On October 7, City of Orange leaders gathered in Chapman’s Musco Center for the Arts for Mayor Mark A. Murphy’s annual State of the City address, presented by the Orange Chamber of Commerce. The event opened with an
invocation by Pastor Ric Olsen of Beacon Church, the pledge of allegiance led by Orange Chief of Police Dan Adams and the National Anthem sung by the Wimberley Bluegrass Band.

Before the mayor’s address, university President Daniele C. Struppa spoke on behalf of Chapman, the event’s presenting sponsor, highlighting the many collaborations between the university and the City of Orange in the past year.

“We love being in Orange,” said President Struppa. “Those of you who are parents or students may know that one of the things I always advise is that Chapman is a great university, but one of the reasons you should come here is because Orange is a beautiful city and a safe place.”

A number of awards were presented during the afternoon, including:
• Nonprofit Organization of the Year: Youth Centers of Orange
• Citizen of the Year – Moira Singer
• Large Business of the Year – Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital and
Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC)
• Small Business of the Year – PayRunner Payroll
• Corporate Citizen of the Year – Manu Shah of MSI, Inc.

In his speech, which is available for viewing on the Chamber’s Facebook page and cable access TV, Mayor Murphy discussed issues such as the future of the Paseo, housing projects, transportation improvements, the new Fire Station One complex, the growth of the Orange Police Department, and other community services.

“We are very honored to host this important community event,” said Alisa Driscoll, Chapman’s vice president of community relations. Driscoll will also serve as the next chair of the Chamber of Commerce and was committee chair for the State of the City event. “The partnership between Chapman and the city has a long and vital history, and it will just get stronger as we continue to grow together.”