The sociology professor and former chair of the Iraqi National Investment Commission appeared Sept. 22 before a Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing in which senators learned that as much as $13 billion meant for reconstruction projects in Iraq was wasted or stolen through elaborate fraud schemes, according to news reports.

There were tears. There was laughter. But, above all, there were calls for a renewed commitment to community.

The Sept. 19 inauguration of Earl H. Potter III as president of St. Cloud State University celebrated the presence in St. Cloud of a new force, a new "wind at our backs," who is inspiring campus and community to a higher level of service and new era of progress.

An estimated 850 people in Halenbeck Hall gymnasium saw Potter invested as the 22nd president of St. Cloud State.

A 3 p.m. ceremony at Halenbeck Hall will invest Potter as the 22nd president of the 139-year-old university. View the schedule of events.

While the centerpiece will be a ceremony with wide campus and community participation, this commemoration of new leadership also will shine a brighter light on accomplishments and contributions of faculty, staff and students.

The awards honor graduates for outstanding contributions to society and the university. Winners will be recognized at an Oct. 17 ceremony hosted by the St. Cloud State University Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Register to attend the event by calling the St. Cloud State Alumni Relations office at 320-308-3177 or 1-866-464-8759.

Enrollment is expected to be nearly 17,000 students. Day and evening classes begin Aug. 25.

Guiding the move-in process will be uniformed officers from the university's Public Safety Department and the St. Cloud Police Department. Follow the red-colored Move-In signs. Look for volunteer helpers in their red Husky Haulers T-shirts.

For 10 weeks this summer, 38 St. Cloud State students and graduates responded to domestics, dealt with intoxicated drivers, tasered suspects, conducted traffic stops, did vehicle searches and engaged in high-speed chases. Those activities and more prepared students for the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) licensure test in August. View a photo slide show.

President Earl H. Potter III addressed a June 26 Lemonade Concert & Art Fair audience that sprawled the width and length of the mall between Atwood Memorial Center and Stewart Hall.

"Welcome to your university," said Potter. "We're proud of our university, your university."

Ginny Tennant was saluted Thursday with the premiere performance of “Ginny’s Serenade," an orchestral work commissioned to honor her 35 years' work as a founding organizer of the Lemonade Concert & Art Fair, St. Cloud State University's signature summer event. Listen to an audio excerpt of "Ginny's Serenade" (MP3).

“The pink dynamo, that’s what I call her,” said Sandy Nadeau, executive director of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra.

The art, crafts and entertainment extravaganza runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on campus grounds surrounding Atwood Memorial Center. The 35th annual event serves this year as the opening of St. Cloud's Granite City Days.