October 9, 2009

Dear Armstrong Friends and Community,
Thanks to the outstanding work of our faculty and staff, our fall semester is off to a great start. During my first semester as president of AASU, it has been a pleasure for me to get to know many of the faculty and staff members and to learn of the work that goes on every day on this campus. It has been particularly rewarding to meet many of the students and to hear the inspiring stories of their lives and to learn the many ways in which Armstrong is helping them to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.

There is a great deal of excitement on campus this fall. We are enjoying the largest enrollment in school history: 7,500 students! To meet the needs of these students, we anticipate the completion of two new buildings in 2010. A new $16 million, 60,180 square-foot Student Union will open in the spring. It will become the centerpiece of the campus. Also, a new freshmen residence hall will open in time for the fall semester, bringing the number of students residing on campus to more than 1,400. Both of these new buildings represent “green” additions to the campus.

Let me share just a few of the developments that have occurred on campus during the early part of our fall semester. The AASU Initiative for Civic Engagement (ICE), headed by Professor Jason Tatlock, was inaugurated on Constitution Day, September 17. ICE will provide direction and cohesion to campus community outreach efforts, while building into the curriculum an intellectual awareness of social responsibility. The goal is to help faculty, staff and students form stronger connections with our local community and to understand the importance of public service.

In September, AASU was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the state for an energy conservation project in the Science Center. That project, to be completed over 21 months, is projected to save the university $343,383 per year in energy costs. I want to congratulate David Faircloth, director of plant operations, and his team for spearheading this project. This is one of several steps that we are taking to make AASU a more environmentally friendly campus.

During my first 100 days as president, I have learned the joy of walking around this beautiful campus, in essence a 268-acre arboretum, and meeting faculty, staff and students. Every day I am reminded of this institution’s long history of providing excellent higher education opportunities in our state and of building close relationships that support the growth of the region.

As president of this university, I will continue to focus on priorities that promote student success and continue this institution’s proud tradition of anticipating and meeting the community's education and workforce needs. AASU will continue to strengthen its outreach to the community and to the state as we enhance opportunities for both our students and the citizens of coastal Georgia.

I invite you to learn more about these efforts and to meet our faculty and students by exploring our web site and visiting our campus. Now is a perfect time to walk around our arboretum and get a sense of the beauty of the campus and learn about the work that engages our students, faculty and staff.

Sincerely,
Linda M. Bleicken
President