The D'Elia Family Scholarship: A Legacy of Opportunity at CC&E

BATON ROUGE - The LSU College of the Coast & Environment is proud to announce the D’Elia Family Scholarship, a new endowed scholarship made possible through the generosity of Professor and Dean Emeritus Chris D'Elia and his wife, Jenny.

The scholarship will support both graduate and undergraduate students either enrolled in, or planning to enroll in, CC&E. This gift helps ensure financial barriers do not limit access to a world-class education in coastal and environmental science.

For the D'Elias, the gift is as much about inspiring a culture of giving as it is about supporting individual students.

"Jenny and I are honored to provide opportunities for students to benefit from the college's outstanding academic programs," said D'Elia. "We are especially grateful to the others who have joined in this effort, expanding these opportunities for even more students."

The scholarship reflects a lifetime of commitment to education, the environment, and the arts. The D'Elias have previously established an endowed professorship for future deans of CC&E and a student scholarship for the LSU School of Music. These gifts speak to their belief that philanthropic investment is, as D'Elia has said, "the lifeblood" of excellence.

Chris D’Elia’s impact on CC&E cannot be overstated. During his 14-year tenure as dean, he oversaw the transformation of what was once the School of the Coast & Environment into a full college.

Also under his leadership, enrollment in the Coastal Environmental Sciences major grew from roughly 25 students to more than 200. He helped launch new graduate programs, significantly broadened the college's research profile, and built out a faculty whose research spans from artificial intelligence to chemical oceanography and fisheries.

In January, D'Elia retired from the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, where he had served as a professor following the conclusion of his deanship. Although his retirement marked the close of a remarkable chapter, the D'Elia Family Scholarship ensures that his impact on students and on this college will continue for generations to come.