{"id":511,"date":"2023-04-19T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T08:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring2024\/?p=511"},"modified":"2026-05-08T18:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:29:07","slug":"president-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/president-update\/","title":{"rendered":"A Word from LSSU President Dr. David Travis"},"content":{"rendered":"
Exciting Changes Coming to LSSU and a Surprise Announcement! <\/strong><\/h6>\n

I\u2019ve always felt that the most important year of a leader is the second year in a new position. You\u2019ve spent much of the first year meeting people, learning about what is working and what is not, and most importantly, setting a course for improvement.\u00a0 By the second year, it is time to make changes and begin implementing new ideas.\u00a0 This is what we are doing right now at Lake State.\u00a0 By Year 3, these efforts should begin to pay off.<\/p>\n

This year we have implemented a large number of changes, including providing a broader choice of benefits for our employees, which provided cost increase prevention to both employees and the university against the rising costs of health care.\u00a0 We are implementing a new scholarship program that relies less on the university to fund \u201ctuition discounts\u201d and more use of true money scholarships from our generous donors.\u00a0 We are also making significant changes in areas such as dining and housing, which are important revenue sources to the university and, more importantly, impact the quality of the student experience.\u00a0 All of these changes are moving towards making the university more financially stable. This will be a key part of our new Strategic Plan that will be ready by fall.<\/p>\n

We are also embarking on an aggressive, cutting-edge recruitment plan that is intended to attract a national audience rather than just focusing on the region around us. This is being done using a combination of enhanced \u201cboots on the ground\u201d recruitment with homegrown AI-enhanced digital marketing.\u00a0 We believe the Lake State story is special, and by telling it in a more effective and more purposeful way, we will attract students from across the country and Canada who are looking for the unique type of educational experience that we provide.<\/p>\n

Speaking of telling our story, a surprise announcement<\/strong> is that we are about to embark on documenting the story of Lake State from our current state going forward as a docuseries reality show.\u00a0 The name will be \u201cRaising State.\u201d Film crews have already been on campus and will continue through the summer and into fall as we document changes happening at LSSU and tell our story to the world.\u00a0 We have an award-winning Executive Producer who currently has a show on Netflix, and I can\u2019t wait for the Lake State story to be told!\u00a0 There are so many stories, characters, and historical moments to share about both Lake State and the city of Sault Ste Marie that I have little doubt that people will watch and want to learn more.\u00a0 Beyond the unique history of this area and this great university, the current state of higher education in the United States is a difficult one.\u00a0 This series will provide an opportunity for the world to get a peek behind the curtain of the challenges that small universities are experiencing in trying to stay viable. More importantly, they will get to see how we are overcoming the challenges to ensure that Lake State continues to thrive for decades to come.\u00a0 If you have unique story ideas to share, please reach out to me so that I can share them with the producer (president@lssu.edu<\/a>).<\/p>\n

While we believe our marketing efforts, along with the docuseries, will pay off, it is essential that we make this university a more productive, safer and more appealing place for students and employees to co-exist. Currently, the university is trying to recover from yet another brutal winter in the Upper Peninsula with nearly 200 inches of snow for a second straight year. This summer we will begin the massive job of improving the infrastructure on campus. Taffy Abel will be renovated, new roofs will be put on key buildings such as the library, Crawford Hall, and Canusa. Additional patchwork will be done on several other leaky roofs. New sidewalks and repaired parking lots will be another part of our improvement plans.\u00a0 Improved signage, landscaping and overall improved curb appeal will make this a place where we can be proud to work and students can be proud to learn.\u00a0 Finally, new \u201cHollywood\u201d signs will go up on campus and downtown as we continue to do things that help both the campus and the community. These are funded by the Campus-Community Partnership Fund<\/a>.\u00a0 If you are interested in contributing to this cause, we would very much appreciate your support!<\/p>\n

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Depiction of LSSU Sign to go on the lawn in front of Cisler (facing the International Bridge)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Depiction of City Sign to go downtown at the corner of Ashmun and Portage<\/p><\/div>\n

The docuseries will not only feature improvements in our infrastructure and anticipated enrollment growth, but will also highlight the rapidly improving performances of our sports teams and individual accomplishments of current and former students. It will also feature the great traditions of this university, including the \u201cringing of the bell\u201d, the \u201cbanished words list,\u201d and the \u201csnowman burning,\u201d among many others.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the \u201cbanished words list,\u201d you may recall last year my banished phrase was \u201chidden gem.\u201d\u00a0 This university has been a hidden gem for way too long.\u00a0 Between our aggressive marketing and recruitment plan, the docuseries, and additional efforts we are making to be noticed in places like Lansing and beyond, we are quickly moving from the \u201chidden gem\u201d designation.<\/p>\n

This year, my banished phrase was \u201cgood enough.\u201d\u00a0 I heard this way too often during my first year and decided that was one of our biggest challenges. People had settled for \u201cgood enough\u201d as an acceptable way to run this university, and some had given up hope that we could do better.\u00a0 Sadly, this is also a challenge with the city of Sault Ste. Marie, in general.\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping that the university can be a leader to change this mindset and say, \u201cgood enough is NOT good enough.\u201d\u00a0 Starting this summer, the university will start to transform into the new LSSU.\u00a0 I\u2019m very excited to see this happen and to tell our story.<\/p>\n

I hope you will be a partner along the way as we make this journey.\u00a0 Year 3 is going to be the best year so far.<\/p>\n

Stop by and say hello if you\u2019re on campus this summer. I\u2019d love to see you!<\/p>\n

Dr. David Travis<\/strong>
\nPresident<\/strong><\/p>\n

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LSSU Alumni Insurance Program<\/span><\/h3>

Did you know that the LSSU Alumni Association sponsors an Alumni Insurance Program as a service to our graduates? The program offers a variety of attractively priced insurance products, most of which are available to alumni, students, faculty and staff, as well as their spouses, domestic partners, parents, children, and siblings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Life Insurance<\/h4>

Long-term protection with great rates and fantastic features. Coverage is available from $10,000 to $50 million.<\/p>

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Travel Insurance<\/h4>

Travel Medical and Trip Protection coverage is available for individuals or groups, for personal or business travel.<\/p>

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Long Term Care Insurance<\/h4>

Protect your assets from serious erosion while allowing access to quality care in the most appropriate and desirable setting.<\/p>

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Pet Insurance<\/h4>

Simple, customizable dog and cat insurance plans are available.<\/p>

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Special Event Insurance<\/h4>

Liability coverage up to $2 million is available for events lasting from a few hours to as much as 10 days.<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n

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Dental Insurance<\/h4>

COMING SOON<\/mark> Family dental coverage that provides a national network of dentists, online enrollment, and travels with you to any employer<\/p>

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ID Theft Protection<\/h4>

NEW!<\/mark> Protect yourself and your family against identity theft with a comprehensive solution you can count on.<\/p>

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Small Business Insurance<\/h4>

NEW!<\/mark> We offer an all-in-one simple solution that includes a selection of plans, employee enrollment, and ongoing administration.<\/p>

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Advisory Services<\/h4>

A licensed insurance professional is available, at no charge, to answer questions and provide customized guidance.<\/p><\/div>

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For more information visit Meyer and Associates<\/a> or contact our Meyer and Associates program administrator at 1(800) 635-7801.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exciting Changes Coming to LSSU and a Surprise Announcement! I\u2019ve always felt that the most important year of a leader is the second year in a new position. You\u2019ve spent …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3707,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring26\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}