March 29, 2004

For 10 years now, it has been a spring tradition.

Red, white and blue signs will again bloom throughout the area Thursday as Columbus State University celebrates the 10th university of CSU Day, a day for the university to highlight the vital link between CSU and the community.

Officially designated by city proclamation CSU Day will be on April 1, a day in which the university thanks local supporters and tries to re-emphasize how much success it owes to the community and how much impact CSU has on the community.

The first signs will start appearing today. But the signs will go out en masse Thursday when more than 100 CSU and community volunteers fan out throughout town to plant the signs in front of businesses and donors who have supported the university and partnered with CSU for the betterment of the university and the community. Volunteers will meet at the Turner Center for breakfast at 8 a.m., and then begin the sign distribution in teams about 9 a.m.

Many signs are for supporters of the university's annual fund, which pays for honor scholarships, departmental scholarships, faculty/staff developmental grants, international studies, athletics, alumni activities, health care programs, community outreach and the Science Education Outreach Center. Signs also will go to supporters of CSU's ongoing $80 million capital campaign.

'Private funding and the support of this community are without question the keys to our success,' said CSU President Frank Brown. 'CSU is critically dependent on the Annual Fund for a wide variety of educational opportunities for our students and faculty. CSU Day allows us a visible way to say 'Thank you.'

The community's return from the investments in CSU abound. In addition to a $146 million impact on the community, consider that more than 50 percent of teachers in Muscogee County are CSU graduates, more than 80 percent of local nurses were educated at CSU, about 70 percent of local law enforcement officers were trained and educated at CSU and that more than half of all baccalaureate degree holders in Muscogee County received their degree from CSU.

'Our success, and ultimately, the community's success is a result of the amazing support we enjoy here at CSU,' said Annual Fund Director Meri Robinson. 'I cannot emphasize enough how much our volunteers mean to our ongoing fund-raising efforts and to CSU Day.'

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For more information, contact: Meri Robinson: 568-5172 or by e-mail at robinson_meri@ColumbusState.edu