RSU President Dr. Larry Rice today made his State of the University address. I was in attendance, though not warmly greeted.

Let’s say it this way: I’m 6′4″ tall and even the fake weight on my driver’s license is probably twice most normal men’s. I can’t really blend into a crowd; I don’t try. Additionally, my understanding was that the State of the University presentation was a public event. So, I went.

At just before 9 a.m., I walked into the Will Rogers Auditorium through the front entrance and took a center-section seat near the front of the auditorium. I hadn’t been there long when I was approached by my old friend Sharon Kern (you may remember her from my account of trying to serve legal papers on several RSU staff members (Kern is mentioned on pages 35ff on the PDF)). In her usual warm, friendly way, she walks up and says, “I’m Sharon Kern. Who are you?” with her hallmark passive-aggressive flair. I told her who I was, and she asked what I was doing there. I responded that I believed it was a public event. She informed me that it was for faculty and staff. I asked her if she was asking me to leave. Apparently, her authority ends with accosting members of the community at public gatherings because she said she’d have to go ask about that and let me know. She went and reported on me to the administrators and they huddled. It took them a while, but they must have decided I posed a threat somewhat less than the typical, rabid secretary because the presentation, replete with Brent Ortolani’s spellbinding circa 1997 PowerPoint slides (he even used the “Crawl In” text effect), finally started (about 20 minutes late) without any further contact.

I don’t have much to say about the report. It was the typical “how great we’re doing” presentation. In the “Challenges” section, there was no mention of the huge issues the university is facing with its federal grant programs. And, out of respect for Dr. Rice, I chose not to pose the question during the question and answer period. I hold out hope that he will answer those questions and make the needed changes at RSU.

For your listening pleasure, I provide an audio copy of the presentation on the WynnCast Blog. Too bad I hadn’t had time to get my recorder out when Sharon came to say hi.