{"id":511,"date":"2023-08-31T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T08:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/?p=511"},"modified":"2024-09-10T19:17:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T19:17:17","slug":"president-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/president-update\/","title":{"rendered":"A Word from LSSU President Dr. David Travis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear LSSU Alumni & Friends,<\/p>\n

Last month\u2019s investiture ceremony, which was included as part of our annual convocation gathering, was a seminal moment for me in my career. Each day I wake up honored and thrilled to be the eleventh president of Lake Superior State University and I\u2019m so thankful for the opportunity. As I promised with my investiture speech, I will put my heart and soul into this job and never take it for granted.<\/p>\n

Although this is a special time for me, I\u2019d rather focus on the importance of a fresh start for this university. We are at a crucial time in the history of this amazing university. In my short time here I\u2019ve had the opportunity to meet with dozens of Laker employees. The talent, dedication, and perseverance through challenging times has inspired me to make this a better place for them. I\u2019ve also met with many community leaders, both within the Sault area and throughout the state of Michigan. The importance of LSSU to them personally as well as their local communities, particularly within the Sault area, cannot be overstated.\u00a0 This university is the economic engine of the eastern UP as well as the primary provider of badly needed talent entering the labor force.<\/p>\n

So why is this a crucial time? Our enrollments have gradually declined to a number that makes it challenging for us to support our employees and students at the level that they deserve. This not only reduces the quality of the campus experience but also negatively impacts the Sault community around us. Additionally, appreciation for higher education is currently at an all-time low nationally. These trends make it challenging to turn things around. However, we are developing a plan to aggressively market the virtues of a college education at LSSU by being bolder with our brand and make our distinctiveness stand out. The days of being a \u201chidden gem\u201d are over.<\/p>\n

During this past summer\u2019s orientation days for new students, I invited all of their parents and supporters over to the house so that I could get a chance to get to know them, answer their questions, and ask them a few of mine. One question I wanted to better understand was why their student chose to come to LSSU. Some of the answers were what I expected\u2014strong academic programs that matched their interests, great faculty, and a good value\u2014but what caught my attention were the number of students that chose to come here simply because they took the time to visit. Many parents admitted before they visited campus that their student wasn\u2019t planning to come here. Our beautiful campus and outstanding faculty and facilities all situated within the historical Sault area sells itself. For this reason, we need to do a better job of getting people to come and visit this amazing place. In fact, only about one in four of the students who were admitted to LSSU this year ever took the time to come here. Of those that came, more than half enrolled. I\u2019ve challenged our admissions staff, faculty, and others involved in recruitment to develop ideas on how we can get prospective students to visit. If you have ideas please let me know.<\/p>\n

In closing, I want to make you aware that each Friday I have blocked off two hours from 9-11am for campus conversations. This includes time for one-on-one chats in my office, monthly coffee with the president sessions, and some larger town hall gatherings that we\u2019ll be doing to discuss our budget situation and other challenges we\u2019ll be working on together this year.\u00a0 I look forward to meeting with you, both to get to know you and to listen to your ideas. Please contact Lauren Pierce (lpierce1@lssu.edu) if you\u2019d like to schedule a time to meet.<\/p>\n

Thank you for everything you do to help make LSSU a great place. Best wishes to all of our amazing staff and students for a successful start to the fall semester. Go Lakers!<\/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

\"\"

Life Insurance<\/h4>

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

\"\"

Travel Insurance<\/h4>

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

\"\"

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>

\"\"

Pet Insurance<\/h4>

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

\"\"

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

\"\"

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>

\"\"

ID Theft Protection<\/h4>

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

\"\"

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>

\"\"

Advisory Services<\/h4>

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

\r\n\r\n

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":"

Dear LSSU Alumni & Friends, Last month\u2019s investiture ceremony, which was included as part of our annual convocation gathering, was a seminal moment for me in my career. Each day …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2732,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}