This has been a big student recruitment week. In addition to our normal flow of student visits, the Texas schools have been on spring break and we have had a large number of students from East Texas visit the campus. Our admisssions and recruiting staff have done an outstanding job in managing the flood of campus visits, making each one a great personal experience for the visitors. And that continues today as we have a big Time Out for Tech event scheduled. On Monday, I enjoyed a visit from legendary Voice of the Bulldogs, Dave Nitz, who brought his grandson by to talk about his interests in college. I also enjoyed a visit from recent grad Tiffany Easter who is currently enrolled in the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M. Tiffany was an outstanding student here and I was pleased to talk to her about her future career interests. Later Monday, we hosted a visit from personnel with Barksdale Air Force Base who were interested in getting our students involved in internships on the base. I was pleased to see such a great turnout of our students who came to learn more about the increasing job opportunities resulting from the growth of activities at Barksdale. On Tuesday, I joined a luncheon recognizing two of our students who were recognized for their contributions in our digital painting course that is focused on illustrating biological systems, leading to a minor in medical illustration. This is an outstanding program conceived, designed and led by three young faculty members from three different programs and colleges – Jamie Newman (Biology), Mary Caldorera-Moore (Biomed) & Nick Bustamante (Art). The minor is open to students in all disciplines but will fit well for students pursuing a BFA in Studio Art, a BS in Biological Sciences, or a BS in Biomedical Engineering with a Pre-Medicine concentration. Special thanks go to alums Justin & Jeanette Hinckley who have been very supportive in the development of the program.   On Wednesday, I walked around campus to see how students were faring for the spring quarter. There were a lot of activities going on and the campus was buzzing.  I enjoyed interacting with several student groups in Centennial Plaza, in Tolliver Hall, at Tech Table and in the Quad. I try to do this several times each week as my schedule allows.         On Thursday, I joined a lunch at the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Louisiana to learn more about the AmeriCorps program. I was pleased to join with Mayor Ronny Walker and some administrators from GSU to learn more about how our students are actively serving and supporting that program that provides vital outreach to children in our community. I greatly appreciate the work that Eldonta Osborne and his staff do to help our community every day. My oldest son Chad came in for a visit the latter part of the week, and we greatly enjoyed the extra time with him.