Hollie Hale Donze Named Science Residential College Rector

 

Hollie Hale-Donze, LSU instructor of biological sciences and former research associate in the Shared Instrumentation Facility, or SIF, has been named rector of the Science Residential College, the living-learning community for first-year students interested in College of Science programs.

“The Science Residential College has been instrumental to attracting and retaining students in the College of Science and we are very excited to have Hollie lead this effort,” said Cynthia Peterson, College of Science Dean and Seola Arnaud and Richard Vernon Edwards Jr. Professor.

The position, formerly held by Biological Sciences Instructor Chris Gregg, includes recruiting first-year students with an interest in science, student advising and mentoring, and developing a series of activities and experiences to expose students to the research, academic and career opportunities available to science majors.

With more than a decade at LSU, Donze’s previous position consisted of teaching immunology and training students, staff and faculty on both widefield and confocal microscopes in the SIF. Donze also spent two years teaching biology at Tara High School.

“Education is my passion whether that is teaching our Tigers in the classroom or training them in the lab,” said Donze. “Having worked both with high school and college curricula, I possess a unique understanding of the challenges that transitioning from high school into the rigors of college academics presents for students.”

Donze earned a PhD in microbiology from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and participated in post-doctoral training at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research. She has also published research papers in the areas of immune responses to infectious diseases.

“As SRC Rector, I look forward to facilitating an easier transition for our entering freshmen into the science programs at LSU, giving them the best opportunity to find their passion in the career paths of their choice,” said Donze.

 

About the SRC:

The Science Residential College (SRC), which opened in fall 2009, is designed specifically for students pursuing a degree in the College of Science. The program is housed in the picturesque Evangeline Hall, Highland Hall and Louise Garig Hall this fall, and is open to both male and female students who meet the program requirements. The College of Science is committed to developing and maintaining world-class research programs and educating the next generation of international leaders in the sciences. The SRC provides an opportunity for first-year Science students to establish working relationships with faculty members, get introduced to research projects in their areas of interest, and to live among their peers with similar interests.

 

Its goal is to help first-year students adjust to the rigors of college courses, particularly in science and math, while making friends and getting to know faculty in a small college living-learning environment. SRC students take part in special opportunities to examine careers in basic and applied sciences, medicine and dentistry, secondary and college education, business and industry, government, and public service.