[editor’s note: Dr. Bruce Speck is the University President]

What a wonderful time to be at Southern. Two major building projects will provide us with a first-class student recreation center and a much-needed classroom building for the health sciences.

The Beimdieck Recreation Center is scheduled for completion by next fall, and the Health Sciences building will be online early 2010. Of course, we will experience some inconveniences during the process because of changes in available parking and the rerouting of traffic, but the new buildings will be magnificent additions to our campus.

We also have a wonderful freshman class. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and greet our freshmen, and I’m pleased to say we’ve recruited a fine group of students who will bring a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to Southern. If you’re returning to Southern, please take a moment to introduce yourself to new students and help them make a smooth adjustment to campus life. Of course, we’re also privileged to have the vibrancy from our returning students. All in all, we can boast of an outstanding student body.

In addition, we have a very active campus life: not only with activities provided by Student Affairs but with significant engagement of different groups and individuals in worthy programs on and off campus. I am very proud of Southern’s various commitments to the region, and I think it is fair to say that without Southern’s presence, this region would be significantly impoverished in many ways. We are central to the success of this region, and I hope every member of the Southern community – students, faculty members, staff members – is justly proud of Southern’s role in the intellectual, social and economic development of the region.

What’s ahead? Immediately on the calendar is the Germany Semester. We have a rich number of venues for everyone at Southern and the region to enjoy. Please avail yourselves of the opportunities to learn more about an important European country and invite others to campus to partake of a wide array of informative events. I hope to see you at those events.

Also, we have a full calendar of athletic events. Our student athletes are eager to provide you with sports entertainment. You will undoubtedly want to mark the last Saturday of this month as a time to cheer the Lions on to victory in our first of home football games. And don’t forget to attend games for volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country and men’s golf. Support our colleagues – our hard working student athletes.

In your endeavors at Southern, I encourage you to focus on academic excellence, not just earning grades. As students, you have the privilege of working with top-notch professors who are eager to help you learn and earn a degree. Your professors are critical to your success at Southern so get to know them outside of the classroom.

All of us at Southern who are supporting students – faculty, staff, administration – want to help every student graduate. We are your partners in education. Southern is designed to enable students to be successful: to graduate with a quality education that will provide them not only job skills but also the dispositions necessary to be good citizens. Together, we are unbeatable in doing everything a university should do.

I’m glad to be part of the team at Southern, and I’m thankful that you have joined the Pride.