With March comes the new Employee Engagement Survey. Your participation and feedback are not only welcomed but encouraged. This is leadership's way of checking on how things are going. The best way we can begin a dialogue is to know what we need to address. This survey will take about 15 minutes, and is open through March 15.

As always, I have been happy with the Conversations with the Provost. These are effective ways for me to have an open and honest discussion with faculty and staff, and I welcome everyone to them. We still have several scheduled. The invitation graphic is below.

I have been communicating the message of our academic success outside of our campuses. In February, I had the honor of attending the Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum in Savannah, where I joined President Marrero and other Georgia Southern leadership bringing together leaders from a variety of civic groups, neighborhoods, local government offices and businesses to learn and collaborate with a goal of building stronger communities. Lt. General Leslie Smith ('85) from Georgia Southern University's Parker College of Business was a featured speaker.

Georgia Southern has had several outstanding metrics to come from the Office of Career and Professional Development, which is why they are a feature for their Internship Scholarship Program. Applications are open, and I hope students are being encouraged to apply. Students can have the best opportunities available to them, but if they can't accept them due to lack of funds, it's a problem. Thanks to efforts of Glenn Gibney and his team, internship participation has increased 110% since 2018. This translates to better resumes and experiences for our students when they enter the job market. That's also why from 2018-2022, the average starting salary for our graduates is $58,333.

The hard work doesn't stop in the classroom. Our students deserve our support. We have to be on their side from recruitment to alumni. Eagle Nation is a family, and every member is important to our survival.