June 13, 2003 |
VOL. 19, NO. 33 |
| Calendar |
| Exhibits |
| FYItems |
| Job Ops |
| People at LSU |
The Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors met on Thursday, June 5, and Friday, June 6. The board swore in member Ron Anderson and welcomed new student member Brian W. Hightower. It also approved a measure to revise LSU’s mission statement and signed off on recommendations to raise the salaries of basketball coaches John Brady and Sue Gunter.
Anderson was recently reappointed by Gov. Mike Foster to fill the seat vacated by Victor Bussie, who has taken an appointment to the University of Louisiana System board. Anderson’s former seat will be filled by Louis Lambert, a state senator from Prairieville. Lambert was not present at the meeting, as he will take his seat after the current legislative session ends on June 23.
Hightower, the new student member, was recently selected by the LSU System Council of Student Government Association Presidents to serve for the 2003-2004 academic year. Hightower, a graduate of LSU, is a third-year student at LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
A revised mission statement for LSU was presented and approved by the board. The new mission statement is as follows:
“As the flagship institution of the state, the vision of Louisiana State University is to be a leading research-extensive university, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development. Designated as both a land-grant and sea-grant institution, the mission of Louisiana State University is the generation, preservation, dissemination and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts. In implementing its mission, LSU is committed to:
• offer a broad array of undergraduate degree programs and extensive graduate research opportunities designed to attract and educate highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students,
• employ faculty who are excellent teachers-scholars, nationally competitive in research and creative activities, and who contribute to a world-class knowledge base that is transferable to educational, professional, cultural and economic enterprises, and
• use its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental and social challenges.”
The statement was reviewed by members of LSU’s faculty, staff and student population and was posted on LSU’s flagship Web site. It was also approved by the University Planning Council and the chancellor before being presented to the board.
The board’s athletic committee discussed a motion to amend the existing contracts of LSU men’s basketball coach John Brady and women’s basketball coach Sue Gunter. The entire board approved the motion, which increases Brady’s salary from $200,000 annually to $250,000, and Gunter’s from $210,000 to $260,000. The approved changes also increase Brady’s radio/television/Internet payments from $325,000, payable in five installments, to $375,000 payable in six installments. In addition, Gunter’s contract will be extended until June 30, 2006, and a provision will be added which provide for subsequent raises of at least 10 percent on July 1, 2004 and July 1, 2005.
In other action, the board voted to approve:
• A recommendation to approve the establishment of the Professional Ethics Professorship at LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
• A recommendation to amend the general ticket policy for men’s basketball tickets at LSU. The amendment would increase the price of all tickets by $2 each for games against Southeastern Conference opponents and those games designated as premium games by the director of athletics.
• A recommendation to amend the general ticket policy for women’s basketball tickets at LSU. This change establishes an individual game ticket price of $7 for lower and middle level seats, and $5 for adults and $3 for children in upper level seats. It also establishes a price of $75 for a season ticket, which would be reserved seating.
• A recommendation to approve the change in name of the Interdepartmental Program in Engineering Science to the Donald W. Clayton Graduate Program in Engineering Science at LSU.
• A recommendation to revise the policy providing partial waiver of fees for nonresident sons and daughters of LSU System alumni. In an effort to “recognize the significant contributions of LSU System graduates who live outside Louisiana and to encourage these alumni to send their sons and daughters to a campus of the LSU System,” the revision increases the value of the partial waiver from 50 percent of the nonresident fee to 75 percent.
• A recommendation to write off uncollectible accounts of the university as of June 30, 2003.
• A recommendation to authorize the acceptance of the donation of a building and approximately 4.4 acres of land from Syngenta Crop Protection Inc., and to enter into such ancillary agreements as necessary for the use of the building and grounds.
The donation consists of a 26,885-square-foot laboratory building and 4.4 acres of land on River Road in St. Gabriel. The property will be for use by the LSU Agricultural Center and the Audubon Sugar Institute.
• A recommendation to enter into an agreement for the use of approximately seven acres of land by the LSU Property Foundation for the construction of the Louisiana House-Home and Landscape Resource Center.
• A recommendation to enter into a lease agreement between the Board
of Supervisors on behalf of the LSU Ag Center and Lamar-Dixon Expo Center LLC.
The agreement will allow the Ag Center to hold its annual livestock show at
the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales.
When Dr. Ashley M. Stokes received her Doctor of Philosophy degree today, she became the first graduate of a program at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine that allowed her to work on her Ph.D. while attending veterinary school.
Stokes worked as a research associate at LSU before entering veterinary school in 1997, and she wanted to continue conducting research and obtain a Ph.D. in addition to a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. While a combined program did not exist when she entered the School of Veterinary Medicine, she found that the school’s administrators were just as interested in the idea. Using her focused work on her Ph.D. research during the summer semesters as a model, the combined degree program was created.
Stokes began working on her Ph.D. in the summer of 1998. She received her D.V.M. degree in May 2001 and successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation this spring.
“The double workload was very challenging, but it taught me how to balance multiple demands, and the programs complement each other well,” noted Stokes. “I feel that working on both degrees at the same time made me a better veterinary student and a better Ph.D. student.”
Stokes cites her graduate committee members and her advisors, Dr. Rustin M. Moore, professor of veterinary surgery; Dr. Susan C. Eades, professor of veterinary medicine; and Dr. Changaram S. Venugopal, professor of veterinary physiology, pharmacology and toxicology, with continuous support and advice that helped her become successful.
When other students seek her advice about the program, Stokes encourages them to get a feel for the veterinary curriculum before committing to the combined program. However, she also lets them know what great opportunities there are for veterinarians with a Ph.D., something with which Dr. Thomas R. Klei, associate dean for research and advanced studies at the School of Veterinary Medicine, agrees.
“The need for more veterinarians in biomedical research is recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the National Center for Research Resources within the National Institutes of Health. LSU is one of the schools that offer the joint degree to those students who are serious about adding the Ph.D. degree and the training it provides to that of the D.V.M. degree,” said Klei.
For the next year, Stokes will be working as a post-doctoral research fellow at the School of Veterinary Medicine. Following that, she will seek out a tenure-track faculty position at LSU or another major university.
“I want the challenge of teaching, practicing in a university setting
and conducting research. The training I received through the combined D.V.M./Ph.D.
program has given me the tools to be successful, and there are many doors open
for me,” said Stokes.
Robert T. Sumichrast has been named the new dean of LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business Administration.
Sumichrast, who will take over the position on July 1, is currently the associate dean for graduate and international programs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Pamplin College of Business in Blacksburg, Va. Sumichrast has been professor at Virginia Tech since 1984 and took over his current role in 1998.
“I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Robert Sumichrast to LSU. He will be an energetic and experienced leader for the E.J. Ourso College of Business Administration,” said LSU Chancellor Mark Emmert. “With his background and understanding of business schools, he will be able to build upon the many strengths of the college and press it further ahead in national stature. I have every confidence that Dr. Sumichrast will have great success as dean.”
Sumichrast received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Purdue University and a doctorate from Clemson University in management science. He takes over the reigns from Bill Lane, chair of the finance department, who has served as interim dean since Tom Clark stepped down in late 2001.
For more information, contact Wendy Luedtke at 225-578-8865 or wendy@lsu.edu.
—Rob Anderson
|
Beverly Petty Andes |
Dawn Marie Lowe-Wincentsen |
 |
| Pictured from left to right are: (front row) Liza Pineda, Miriam Douglas, Carlos Hernandez, Yousef Skaikay, Erica Barbay, Tara Street-Bradford; (second row) Ashley Lechtenberg, Brian Waits, Laura Morris, Cedric Johnson, Eric Zivick, Jonathan Guelfo, Edward Joyner; (third row) Lloyd Shenefelt, Charles Jones, Ray Scriber, Mark Nauck Jr. |
Some of the LSU School of Architecture’s outstanding students were recognized recently with awards and scholarships at the O.J. Baker Awards Luncheon.
The ceremony, which is named after the school’s first administrative head, O.J. Baker, was presented by the Baton Rouge Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the LSU School of Architecture.
The recipients are as follows:
O.J. Baker Competition Recipients:
1st place – Candice Ross, Lake Charles.
2nd place – Eric Zivick, Lafayette.
3rd place – Jessica Stumpf, New Orleans.
Honorable Mention – Carlos Hernandez, Baton Rouge.
AIA Henry Adams Awards:
AIA Medal – Laura Morris, New Orleans; Lloyd Shenefelt, Baton Rouge.
AIA Certificate – Ray Scriber, Winnsboro; Stephanie Skinner, Slidell.
Architectural Research Centers Consortium King Medal and Technology Awards:
Laura Morris, New Orleans
Ashley Lechtenberg, New Orleans
Edward Joyner, New Orleans – School Service Certificate.
Erica Barbay, Sunshine – History Award.
Scott Welty, Metairie – Digital Media Award.
Faculty Design Awards:
Miriam Douglas, Rayville.
Yousef Skaikay, Destrahan.
Mark Nauck Jr., Baton Rouge.
William May, Humble, TX.
Liza Pineda, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Scholarship Recipients:
Terry Devine Memorial Scholarship – Cedric Johnson, Amite.
Robert Sprague Jr. Memorial Scholarship – Brian Waits, Baton Rouge.
Tiger Athletic Fund Scholarship – Erica Barbay, Sunshine.
Torre Scholarship in Architecture – Charles Jones, Gonzales.
Tracy Cooper Leadership Award – Edward Joyner, New Orleans.
The Harvey Scholarship – Jonathan Guelfo, Baton Rouge.
LSU Theatre whisks audiences away to one of the most romantic cities in the world for a tale of love and nostalgia with its latest production, “Tropical Breeze Hotel.”
The production, which takes place in the Reilly Theatre, begins with a “Pay-What-You-Can” Preview, Wednesday, June 18, at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Official Sneak Preview on Thursday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m. All seats for the Official Sneak Preview are $12. Opening night commences Friday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a catered reception with the cast and crew.
The show will continue to run through June 29 with performances Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Seating is reserved and prices are $12 for students, $16 for seniors and LSU employees and $21 for the general public. Tickets are available at the LSU Union Box Office, 225-578-5128; the Reilly Theatre Box Office, 225-578-3527; all Ticketmaster outlets, 225-761-8400; and online at www.theatre.lsu.edu.
Set in Paris, “Tropical Breeze Hotel” was originally written in French by Maryse Conde and subsequently translated into English by Barbara Brewster Lewis and Catherine Temerson. LSU Theatre professor Femi Euba directs the play.
“I chose this play because of its universal theme of love, which Madame Conde dramatizes with tenderness and humor,” Euba said. “The play focuses on the basic feelings of emotional relationships that we all, in a sense, have gone through.”
In her Parisian hotel, Emma, an aging immigrant and former exotic dancer from Guadeloupe, falls passionately in love with Ishmael, a failed revolutionary and refugee from Haiti. Emma’s child-like, affectionate imagination and Ishmael’s rebellious sense of betrayal and treason drive a wedge between them as the star-crossed lovers struggle to find a place for their relationship in a world of differences.
“This play will resonate with the people of Louisiana,” Euba said, “because of the mix of different cultures we have here – African, Creole, French. People will relate to the nostalgic ties to the past that we all feel in some way.”
The production is made possible by support from Etant Donnes, the French-American Fund for the Performing Arts; the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge; the Louisiana Division of the Arts; and LSU Francophone Studies. Because of their support, the production will feature two professional actors from New Orleans in Troi Bechet and Don Guillory.
Bechet, who portrays Emma, is a Big Easy Award-nominated actress and vocalist. Guillory, who portrays Ishmael, is a veteran of the New Orleans Southern Repertory Theatre.
“Although Troi and Don have never acted together before, they have this
chemistry,” Euba said. “It’s as though they were meant to
play these roles.”
Photo Gallery |
 |
| The Cadets of the Ole War Skule hosted a Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony on May 30, on the LSU Parade Grounds in front of the LSU War Memorial.The silent ceremony is held in honor of the many soldiers who have given their lives while serving the United States in the armed forces. A ceremonial wreath was laid at the foot of the flag pole while TAPS played. |
 |
| SPRING COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY—Lynne V. Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, delivered the address at LSU's 250th commencement ceremony. |
 |
| Fifty LSU graduates were named University Medalists after completing their undergraduate careers with perfect grade-point averages. |
 |
| The LSU military science department honored 16 graduates who received military commissions, four of which were recognized at the commencement ceremony. |