Here are your two cats in case you have forgotten what they look and act like. They are the same obnoxious beasts as they were when you left. Hope you enjoy seeing them. I love you always,
Dad.
Monday, October 6, 2008
For Bailey Braseth
Bailey,
Here are your two cats in case you have forgotten what they look and act like. They are the same obnoxious beasts as they were when you left. Hope you enjoy seeing them. I love you always,
Dad.
Here are your two cats in case you have forgotten what they look and act like. They are the same obnoxious beasts as they were when you left. Hope you enjoy seeing them. I love you always,
Dad.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Debate
Former Ole Miss journalism student and Murrow winner, Sandra Knispel, did another update on the debate. Here's her Mississippi Public Broadscasting story of July 15.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Glamour
Ah, the life of a PR hack in higher ed heaven. Actually, no complaints here, but I did think I would give my friends back in Seattle an idea of just how sexy this job really is and that being the presidential debate media wing-man is almost as great as being Tom Cruise for a day.
At desk at 8.
Coffee stolen from the chancellor's office.
30-minute conversation regarding the new research park.
Meet with Andy and Linda and debate related stuff.
Meet with Debbie Binkley to make three decisions no one else wants to.
Meet with student life folks about a student life matter. A fairly serious one.
Phone calls to four TV stations.
Look over two press releases.
Meet with student reporter to talk about writing.
Interview with Sandra Knispel of MPB regarding debate.
Shirley Mixon from MPB for site visit.
121 e-mail. 40 with required responses.
Long term marketing decision.
Quick chat with Jim Morrison about going green.
Jennifer Taylor re student events debate poster.
Phone complaint about campus map.
Hoda is picking out her wedding dress in Ark. and calls to update.
3:30 department heads meeting.
Scan the DM and other sources for debate material.
Making plan to set up regular time with Dr. Khayat.
Trip to SMC.
Trip to PR.
Trip to Union for lunch.
Make arrangements for ride home.
Watching the Obama McCain exchange over Iraq in the NYTimes.
Producing new media workshop for staff.
Other stuff too that I can't remember.
Didn't do the three things I had as priorities on my daily agenda.
Want to go home and cut the grass.
Will actually leave before 6:30 tonight.
Strange, but not an abnormal day.
Oh yeah, replace window decals at three different locations.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Monday, July 14, 2008
PR
This is the big red and blue PR wrecking crew from Ole Miss. This is what our Monday meetings look like for about 75 minutes. No audio allowed, though.
Debate
People are starting to ask us about the rationale for having the debate at Ole Miss. Here's what I say. These words and thoughts are only mine, not the University's.
Why are we having this debate?
It’s about students if we do it right.
Provide exceptional opportunities.
To see first-hand, to experience.
To speak, to debate, to engage, to think, to act.
This is "our" world being handed off to them. Challenge all look at it, examine, explore, question, challenge and change it.
We do this by access. By classes. By informal discussions. By formal discussions. By thoughts. By different thoughts. By panels. By experts. By symposia. By a free flow of ideas. We do this by challenging our students to take part in this Republic, to engage in the democratic process. This is a chance to show our students this is a world they will ultimately inherit and they should do so only by developing new and better expectations.
Expose students to ideas. People. Philosophies. Crude political power. Money. Influence. Negotiation. Compromise. Uncomfortable situations.
This is the purpose of college. Why shouldn’t our students become leaders by seeing up close and first-hand the rotten, but necessary process of making the sausage aka the choosing of a presidential leader.
The purpose of a University is to pass along and create new knowledge. A great University does not pass up the opportunity to expose its students, staff and faculty to our political process. Universities and schools because of their dedication to truth and ideas is exactly where a debate should be held. It’s where Socrates would have it. A public forum with columns no less.
While other Universities did pass up the opportunity because of the many hassles, ours did not. We jumped on this opportunity. We worked for this opportunity. We planned for this opportunity. There was nothing accidental about this. Our University has grown having gone through this sometimes painful process. Because we have done this, we now know and expect we will do even more.
We are asking the world to look at our venue. Our university, our state, our region and our people; warts and all. We are to be respected for accepting the challenge.
Yes it costs money.
Yes we spent thousands of hours pursuing, planning and executing.
In doing so, U of Mississippi moves up in hierarchy of the college ranks.
When people ask me about Mississippi and its young people, I often tell them I’ll put my students toe to toe with theirs, anywhere, anytime and with anyone. It’s about building a new confidence. It’s about having the faith we will pull this off.
Is this also a self-serving event. Damn right it is. And it’s a gamble and we should be proud. We are the little town and the growing university that could. We are taking our place. We are becoming known. We are continually creating and recreating our image. Our new image is one of confidence, assuredness and the willingness to take a chance, to dare ourselves to do better. Who wins? We do. Our students do. Our university does. Our city does. Our state does. Our region does. The honest examination of race does.
Do we want to be known around the world? Yes we do. Don’t you dare deny that. We have world class success stories. We have incredible history we have learned from and been formed from.
It’s for our students.
It’s the duty of a university to step forward as the forum for such an important discussion.
It’s good for our institution and the students who will come here years from now.
It’s good for our alumni base who will bask in pride seeing their alma mater shine.
Of course it’s about presidential politics, debate, and the flawed process that is our democracy, but in the context of this big event, our students will be serve superbly and this University will benefit greatly. All naysayers are welcome to keep their asses at the house.
I call it courage.
I call it smart.
A day off school. If ever there was a reason to drop a day of school it’s to enlighten, embolden, empower and challenge our young people who are inheriting what we left them.
Let’s hope they do better. That’s what we are preparing them for.
Ralph Braseth
Why are we having this debate?
It’s about students if we do it right.
Provide exceptional opportunities.
To see first-hand, to experience.
To speak, to debate, to engage, to think, to act.
This is "our" world being handed off to them. Challenge all look at it, examine, explore, question, challenge and change it.
We do this by access. By classes. By informal discussions. By formal discussions. By thoughts. By different thoughts. By panels. By experts. By symposia. By a free flow of ideas. We do this by challenging our students to take part in this Republic, to engage in the democratic process. This is a chance to show our students this is a world they will ultimately inherit and they should do so only by developing new and better expectations.
Expose students to ideas. People. Philosophies. Crude political power. Money. Influence. Negotiation. Compromise. Uncomfortable situations.
This is the purpose of college. Why shouldn’t our students become leaders by seeing up close and first-hand the rotten, but necessary process of making the sausage aka the choosing of a presidential leader.
The purpose of a University is to pass along and create new knowledge. A great University does not pass up the opportunity to expose its students, staff and faculty to our political process. Universities and schools because of their dedication to truth and ideas is exactly where a debate should be held. It’s where Socrates would have it. A public forum with columns no less.
While other Universities did pass up the opportunity because of the many hassles, ours did not. We jumped on this opportunity. We worked for this opportunity. We planned for this opportunity. There was nothing accidental about this. Our University has grown having gone through this sometimes painful process. Because we have done this, we now know and expect we will do even more.
We are asking the world to look at our venue. Our university, our state, our region and our people; warts and all. We are to be respected for accepting the challenge.
Yes it costs money.
Yes we spent thousands of hours pursuing, planning and executing.
In doing so, U of Mississippi moves up in hierarchy of the college ranks.
When people ask me about Mississippi and its young people, I often tell them I’ll put my students toe to toe with theirs, anywhere, anytime and with anyone. It’s about building a new confidence. It’s about having the faith we will pull this off.
Is this also a self-serving event. Damn right it is. And it’s a gamble and we should be proud. We are the little town and the growing university that could. We are taking our place. We are becoming known. We are continually creating and recreating our image. Our new image is one of confidence, assuredness and the willingness to take a chance, to dare ourselves to do better. Who wins? We do. Our students do. Our university does. Our city does. Our state does. Our region does. The honest examination of race does.
Do we want to be known around the world? Yes we do. Don’t you dare deny that. We have world class success stories. We have incredible history we have learned from and been formed from.
It’s for our students.
It’s the duty of a university to step forward as the forum for such an important discussion.
It’s good for our institution and the students who will come here years from now.
It’s good for our alumni base who will bask in pride seeing their alma mater shine.
Of course it’s about presidential politics, debate, and the flawed process that is our democracy, but in the context of this big event, our students will be serve superbly and this University will benefit greatly. All naysayers are welcome to keep their asses at the house.
I call it courage.
I call it smart.
A day off school. If ever there was a reason to drop a day of school it’s to enlighten, embolden, empower and challenge our young people who are inheriting what we left them.
Let’s hope they do better. That’s what we are preparing them for.
Ralph Braseth
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Saturday
Some very good news yesterday. Cirlot placed a story with NBC Nightly News. Not really a debate story, but it should reflect very well on the University. Spent much of yesterday and the past three days talking with sponsors of specific programs on campus for the debate and how to best generate publicity for them. Some of the events are of no interest to the news media, some should generate international news. I am particularly excited about the science panel that takes place on September 18. That will be very interesting and controversial.
It's at least three distinguished science writers and scientists and each has a different political leaning. What they share in common is an anger that science has been marginalized by politics. It used to be where when the science community developed a consensus on a major topic, the US Government took heed. Think Russia vs the US Space Program and President John F. Kennedy making a bold proclamation that the U.S. would put a man on the moon in 10 years.
Or when the US developed the Manhattan project. Certainly energy is that big of a priority and these writers are critical because the best our politicians can imagine is more drilling and perhaps dropping the tax on gas.
Spoke with Glenn Elvington of ABC News for about 30 minutes yesterday. Busy guy. He not only is doing our debate, but the conventions and some of the other debates as well. Problem is, the networks have a shadow of the resources they did just eight years ago.
No debate thinking for at least four hours. It's Saturday. Web site is in pretty good shape. Time to generate some good content for it. The debates are still not on the national media map, yet.
It's at least three distinguished science writers and scientists and each has a different political leaning. What they share in common is an anger that science has been marginalized by politics. It used to be where when the science community developed a consensus on a major topic, the US Government took heed. Think Russia vs the US Space Program and President John F. Kennedy making a bold proclamation that the U.S. would put a man on the moon in 10 years.
Or when the US developed the Manhattan project. Certainly energy is that big of a priority and these writers are critical because the best our politicians can imagine is more drilling and perhaps dropping the tax on gas.
Spoke with Glenn Elvington of ABC News for about 30 minutes yesterday. Busy guy. He not only is doing our debate, but the conventions and some of the other debates as well. Problem is, the networks have a shadow of the resources they did just eight years ago.
No debate thinking for at least four hours. It's Saturday. Web site is in pretty good shape. Time to generate some good content for it. The debates are still not on the national media map, yet.
Friday, July 11, 2008
DebbieBinkley
Want to know who really makes us tick? Ms. Debbie Binkley, our Operations Director and University Relations "Admiral." Here she is after setting up the debate display in the Ole Miss Union. July 11, 2008.
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