Has it really been more than a month since my last post? I would like to blame the lapse on this awful heat, but, the truth is, I've just been enjoying the summer. The campus has been absolutely delightful in that slow pokey, summer way. People take a little more time getting from place to place, avoiding risk of heat stroke. Band camps. Math camps. Science camps. Gifted student camps. Young folks everywhere making more noise than we're used to in the Fresh Food Center.

But back-to-school activities are in the air. Residence halls are getting a last minute polishing and the new Century Park is very nearly ready for business. Last night I was invited to speak at the annual Back-To-School Prayer Service at Maybank Baptist Church. I'm grateful that there are so many people in the community who really care about education and Southern Miss. Among other things, I told them the following:

"With 17,000 students, 3000 full and part-time employees and 6 different campuses and teaching sites, we cherish your support. We have many of the same challenges of many small towns: shrinking budgets, buildings in need of attention, demand for more space and technology, people who see the world from widely differing points of view, and a few who just plain don't get along."

But always, it's a blessing to work in the positive environment of a university. Every day, we are surrounded by hope. You can't be around college students with big plans for their lives, or faculty and staff with exciting career goals without feeling it. It's intoxicating. We are part of creating, disseminating, and applying knowledge for the betterment of our community. Through the power of the work that we do, we have the ability to change the world.