Honoring a Legacy This LSU Giving Day: Students, Colleagues, and Friends Reflect on Alma Dawson’s Life and Career as March 25th Approaches
March 23, 2026
Each year, LSU Giving Day brings the university community together in support of the programs, people, and priorities that shape its future. For the LSU School of Information Studies (SIS), this year’s effort is centered on honoring a legacy that continues to influence the field of librarianship and the lives of those who were fortunate enough to learn from her.
Gifts to the SIS General Scholarship Fund will support the creation of a new scholarship in memory of the late Dr. Alma Dawson, Professor Emerita, whose career at LSU and beyond was defined by mentorship, scholarship, and a deep commitment to service.
Dr. Dawson joined LSU in 1982 and later became a faculty member in the School of Library and Information Science after earning her PhD in Library Science and Higher Education. Over the course of her career, she taught courses in collection development, academic libraries, and information literacy, while also contributing extensively to scholarship in areas including African American librarianship, library history, and distance education. In 2003, she was named the Russell B. Long Professor in Library and Information Science.
But for those who knew her, her legacy extends far beyond titles and publications.
“She was a soft-spoken person who had the best laugh,” recalled Nicole Rozas, SIS’s business and admissions manager, who worked closely with Dr. Dawson for many years. “She quietly gave her time and expertise to school-level and university committees,” Rozas said, noting Dr. Dawson’s long-standing
leadership of the school’s Admissions, Scholarship, and Recruitment committee and her role in ensuring students received the support they needed.
That commitment to students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, was a defining feature of Dr. Dawson’s career. She established mentorship programs for minority and international students and played a key role in creating scholarship opportunities to support them.
“Dr. Dawson felt it was important to record the history of the School, as well as establish mentoring programs for minority and international students,” Rozas said. “She worked hard to grow our student body to be very diverse, which is evident today.”
Her colleagues remember not only her advocacy, but also her persistence and leadership.
“Her work ethic was best described as ‘tireless,’” said Dr. Patsy Perritt, SIS Professor Emerita and good friend of Dr. Dawson. “She stuck with any task until it was complete.” Dr. Perritt also emphasized Dr. Dawson’s dedication to serving “all segments of the population, particularly the underserved,” a value that shaped both her teaching and her professional work.
That focus on service extended into her scholarship and national contributions to the field. Dr. Dawson documented the history of libraries in Louisiana and helped elevate the study of African American librarianship. She also led and contributed to major initiatives, including Project Recovery, a grant-funded program that supported the education of future librarians while assisting communities impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Kathleen McCook, former Dean and a longtime colleague, described Dr. Dawson as “a deep thinker, deliberative, meticulous, thorough in developing ideas,” and highlighted her lasting contributions to documenting both local and national library history. “She worked tirelessly to document Louisiana library history,” McCook said, and to ensure that the contributions of Black librarians were recognized and preserved.
For her students, Dr. Dawson’s influence was often personal as well as professional.
Jordan Signater first connected with her after working in LSU Libraries, when he was encouraged to pursue graduate study. “She encouraged me to enter the graduate program,” he said. That encouragement proved life-changing. “Dr. Dawson inspired both my wife and me to pursue librarianship,” he added. “I ultimately met my wife in graduate school thanks to Dr. Dawson.”
Signater also recalled the perspective she instilled in her students: that libraries must serve as active, engaged parts of their communities. “Libraries could not exist as warehouses of books,” he said. “There needed to be outreach and programming that supported the community.”
It’s a philosophy that continues to shape the work of SIS and its graduates today.
Dr. Dawson passed away on September 11, 2025, leaving behind a legacy defined by mentorship, scholarship, and service. Her work helped open doors for future generations of information professionals, and her influence continues through the students she taught, the programs she built, and the communities she impacted.
This Giving Day, the creation of a scholarship in her name ensures that legacy will continue.
By supporting the SIS General Scholarship Fund, donors are helping make education more accessible for future students, many of whom will carry forward the same values that defined Dr. Dawson’s career. As Signater reflected, “I have since decided to pursue my PhD, and hopefully I will be able to impact the lives of students in the same way that she did.”
Through this scholarship, that impact will continue, supporting the next generation of students who will learn, lead, and serve in the spirit of Dr. Alma Dawson.
About the LSU School of Information Studies
The LSU School of Information Studies (SIS) provides a 100% online prestigious education in library & information science. It is the home of the Master of Library & Information Science, which is the only program accredited by the American Library Association in the state of Louisiana. SIS also offers a dual degree with the Department of History, an undergraduate minor, and three graduate certificate options. SIS is a member of the iSchools, a group of Information Schools dedicated to advancing the information field. SIS is part of the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education.
Visit the School of Information Studies website.
Giving Day
Give to the School of Information Studies through the LSU SIS Giving Day Website.