LSU'S Biweekly Newsletter for Faculty & Staff

Flagship Faculty

Robert Twilley Director, Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute; Professor, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Science

Research interest: Developing a coastal ecosystem forecasting system that can be used to support decisions related to re-storing and protecting deltaic landscapes. Most of my research has focused on nutrient biogeochemistry of coastal wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico, throughout Latin America and in the Pacific Islands. This focus on the fate of nutrients in coastal ecosystems helps understand the vulnerability of estuaries to nutrient enrichment.

What brought you to LSU? The opportunity to serve as director of the LSU Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute is a challenge to link the discipline of science that I enjoy with the management of science that is significant to coastal Louisiana. Building the capacity in coastal system science and engineering to meet the challenges of restoring our fragile coastal landscape is articulated in the Flagship Agenda.This position provides the resources to make a significant contribution to that effort, along with my colleagues at other Louisiana universities.

LSU and Shell Create Center for Petroleum Workforce Development

On March 13, Gov. Kathleen Blanco announced the creation of the Center for Petroleum Workforce Development. Also pictured are Shell Operations Services Manager of the Americas Region Dwight Johnston (left) and LSU Chancellor Sean O’Keefe (center).

In an effort to highly educate and promote a skilled workforce in the oil and gas industry, regionally, nationally and globally, LSU and Shell Exploration & Production Company have formed a unique partnership on March 13, creating the Center for Petroleum Workforce Development.

Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco announced the collaboration during opening remarks made at the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development. The two parties signed a document establishing the framework principles of the center and its location in Robert, La.

The CPWD will offer education and training tailored to maintain top-level producing operations, drilling and support workforce to meet the growing needs of the oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico, onshore United States and globally. Currently the average age of industry workers is the late 40’s and this group is experiencing steady attrition rates though retirements. CPWD will help create a new talented workforce to meet both current and future operations capabilities.

LSU through its Division of Continuing Education brings to the program a portfolio of course offerings in: Management and Leadership, Computer Training and Incident Command, while Shell brings industry-specific courses already taught at the Robert facility. The combining of education and industry courses creates a dynamic curriculum tailored to support five distinct career ladder positions with salaries ranging from entry-levels of $35,000 - $40,000 to higher positions of more than $100,000 per year. The CPWD also provides a unique opportunity for Louisiana and the New Orleans region to maintain and leverage its position as an oil and gas producing operation and service company hub for the world.

Commenting on the creation of the center, Gov. Blanco said, “The oil and gas industry is such an important part of Louisiana’s economy. This new training program will help us support, sustain and grow the industry for the future.”

Representing LSU, Chancellor Sean O’Keefe said, “LSU’s National Flagship Agenda includes supporting the needs of business and industry with the outcome

of driving economic development. The university is proud to be a key player in this dynamic partnership that brings together the best resources from all parties to establish a world-class program. This is just another example of how LSU can work with business and industry to be an economic engine for the state.”

On behalf of Shell, Dwight Johnston, Operations Services Manager for the Americas Region said, “This is a proverbial win-win-win. Shell and industry get a needed talented and trained workforce embracing the principles of safety, operational excellence and good old-fashioned hard work; the citizens of Louisiana get good, stable jobs in an industry that has changed a lot from the early images of roustabouts; and the city, region and state re-establish themselves as the leaders in providing skilled operations, drilling and support talent worldwide.”

An advisory committee to the Center for Petroleum Workforce Development will be established, consisting of key contributors to the initiative, namely: Louisiana Economic Development; the City of New Orleans and its Office of Economic Development; GNO Inc.; the Louisiana Technical and Community College System; Career Builders; and Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.

By Michelle Z. Spielman

College of Art and Design Programs Move up in Latest Rankings

Students present their work in the interior design program, which ranks 10th in DesignIntelligence’s “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools 2006.”

In DesignIntelligence’s recently released “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools 2006,” the LSU College of Art and Design had two programs move up in the national rankings from last year. The landscape architecture program is ranked third for the undergraduate program and fourth for the graduate program. Last year, they ranked fourth and fifth, respectively. The interior design program moved to 10th among undergraduate programs from being ranked 15th in last year’s publication.

“One of the measures of the LSU National Flagship Agenda is the number of nationally ranked prestige programs supported by the university. Clearly, the College of Art and Design is contributing to the achievement of this goal with two top-10 nationally ranked programs,” said David Cronrath, dean of the LSU College of Art and Design. “This year’s ranking, and the success we had last year, means both the landscape architecture and interior design programs are firmly rooted among the very elite. As a consequence, we are making professionals in all the design fields take notice, and our graduates are sought by the very best firms.”

“National recognition is possible because of a dedicated faculty who serve determined students,” Cronrath added. “Greatness of this stature is not achieved overnight. It requires a commitment to educating young design professionals for the competitive and creativity-based economy of today.”

LSU’s School of Landscape Architecture currently has 14 full-time faculty with more than 170 students enrolled in the undergraduate program and fewer than 50 enrolled at the graduate level. The LSU School of Art’s interior design program is composed of seven full-time and five adjunct faculty members. There are approximately 125 undergraduate students in the professional program, which encompasses the second year through fourth year. The first year foundation level currently includes 120 students, and the school admits 40 students into the professional program each year.

“I am particularly excited this year. Moving from 15th to 10th is a big step,” said T.L. Ritchie, LSU Department of Interior Design chair. “Ranking 10th out of 145 FIDER (Foundation for Interior Design Education Research) accredited programs in interior design and third out of 44 LAAB (Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board) accredited programs in landscape architecture puts LSU in the top 6 percent in both undergraduate fields.”

The ranking list is published yearly by DesignIntelligence, the monthly journal of the Design Futures Council, a global network of design community professionals that exists to explore trends, changes and new opportunities in design, architecture, engineering and building technology.

The rankings were the result of surveys received last summer from partners, principals and personnel directors at more than 400 firms throughout the United States. They were asked to reflect on graduates hired during the past five years and consider how prepared they were for “real-world” jobs. The publication surveyed firms in each field to determine which schools best prepared their graduates for real-world practice. The study also included considerations such as faculty specializations, job placement records, caliber of internship programs and aesthetics of the campus.

By Ernie Ballard

Public Invited to Search out LSU’s “GEMS” on April 2

Like LSU employee Teresa Devlin, pictured above, the public is invited to the “GEMS “of LSU to view their exhibits on April 2.

The public is invited to discover the GEMS - Galleries, Exhibits, Museums and Special Sites - of LSU on Sunday, April 2, from 2 to 5 p.m as the LSU GEMS Committee hosts its annual GEMS/Museum Day on the LSU campus and in downtown Baton Rouge.

The GEMS/Museum Day gives visitors to the LSU campus the chance to visit the following sites for free: the LSU Museum of Natural Science in Foster Hall; the LSU School of Art Gallery in Foster Hall; the Star Lab, a portable planetarium, located between Middleton Library, Foster Hall and Thomas Boyd Hall; the M.A.R.S. Van, the Mobile Astronomy Resource System, located at the west end of the Thomas Boyd Hall parking lot; Middleton Library, where LSU Press will have books for sale, and where there will be a display of children’s books that have won the highly respected Giverny Book Award: Best Children’s Science Picture Book; the Special Collections at Hill Memorial Library; the Landolt Astronomical Observatory at the Department of Physics and Astronomy in Nicholson Hall; the Department of Geology and Geophysics Atrium in the Howe-Russell Building; the LSU Textile and Costume Museum in the Human Ecology Building; the Dairy Store on South Stadium Drive; the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum in the Life Sciences Building; the Union Art Gallery; the African-American Cultural Center on Raphael Semmes Road; the Women’s Center/Helen Carter House on Raphael Semmes Road; the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Library on Skip Bertman Drive; the Andonie Museum Celebrating LSU Athletics on West Lakeshore Drive; and the School of Art Gallery/Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Exhibition Gallery, Shaw Center of the Arts on Lafayette at Convention Street in downtown Baton Rouge.

Each of these 19 sites will feature special exhibits, including a trip to the South Pole, a portable planetarium, the Mobile Astronomy Resource System, or M.A.R.S. van, the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, the works of Morgan Harris, apparel and textile artifacts, rocks and minerals, wave erosion, astronomy, animals in art and other juried art exhibitions and much more. Walking tour maps will be available at each of the sites.

Educators of grades kindergarten through college are encouraged to utilize the Passport Program. The 2006 LSU GEMS/Museums Day passport and map brochure are available at www.lib.lsu.edu/special/lsugems. Each site on the GEMS Day tour will have a stamp available to mark students’ passports. When a student receives stamps from nine different sites, he or she is awarded one free admission to the LSU Museum of Art at the Shaw Center, good through May 15.

This event is hosted by the LSU GEMS Committee with the support of the National Science Foundation through the Antarctica Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Institution at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in conjunction with the Ice Cube Project.

By Michelle Z. Spielman

Consultants Selected for LSU System President Search

The LSU Board of Supervisors approved the following measures during its March meeting.

• Financial Exigency for the LSU Agricultural Center.
• The Nicholson Drive Landscape Corridor, which is supported by the State of Louisiana’s Department of Transport-ation Enhancement Program. Landscape enhancements will be made along Nichol-son Drive extending from Burbank to Skip Bertman Drive on the LSU campus.
• Adopted a resolution regarding the search for president of the LSU System. The resolution states that President William Jenkins will continue as president of the LSU System until a successor assumes office. Upon the naming of a successor, Jenkins will take the title of President Emeritus and Professor in Veterinary Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology; however he will continue to participate in system-wide fund raising activities and official functions for components of the LSU System. The Associa-tion of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges has been named as a consultant to study the qualities that LSU wants in a new leader, as well as the future of the 11 institutions within the LSU System. The resolution also states that the consultant’s review shall not include any consideration of realignment or merging of LSU System entities. The study is expected to take 60 to 90 days and will cost the System $50,000. After the study is completed and accepted by the board, a search committee will be selected and charged with conducting a transparent, national search for the best candidate to become president of the LSU System.
• An amendment to the 2006-2007 Capital Outlay Budget request to include the Women’s Softball Stadium at LSU. Prior to the storms, the building of the softball stadium was below $5,000,000. However, due to rising construction costs after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the price of the project has increased to $6,970,000 and the total project costs to $9,933,000. Due to the increase, the project must now go before the legislature for consideration in its 2006-2007 Capital Outlay Budget. This project will not have any direct fiscal impact on the campus, because the Athletic Department is an auxiliary whose funds are self-generated. Athletic Department officials say the project is important for the University to maintain progress in the Gender Equity and Issues Plan, which was prepared in response to the NCAA Certification Self-Study program.

In other news:

• Entergy Executive Rod West was named chairman of the LSU Board of Supervisors after Bernie Boudreaux resigned from the position.
• Michelle Gieg, LSU Student Government president, presented a resolution that was sent to Gov. Kathleen Blanco encouraging her to consider placing a recent LSU graduate or LSU student as an appointed member to the LSU Board of Supervisors.

By Michelle Z. Spielman

Annual Enrollment 2006

On-line Annual Enrollment, Flexible Spending Account and Health Plan Changes and new Critical Illness Plan

Annual Enrollment for employee benefits (health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts and premiums only plan) is April 1 - 30. Employees wishing to make a change to their health plan will be able to do so electronically via their PAWS accounts. The “one-time option to change plans” will not be permitted during the new plan year; therefore, the plan that is selected for July will be the plan that employees will have through June 30, 2007 (no exceptions).

If you want to change your health plan for July 1, 2006, you may access your personalized enrollment form through your PAWS account any time during the month of April; you will not have to remit a paper copy to HRM (if you were hired after March 2, 2006, you will not be able to access your personalized enrollment through PAWS and will have to remit a paper enrollment form to HRM). To change plans online, simply logon to your PAWS account, select “Employee Resources,” then select “INS Open Enrollment” and choose your desired plan.

You may change your plan as often as you like during the month of April. The last plan election made during the month of April will be your insurance carrier for July 1. If you do not have a PAWS account, your HR Contact will have your enrollment form. If you want to make changes or enroll in the dental, Flexible Spending Accounts or vision plans, you can access the forms through our Web site at www.lsu.edu/benefits.

The LSU System has hired ProcessWorks Inc. to begin the administration of the Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts effective July 1, 2006. Please note that if you are currently participating in our Health Care and/or Dependent Care Tax Saver Flexible Spending Accounts you must re-enroll during April to participate in the new plan year. The LSU System will be offering a new Critical Illness package effective July 1. This benefit will provide additional funding for medical expenses and travel related to critical illness such as heart attack, stroke, internal cancer etc.

More details on the administration through ProcessWorks for our Flexible Spending Accounts, the new Critical Illness package and health plan changes will be available on our Web site at www.lsu.edu/benefits during the month of April, as well as in the HRM - Benefits Office in 304 Thomas Boyd. The Office of Human Resource Management will be sponsoring the Benefits Fair on April 17 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Representatives from the health insurance plans, supplemental insurance providers and 403(b) and 457(b) providers will be available for questions during the fair.

Information regarding health plan changes and monthly premiums will be discussed at the following meetings:

• April 3, Union, Cotillion Ballroom, 10 a.m.
• *April 5, Vet Med, Auditorium, 1:30 p.m.
• April 7, Facility Services, Lunch Room, 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
• April 11, Pennington, Administration Auditorium, 9 a.m.
• April 12, Facility Services, Lunch Room, 7:30 a.m.
• April 17, Benefits Fair, Cotillion Ballroom, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• April 18, Ag Center, 212 Efferson Hall, 2 p.m.
• *April 21, Union, Cotillion Ballroom *10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• April 26, Ag Center, 212 Efferson Hall, 9:30 a.m.

The Definity Health Plan will also hold separate meetings to discuss plan enhancements on the following dates:

• April 3, Union, Vieux Carre Room, 1:30 p.m.
• April 4, Law Center, Room 303, 1 p.m.
• *April 20, Union, Red River Room, 10 a.m.

Separate meetings will be held to discuss the changes to and the administration of the Flexible Spending Accounts Plans.

• April 3, Union, Cotillion Ball Room, 1:30 p.m.
• April 26, Union, Vieux Carre Room, 1:30 p.m.

*Interpreter for the hearing impaired will be present at this meeting.