostburg State University. This does not include state-allocated Cost of Living and Merit increases that have been given during this time.

It goes without saying that reinvesting in Frostburg State University also includes addressing long-overdue facility upgrades. FSU MUST provide the right environment for teaching, learning, safety and extracurricular and cultural activities. Here are a couple of areas we’re focusing on to make that happen:

• Since my arrival here, we’ve started modernizing classrooms with better furniture

• We have invested  $816 thousand dollars toward improving air quality in the Fine Arts Building

• The library has a new roof and is getting new carpet

• We are putting new curtains in the stages of the Performing Arts Center this year.

• For the first time since 1985, our Marching Band finally has new uniforms, which they unveiled this weekend during the big Homecoming game.

• We have created new technology-enhanced classrooms and renovated the lecture hall in Dunkle Hall.

• We have improved campus site lighting and installed a campus-wide siren system, improved security to our residence halls by installing card swipe systems and dramatically increased the number of security cameras on campus.

It’s great to be able to move forward on filling these needs for our hardworking campus community so they can focus on having a good educational experience here.

Through their student fees, FSU students are also part of how we are putting our money back into providing a better, more modern campus:

• This month we will award a contract to a construction management firm to begin working on the addition to the Lane University Center. Planning for that addition is currently under way, and construction is slated to begin in Fall of 2009.

The CCIT building and the Education Professions and Health Sciences Center area also on a timeline for planning and construction. CCIT planning began in 2007, and construction is to begin in 2012. We hope the building will open in 2013.

The Education Professions and Health Sciences Center may be a new project to many of you. This building will include various teaching laboratories for state-of-the-art teacher preparation as well as teaching spaces for FSU’s health industry-related programs. The Distance Learning Center and Brady Health may also relocate to this facility. This is due to begin planning in 2009 and begin construction in 2015. We are currently pushing to have this building begin sooner but it is difficult to anticipate in this current fiscal environment.

So basically, we’re trying to reinvest money back into the right places, capitalize on our existing strengths and make FSU a better place to go to school, to work and to build promising careers in higher education.

The future of Frostburg State University is also deeply connected to the ways in which we can continue to position ourselves as a hub of economic development in Western Maryland. I’d like to briefly highlight ongoing progress in this area:

• FSU is fostering a stronger relationship with the City of Frostburg, something that will help Frostburg become more of a college town. Just last week, a branch of the FSU bookstore opened on Main Street in the historic Lyric Building, and the University Advancement offices will open there soon as well. The Lyric Building includes a beautiful old theatre that will once again be available for performances by the FSU arts community and visiting artists. By establishing a presence on Main Street, we ensure students, faculty and staff are a part of the actual City of Frostburg community. We’re also adding to the economic vitality and culture of Frostburg’s downtown.

• Additionally, the City of Frostburg will submit an application for a state-designated Arts & Entertainment District in a few days. This project has involved the support and advocacy of many FSU faculty and staff. If successful, this designation will provide tax incentives to promote the artistic endeavors of the community and encourage additional cultural growth in Frostburg. Key arts venues at FSU and the Lyric Building are all included in this proposed designation, which will also encourage a stronger connection between the University and Downtown Frostburg.

• By now, most of you know that the Allegany Business Center @FSU opened in early 2008. Businesses that choose to locate in ABC@FSU are expected to provide internships and employment to students and engage faculty in collaborative research and testing. By the end of 2008, ABC will be the home of the Western Maryland Small Business Development Center, the Tri-County Council and the United States Geological Survey. This reinforces the position of the University as a strong force in the economic development and gives FSU educational and professional development opportunities.

• Finally, FSU recently established three new academic programs that not only respond to regional workforce needs, but also to the national job market. Frostburg State University now has its very own bachelor’s degree in engineering and a bachelor’s degree in information technology. This fall, FSU also established a Bachelor of Science in nursing completion program, presented in collaboration with Allegany College of Maryland.

I’m sure some of you out there are listening to me talk about economic growth and thinking about what it’s been like to check your retirement accounts over these past few weeks, when this country has experienced an extreme economic downturn. I’m not trying to glaze over the severity of where things are at right now with the economy; I’m obviously deeply concerned about the impact the national economy may have on our budget. I DO want to reassure all of you, however, that FSU is definitely in better shape to deal with proposed budget cuts than it was several years ago. There are no easy answers ... but my administration and I are committed to making informed decisions about how to survive economic hardships. And we intend to communicate these decisions clearly to the campus community. I also want to tell you that even though USM is under a hiring freeze, University Presidents still have the jurisdiction to keep searches open. There are several searches still going on, and we have other areas we can trim in our budget besides employment. Chancellor Kirwan has been working closely with Governor O’Malley to mitigate proposed cuts.

This isn’t the first time Frostburg has faced hard times with the economy.

Despite limited financial resources, the Western Maryland community rose to the challenge to establish a teacher’s college here in 1898, the state normal school that eventually became Frostburg State University. During that time, coal miners contributed what they could to make higher education possible for their families. Sometimes a nickel a paycheck was all they could spare. We’re revisiting FSU’s humble beginning and using it as a call to action in “Staking Our Claim,” FSU’s campaign to raise $15 million. This campaign focuses on three specific themes:

• Student enrichment

• Academic enrichment

• And regional and cultural enrichment

This past Saturday, about 120 of FSU’s major donors were honored at the Leadership Donor Gala, an event marking the public launch of our campaign. We significantly transformed the ARMAH to communicate a strong message about the significance of this campaign and what it will mean for the University. As you can see, the evening was a clear indication that things are not “business as usual” with our fundraising initiatives. The Homecoming and Leadership events overall were a departure from our traditional celebration to signal the new directions we’re heading toward. Laurie and I shared the stage with Sam Griffith, President of the FSU Foundation, Quincy Crawford, Chair of the Campaign Steering Committee, and our always outstanding FSU Chamber Choir.

I’m excited to tell you that despite the economic times we’re facing right now, FSU has made significant strides toward this fundraising goal of $15 million. In addition to the $30,000 commitment my wife Laurie and I have made to support an endowed scholarship fund and the arts, here are some other recent commitments that have contributed toward our nearly 8 million in funds gathered thus far, more than half of the total amount of $15 million:

• A $15,000 commitment from the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation

• A $15,000 gift from Regent, Jim Brady and his wife, Francine

• A $19,000 gift from the Loats Foundation

• A $25,000 commitment from Vice President Davisson and his wife, Krista

• A $25,000 commitment from Mary and Chad Clapsaddle. Mary is a member of our Campaign Steering Committee.

• A $25,000 commitment from First United Bank and Trust

• A $50,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission

• A $92,000 commitment from John Balch and the Pharmacare Network

• Receipt of the $250,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development  for the Lyric Building project, and lastly

• A gift of $150,000 from Quincy and Genie Crawford.  Quincy is chairing our Campaign Steering Committee.

I also think it’s incredibly significant that for the first time in the University’s history, the FSU Foundation made $41,500 of unrestricted gift revenues available to programs and departments for funding proposals. To my knowledge, this kind of funding opportunity has never really been extended to our campus community before. The Foundation received over $320,000 in requests. To me, that’s a sign that many of you are finally getting a chance to develop a sense of ownership and investment in how this University will grow. All of you should feel that kind of connection with the future of this institution. I’m so glad your ideas about what you want to see happen here are getting this kind of support.  It underscores the need for all of us to be as supportive of our Foundation’s annual fund as possible.

Last week, the Foundation board accepted a number of recommendations that directly relate to strategic initiatives. Those of you who were successful in securing funds will be notified shortly. I also want to reassure you that the Foundation and the University have worked collaboratively to look at other funding sources for several proposals that the Foundation was not able to fund. This renewed sense of collaboration will be the hallmark of the institution's relationship with the Foundation.

I want to highlight one more donation that will substantially change Frostburg State University’s institutional culture. This summer, FSU received a contribution of $228,225 from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals to develop Creating Healthy, Informed, Lasting Lifestyles, or CHILL. This science- and wellness-centered initiative was established to promote health practices and education among college students and the local community. Some of FSU’s goals for CHILL include:

• Assessing the health and wellness of our student body through biomedical screenings and other activities
• Giving our students the resources they need to make informed decisions about their personal health
• Encouraging a healthier, more wellness-centered culture among our entire campus community, where stress management, exercise and nutrition are integrated into our daily lives

As many of you know, FSU has also refocused its efforts to address binge drinking on campus. We have done everything from partnering with students, staff, faculty and city residents and officials to establishing a campus-wide Alcohol Task Force. I have also been personally involved with bringing on- and off-campus law enforcement agencies together to improve how information is shared. We are also working closely with the liquor control board and local landlords as the BURG Peer Education Network to focus attention on the ill effects of binge drinking. As a result, the alcohol issue is no longer viewed as a constant source of friction between the University and the City of Frostburg.

In September, I received the Presidential Leadership Award from a group of seven higher education organizations for my work in this area. As part of this award, the FSU Foundation received $50,000 that allowed me to establish an endowed fund dedicated to addressing alcohol abuse. This new fund will be used for programs and projects developed by the students, faculty and staff that focus on this issue.

We will present instructions soon on applying for these funds.

Sustainability is also a key tenet in FSU’s ability to offer a healthier, better educational experience for our students, faculty and staff. FSU’s sustainability initiative, Learning Green Living Green, had its first meeting of the fall semester recently. I know many of you are wondering what’s next with making an FSU a greener campus, so here are a few updates from that meeting:

• Thanks to Maryland Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, FSU’s Department of Physics and Engineering is now moving forward on building a Sustainable Energy Research Facility (SERF) with a grant of $738,000 from the Department of Energy.

This project, co-directed by Dr. Oguz Soysal and Hilkat Soysal, will be completed in two years. SERF will be a residential-type green building supplied by renewable energy sources providing sustainable heating, cooling and electric power. This is a huge step toward further positioning FSU as a national center of renewable energy research and education.

• In light of budget issues, we are postponing the search for a director who can lead Learning Green, Living Green. Instead, a smaller executive committee made up of campus representatives will guide this group. Having attended LGLG’s first meeting of the year, I feel confident in telling you that there are plenty of exciting activities that will take place under this new, smaller leadership committee, including Focus the Nation.

• I’m aware that College of Liberal Arts & Sciences faculty members are taking inventory of how sustainability is already part of programs in their respective departments. This will help us see how much we already have in place to realize FSU’s potential a leading institution in environmental stewardship. The findings from these efforts will help guide FSU in establishing some sort of academic program in sustainability.

• In addition to these efforts, I want to congratulate everyone who has made changes to save energy within their departments, divisions, classrooms and daily lives at FSU. Your efforts, combined with institutional changes we’ve made under our sustainability initiative, have produced substantial results: Frostburg State University reduced its carbon emissions from 25,045 metric tonnes in 2007 to under 23,000 tonnes in 2008. That’s really awesome. Thank you so much for your commitment to making FSU a more sustainable campus.

Sustainability is just one of the many ways we’re trying to help our campus community understand how we share this world and its many cultures and resources. FSU is also working hard to create new experiences in international education. By now, many of you have probably heard about FSU’s trips overseas to countries where we are building promising partnerships in education: both our education students and Chamber Choir journeyed to China this past year, as ambassadors and representatives of the University. We also welcomed 16 students from Hunan Normal University this fall. In 11 days, I will leave for China with a University delegation to solidify our friendships and exchange opportunities with several institutions there. While in China, we plan to sign formal agreements with Hunan Normal University and Southwest University of Nationalities. If we want FSU to offer quality experiential learning, it should include personal experiences and study abroad opportunities that help us all understand what global community really means.

The idea of expanding horizons also applies to something else that many of you are wondering about—where the University stands with marketing and branding. The Marketing and Branding Task Force, established my first year here, spent many hours gathering data and figuring out how FSU is unique, what its niche is in the academic marketplace. We now have some very specific answers as to why students want to go to school here and how FSU offers life-changing experiences that are different than what you can get from other colleges and universities. I would now like to turn things over to Dr. Carol Gaumer, chair of the Department of Marketing & Finance, to talk about our marketing summary.

DR. CAROL GAUMER:
In August 2006, Dr. Gibralter asked me to Chair a new Marketing and Branding Task Force (MBTF). I enthusiastically accepted this role and along-side many of you, served on this important committee.

At the onset, I said this would be a 2-year process from goal setting to research, which would drive our efforts, to the initiation of new promotional campaigns and launching a new visual identity system. 

We know that Branding is not an event, it is a process.  A process of understanding how we are perceived, uncovering a niche, and discerning what our core promise is.

The first year we spent time collecting data on the perception of FSU in the marketplace and across campus.  We surveyed and interviewed prospective students, parents of prospective students, current students, alums, faculty, staff and administrators.  We benchmarked other schools also going thru a similar re-branding effort.  Further, we conducted an envelope test across campus to see how we promoted FSU – incidentally, we found over 63 different logos in use.  

After data collection, we began to strategize in an effort to articulate the three key themes that best describe what we do:  engagement, discovery, and integration. It is from these three key themes that promotions can be built; promotions that capture our role in sustainability, regional progress, and as a cultural center for Western Maryland.

The Marketing and Branding Task Force did not work in isolation but in conjunction with the Enrollment Management Task Force, the University Vision Forums, and the university’s Strategic Planning Team; all providing valuable information in the branding process.  As promised, the Marketing and Branding Task Force turned its data and strategy points over to the team in Communication and Media Relations, whose job it was to put the confluence of ideas to paper.  This team created the “Where are YOU Going -- FROSTBURG” campaign which was presented to and strongly endorsed by the MBTF.  Currently, under the leadership of B.J. Davisson, all promotional materials work in unison to convey the message of FSU as a true destination location, a “comprehensive university of choice.”  With this comes a new visual identity system…. 

As this new visual identity system was being realized, we needed a new symbol for our university, a new logo.  A logo is a visual representation of what we do (benefits of an FSU education), not where we are but rather the promise we make to our constituents.  This new logo you are about to see, is a good representation of who we are and what we promise.   It meets the professional standards of what a logo is expected to deliver (it has the necessary design elements and appropriate symbolism). 

I hope you join with me in support of this new symbol of our re-brand.

I will turn the floor back over to President Gibralter.  Thank you.

PRESIDENT GIBRALTER:

Thank you, Dr. Gaumer. And thank you to the members of the Marketing and Branding Task Force for all the time and effort you gave to this. I also want to express my appreciation to the campus for your patience as we’ve carefully assessed our institutional identity and determined better ways to develop it.

As you can see from today’s summary of the past 2 years, figuring out how to tell FSU’s story has been a good opportunity to take stock of what we already have in place, and what we can build on. It was with much enthusiasm and trust that I turned this important project over to our in-house experts in FSU’s communications division. They worked tirelessly to explore ways to fully capture its many strengths in one strong visual identity.

I would now like to present to you the marketing and branding promotional themes that have become the most compelling elements in FSU’s story of greatness. These themes have consistently surfaced as the ideas that best represent the University’s comprehensive strengths, resources and ongoing projects. Here are the key guidelines that direct our marketing and branding efforts.

• Our role in sustainability, both broader environmental and human, even humane, sustainability
• Our mountainous, safe and uniquely healthy surroundings for which we will no longer apologize or otherwise diminish
• Our role as an engine for regional workforce and economic development
• Our role as the cultural center for the Western Maryland region
• Our often unheralded stellar academic value
• Our confidence in asking prospective students, “Where are YOU going?” and providing those who choose Frostburg State University with proud and meaningful reasons to celebrate their choice

These themes honor the University’s existing resources—its history as an economic force in the region, and its scenic setting, for example. But they also open the door to a new era here at Frostburg State University: one that reinstates school pride and affirms that FSU is a place to go to learn about issues that define the world we live in—climate change, wellness, the importance of balance as we pursue the careers that we want.

These ideas collectively form a well-rounded educational experience that embraces not just academic programs but also experiential learning and life skills. When you stop and think about the programs we already have in place, it becomes clear that coming to Frostburg State University is about finding a direction that is authentic, life-changing and full of purpose. Frostburg State University is a place where educators sincerely love to teach and really care about their students.

Teachers who give their students not just a basic skill set or lab exercises, but inspiration, courage and dreams to do what they love.

And this idea of a compass that guides life decisions as much as academics is reflected in our new programs as well. We are developing an outstanding new health initiative that has already drawn a positive response from people throughout campus. By reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, we’re creating learning opportunities for our students.

Our students are volunteering through their various organizations and proving to us that they’re thoughtful adults by posting opinions on our new campus blog, Blog from the ‘BURG. They’re traveling all over the world to meet alums who inspire their dreams through unique programs like Roadtrip Nation. They’re singing on the Great Wall and learning words in Mandarin so they can reach out to students from China enrolled here.

These truths that make FSU such a great university acknowledge that college is a journey, not a final destination. It’s a place to explore who you are and find some solid answers that can guide you to your next adventure both inside and outside the classroom.

And now, it is with great pleasure that I share with you the new logo of Frostburg State University, a logo whose symbolism and meaning is reflected in everything we’ve acknowledged today:

I would now like to welcome Colleen Stump, Director of Publications, to the stage. She’s going to shed some light on the process of creating this logo and give you more information on the transition of integrating it into our overall visual identity:

COLLEEN STUMP:

Thank you, Dr. Gibralter.

I would like to give everyone a little background on how the new logo was created:

The red-and-black mountain logo has served the University for more than 20 years, since Frostburg was granted university status. I can tell you that the graphics staff has been ready to change the logo since at least the Centennial in 1998. But we feel this timing couldn’t be better.

With the “Where are YOU going?” campaign, we started removing the mountain logo from any materials that were created in the publications office. We designed a transitional FROSTBURG wordmark that was combined with “Where are you going” for advertising and admissions materials during this period, including the new view book.

Over the past two years, Ann Townsell and I reviewed logos, fonts and colors from countless universities and businesses, both similar to and different from Frostburg. We gathered information from students, from vision forums, from Marketing and Branding research, and from ongoing strategic planning discussions. In the last several months, the two of us created probably more than 100 different logos, drawing upon the themes and brand as it developed, gradually narrowing them down, sharing them with President Gibralter and the executive committee, getting feedback, trying new directions and ideas. Among the many issues we had to take into account was how well a logo would reproduce in all formats, whether on paper, on the Web, in color or black and white.

This final version, which was designed by Ann Townsell, consists of an abstraction of Compton Atrium and the compass. It was enthusiastically endorsed by President Gibralter and the executive committee. It was also given an aesthetic critique by an external design firm with extensive experience in creating college and university visual identities. 

In the interest of sustainability, please don’t throw away all your old letterhead, business cards and brochures. The plan is to gradually incorporate the new logo as materials are depleted, including the existing supply of letterhead and envelopes.

In the near future, we will provide you with instructions for accessing the new logo and guidelines for using it.

Thank you.

DR. GIBRALTER:

Thanks so much, Colleen. My sincere thanks to Colleen and to Ann Townsell for all their creativity and time that went into developing this new logo. Congratulations on a job well done.

And speaking of a job well done, I now have the pleasure of recognizing several members of FSU’s community that do an outstanding job by announcing this year’s Staff Awards for Excellence. They will receive $500 each from the FSU Foundation in honor of their achievement.

• In the Nonexempt category, I want to recognize an individual who has given the University 20 years of service. Here’s what colleagues said about  her:

• “Her dedication to the job and the people she serves coupled with her strong organizational skills assures that work is completed in a highly satisfactory manner and on a most timely basis.”

• “She is easy to work with because of her collegiality, flexibility, creativity, and wonderful sense of humor.  She is dependable, responsible, and committed. When she takes on a task it is done perfectly 100 percent of the time.”

Please join me in congratulating Gale Yutzy, Administrative Assistant for the Geography Program. Gale, please come down and get your certificate and check.

• In the Exempt category, this next individual has given 10 great years of service. Here’s what people are saying about her:

• “We are amazed at her energy and she encourages us by her examples of professionalism and dedication in helping others achieve their dreams….
  
  her touch can be felt not only in Student Support Services but throughout the community.”

• “Her commitment to helping students live up to their potential, personally and academically, is inspiring to all of us who know and work with her.”

Please join me in congratulating Harriet Douglas, Director of Student Support Services. Harriet, please come down and get your certificate and check.

• And finally, in Nonexempt Facilities, this next individual, has14 years of service as Housekeeper. Here’s how people describe him:

• “Every day with him is a surprise because every day he does something different and creative to help those he comes in touch with.”

• “He has provided a great service to the students of FSU. Beyond his responsibilities as housekeeper, he has worked to make this institution a better place.”

• I would add on a personal note that rarely does a Friday pass by where this individual doesn’t send me a note wishing me to have a good weekend and asking me to not work too hard. He tells me about his family and I have really come to respect him. In addition, in the two years I have been here I have received letters from students telling how good he is to them. What a great tribute.

Please join me in congratulating Patrick McLane—Housekeeper for Westminster Hall. Patrick, come down and get your certificate and check.

And now, as a conclusion to today’s program, I’d like to present one more long-time member of the FSU community to you, someone who’s been at the University for more years than any of us. He’s a student who has definitely benefited from all the great staff here like Gale, Harriet and Patrick. And he’s absolutely crazy about Frostburg.

Meet Bob E. Cat, FSU’s newest online celebrity. This is the latest creative marketing effort from Becca Ramspott, Public Relations Specialist, and Ty DeMartino, a long-time friend and former employee of FSU who is now following his dreams as an award-winning playwright. Bob is part of a new focus in online communications FSU is using to get the word out about why it’s a great place to go to college. You can find him on Facebook and YouTube. He also represents a return to school spirit.

Thanks again for being here, and now I’m turning it over to Bob ….