The year 2009 was one of challenges and opportunities. I told you about many of the leadership changes occurring over the summer. The final change was made in late August when Dr. Pawan Kahol was appointed associate dean of the college. This opened up the opportunity to appoint Dr. Bob Patterson as acting head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science (PAMS). A nation-wide search for a department head for PAMS is under way.

The public affair’s theme for Missouri State University during the 2008-09 academic year was sustainability. It was important to me that the energy and enthusiasm generated from our many speakers and events on campus during the year not be forgotten. Fortunately, Ken McClure, vice president for administrative and information services at MSU, agreed and we formed a sustainability advisory committee which met for the first time during the summer of 2009. This committee reviewed the sustainability statement adopted by the University in early 2008 (http://www. missouristate.edu/Sustainability/statement.htm) and decided that our first action should be to highlight accomplishments made by the University and to start a list of challenges. We chose to hold a Sustainability Fair on Nov. 18, 2009, for all faculty, staff and students in the PSU Ballroom. We also held a breakfast that day for Springfield community leaders to share our accomplishments. The event was well received and served to highlight the many good things happening at Missouri State University. The sustainability advisory committee will continue to document the successes and help to facilitate goals and plans for the future based on the University’s sustainability statement. Missouri State University became an institutional member of AASHE and we look forward to continuing to lift up this theme.

I continue my challenge to all alumni and friends to help to raise a permanently endowed equipment fund for the college. I have agreed to match $1.00 (up to $5,000) for each $5.00 you donate. My goal is to have the full $30,000 raised by Homecoming 2010. Won’t you help me meet this goal? So far you have donated $1,945 and I have done my part to match it 5:1: $389. And yes, this is only the beginning. We will need an endowment of $4 million to really help into the future, but this is a start and we will continue to lift up this very important need of the college.

We look forward to many successes in 2010: the outstanding students who always amaze us with their accomplishments; the faculty who continue to lead world-class research groups; and the continued strengthening of the William H. Darr School of Agriculture and the Department of Hospitality and Restaurant Administration.