Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” This month, I am proud to announce, 744 graduates who believed in their dreams, will walk across the stage at Columbia Southern University’s annual commencement ceremony here in Orange Beach, Ala. The word determination has really been brought to life by Jeremiah Varner, one of our CSU graduates who will be attending commencement. During the course of his education, Jeremiah relocated to a new state, he and his wife lost an infant daughter, and later had a newborn all while working 80 hours a week and earning his BS in Occupational Safety!
Each student comes to CSU with a dream and the motivation to achieve great things in their future. It is our privilege to believe in every one of you and guide you through to the end. There is no greater way to celebrate this than watching each of you walk across the stage and shaking your hand each October. Since our last commencement ceremony, 6,911 students have graduated from CSU. As a graduate you are joining an additional 44,729 alumni who also realized their dreams of earning a degree!
Alumni Reception in Chicago
If you are a graduate of a CSU program, we encourage you to join the alumni association. We will notify you of any networking events in your area, which are open to both students and alumni. Our most recent event was in Dallas, where we will be chartering our next alumni chapter. One very dedicated student flew all the way from New York City to attend this event! We’re looking forward to next month and meeting students and alumni in New Orleans!
Along with our commencement ceremony this month, there are many other exciting things taking place! CSU will be hosting a leadership session presented by Howard Cross on the Art of Empowerment and Delegation on Nov. 16. This can be attended on campus in Orange Beach or virtually. This workshop has been approved for 4 SHRM/HRCI professional development credits.
As CSU has a large student base in fire and criminal justice programs it is especially important for us to recognize National Fire Prevention and Crime Prevention month. Fire prevention is something we should all be aware of as home fires kill an average of eight people every day. You can learn more about steps you can take to keep you and your family safe. More on crime prevention, including Halloween safety, can be found on the National Crime Prevention Council website.
Outreach works hard attending conferences throughout the year.
CSU will also be visiting Chicago for the International Association of Chiefs of Police Oct. 24-27 and again Oct. 31-Nov. 4 for the American Public Health Association. Many representatives from CSU will be in Atlanta Nov. 30-Dec. 5 visiting learning partners and hosting a networking event. To see if CSU will be near you, check our CSU Near You list!
Also, this month we are excited to launch a newly branded CSU initiative “Pay As You Learn!” This payment option will allow for students to pay their tuition on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis at no additional cost. Further information can be found on the Payment Options and Ways to Save pages.
I look forward to seeing some of you at the commencement ceremony. If you are unable to attend, you will be able to watch the ceremony live here. Please catch up with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
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