Boston

July 23 2009

In the last few days I met with terrific alumni in Boston, as well as seeing Steely Dan at the Wang Center. They played the album “Aja”, which was the soundtrack for my high school years, in order and in its entirety. Good for me to know you can be 47 and still get goose bumps from great art – “I cried when I wrote this song, Sue me if I play too long, This brother is free, I’ll be what I want to be.” Popular music does not get better than that. Sadly, I realized I am going to less and less live music – thank goodness for Laurel Devino, Encore, and all the talented musicians at school.

In the afternoon I met with Dr. Shan-nan Chang, the Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston. At the invitation of Paul LeBlanc (parent of Emma ’07, Hannah ’08, Board member, and President of Southern New Hampshire University), Dr. Chang toured our campus with Susan Grodman, our Director of Service and Global Education, after graduation in June. As he said to me, “I did not know whether to be more impressed with the beauty of your campus or the hospitality of your staff.” (I found out later he was referring to the charms of our Main Office, particularly Diane Wall, Sue Flagg and Patty Dollard). We are exploring the best way to create an ongoing cultural exchange (students, faculty and staff) that serves our strategic plan while allowing Taiwan to continue making ties with US schools. The future of the relationship looks bright. Stay tuned.