Hi5—August 29, 2019

Welcome to Hi5! Every week, we will share five newsworthy highlights from the desk of President Cordano. If you are interested in keeping up to date, open this email and check out all the new buzzworthy content! This week’s signer is Darrius Doe, ’18, a social media copywriter in the Office of University Communications.

Four people join the Board of Trustees

Dr. Cynthia Neese Bailes, ’70; Dr. Joyce Ester, Mr. Edson F. Gallaudet III, and Ms. Jenny Lay-Flurrie have been appointed to the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees. Dr. Neese Bailes is a professor emerita who has long been involved in the university’s bilingual efforts. Dr. Ester is a community college president in Minnesota who brings a wealth of higher education experience, as well as knowledge of American Sign Language. Mr. Gallaudet, a descendant of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Edward Miner Gallaudet, is founder and president of an urban development firm in greater Seattle. Ms. Lay-Flurrie is chief accessibility officer at Microsoft Corporation. The four new trustees will attend their first Board meeting October 9-11. 

Update on executive position searches

At this time, we will not be hiring a Chief Financial Officer. We are continuing to restructure the finance team under the new executive structure; as a result, we will be making some adjustments to the roles of current team members to allow for greater growth and success. Lisa Clarke, our interim vice president for finance and administration, will continue in this role for the next several months to ensure a smooth transition for the Chief Operating Officer. We will reopen the CFO position in late spring 2020.

Interviews for the Chief Operating Officer position will take place over the next few weeks. Updates on the General Counsel and Associate General Counsel positions will be available soon.

Men’s basketball team shines in Costa Rica

Several members of our men’s basketball team traveled to Costa Rica earlier this month. This trip, organized by Beyond Sports, was the first-ever international excursion for any of our sports teams. The team played three games against a national all-star team, provided community service, and toured the country, seeing San Jose, the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Arenal Volcano National Park, the Tarcoles River, the Pacific Coast, and Jaco. 

By all accounts, our team was a sensation. One referee wrote to men’s basketball coach Kevin Kovacs and said that he had officiated at 200 games per year for 40 years, in 16 countries on two continents, and had never seen such effortless communication and cohesion among members of a team. Thanks to Coach Kovacs and our men’s basketball team for being wonderful ambassadors for Gallaudet and the Deaf community! 

September 18: Welcome Home Address 

President Cordano welcomes everyone to join us on Wednesday, September 18 for our Welcome Home event where she will share how Gallaudet is changing the game! What’s a game without some pre-game warm-up? We’ll have a campus-wide scavenger hunt starting next week, and on game day we’ll have a staff appreciation breakfast before the big presentation! Let’s go to bat for Gallaudet, RSVP here and share with your friends! #HomeRunGU

Upcoming events

Mark your calendar now for three major events during the month of September! In addition to President Cordano’s Welcome Home address on Wednesday, September 18 (see item immediately above), the H Street Festival will be held on Saturday, September 21 from 12 to 7 p.m. on H Street between Third and 14th Streets, Northeast. The following Monday, September 23, is the International Day of Sign Languages. More information will follow!

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!