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Dear Southern Alumni, Last fall, I had the pleasure to be present at our annual Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni Luncheon, the first in a series of events to celebrate Homecoming Weekend 2007 at Southern. The personal qualities of the awardees and their contributions to society were inspirational and reminded me yet again of the vital role that Southern plays in educating the community leaders of tomorrow. Colonel Adele E. Hodges, ’77, who was named the 2007 Distinguished Alumna, is an excellent example. She entered Southern with the goal of becoming a physical education teacher and then took the encouragement and education she found here beyond our Founder’s Gate to the military. Col. Hodges served as the first female commander of Camp Lejeune, which, with 143,000 personnel and civilians, is the largest U.S. Marine base on the East Coast. She was also the first colonel to hold a position traditionally held by two-star generals — a true Southern success story! Col. Hodges and our other Distinguished and Outstanding Alumni awardees are featured in this issue of Southern Alumni Magazine. Undoubtedly, there are future success stories waiting to emerge among the throngs of new students now attending Southern. As our latest enrollment numbers reflect, Southern is increasingly becoming a university of choice as well as a university of opportunity. Applications for the 2007/08 academic year increased 13.6 percent over 2006/07, while 8,024 full-time students enrolled at Southern this fall, the highest number since the institution opened its doors in 1893. This figure includes 7,114 full-time undergraduates — the most since 1972 — while full-time freshman applications soared 11.9 percent to a record 6,157 this fall. To continue to offer these students the best educational experience possible, we need to ensure that they are provided with facilities conducive to learning. With this in mind, the recent approval of the CSUS 2020 plan — a $950 million construction program for major infrastructure projects and improvements at the four Connecticut State universities over the next decade — is a major boon for Southern. For example, our proposed new science building would provide state-of-the-art lab space, helping to meet Connecticut’s initiative for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) professionals. A new health and human services building would expand our efforts to educate professionals to serve our community in fields like nursing, public health, social work, and communication disorders. Both of these projects are featured in the CSUS 2020 plan, along with a fine arts center and other campus enhancements, including remodeling the former student center as a new home for the School of Business. As we strive to improve our campus, I invite you to join us on our drive for excellence by supporting our Annual Giving campaign at www.giving.SouthernCT.edu or by using the gift envelope in this issue. In this way, you can play a personal role in guaranteeing that our students continue to receive the best educational experience possible as we prepare them to become the community leaders of tomorrow. Dr. Cheryl J. Norton |
