Hello CSU students and alumni,
I hope you are enjoying your summer. This has been a very busy month for our local area, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, due to so many tourists along the Gulf Coast taking advantage of the additional time off for Independence Day.
I would like to give a special thanks to our military service members and veterans for all they have done and do to preserve our freedom.
CSU is very blessed to have a student body consisting of so many active military members and veterans. Military Times recently published a ranking of the top 50 schools participating in Military Tuition Assistance and CSU ranked the highest ever in 6th place.
I am excited that we recently launched a new program, the master’s of public administration with two concentrations: criminal justice and emergency services management. The MPA is a popular degree program with many first-responders seeking to move into management and I am pleased we are able to offer this opportunity. The MPA is available for registration effective July 24. This program is eligible for Federal Student Aid.
In other news:
- The Alabama Association of Fire Chiefs held their summer conference once again in Orange Beach and partnered with CSU to host the conference. This year’s conference brought in more than 100 participants and 37 vendors and featured an exciting keynote speaker, Dave Carroll. He talked about social media and customer service with the fire chiefs. It was a great event by all accounts and we look forward to continuing to work with the AAFC.
- Speaking of fire service, CSU recently hosted its first class as an Alabama Fire College Regional Training Center. The course, “Incident Safety Officer Certification,” was attended by approximately 32 people led by CSU Director of Training and Development, Ron Dennis and CSU Vice President of Admissions, Marketing and Outreach, Billy Hayes. Both men have extensive careers in firefighting and training.
- Recently, I traveled to the National Sheriffs’ Association conference in North Carolina where I had the pleasure to present a CSU scholarship to Master Deputy Dawn Rosenberry of the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. Dawn is a CSU student seeking a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and truly enjoys her work. “I love the interaction that I am able to have with the community and I am thankful for the opportunity that we have to make a difference in the lives of others,” she said. You can read more about her and the other NSA scholarship winner Kirk Rains here.
As always, thank you for choosing CSU. We strive daily to improve our programs, service, and to establish relationships throughout the industries and groups we serve.
Sincerely,
Robert Mayes
President
