Staff
Jonathan Earle, Ph.D.
Dean
307 French House
(225) 578-2735
Education:
Princeton University, MA and Ph.D., History
Columbia University, BA, History (magna cum laude)
Biography:
Dr. Earle joined the LSU Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College as dean in 2014. Under
his leadership, the Ogden Honors College received a $12 million naming gift from New
Orleans philanthropist Roger Ogden, fully renovated the French House, and increased
the university’s financial and academic commitment to honors education.
A native of suburban Washington DC, Dr. Earle is a specialist in the history of the antebellum United States. Educated at Columbia (BA) and Princeton (MA, Ph.D) Universities, he is the author of numerous books and articles including Jacksonian Antislavery and the Politics of Free Soil (UNC Press, 2004), winner of the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic's 2005 Broussard prize and co-winner of the Byron Caldwell Smith Book Prize; John Brown's Raid: A Brief History With Documents (Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2008); The Routledge Atlas of African American History (Routledge, 2000) and co-author of Major Problems in the Early American Republic (Cengage, 2007). In 2013 the University Press of Kansas published his edited collection Bleeding Kansas, Bleeding Missouri: The Long Civil War on the Border, which was named a Notable Book by the Kansas State Library. Dr. Earle is currently working on a book on the election of 1860 for the Pivotal Moments in U.S. History Series published by Oxford University Press.
Before coming to LSU, Dr. Earle was a longtime faculty member in the History Department at the University of Kansas, where he also served as Director of the University Honors Program and Associate Director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics.
In support of his research, Dr. Earle has received major fellowships from the NEH and the American Council of Learned Societies. He spent the 2006-7 academic year as the Ray Allen Billington Chair in U.S. History at Occidental College and the Huntington Library and the 1999-2000 academic year as an NEH Fellow at the Huntington. Earle has appeared on numerous programs and documentaries on the History Channel, C-SPAN, and PBS. The History News Network named him a Top Young Historian in 2007.
Drew Lamonica Arms, D.Phil
Associate Dean
329 French House
(225) 578-3005
Education:
D.Phil. Oxford University, UK
M.St., Oxford University, UK
B.A., LSU (English)
B.A., LSU (History)
Biography:
An LSU Honors College graduate and University Medalist, Drew Lamonica Arms returned
to teach in the Honors College in 1999 after receiving her doctoral degree in Victorian
literature from Oxford University, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. In 2004,
she was named Director of Fellowship Advising and has assisted LSU students in receiving
over 100 prestigious national and international fellowships, including Truman, Goldwater,
Udall, Marshall, Gates Cambridge, Knight Hennessey, and Fulbright. She has written
"We are Three Sisters": Self and Family in the Writing of the Brontës (Missouri, 2001)
and is a contributing author to The Brontës in Context, (Cambridge, 2012). Her work
on Emily Brontë is featured in the Gale Critical Companion Feminism in Literature
(2005), and she currently works on Anne Brontë’s novels and poetry. In 2017, Dr.
Arms created the OHC’s signature study abroad program, Ogden Honors in Oxford, and
serves as its director. Appointed Associate Dean in 2022, Dr. Arms manages the honors
curriculum.
Granger Babcock, Ph.D
Associate Dean
1213A West Laville
(225) 578-2479
Education:
Louisiana State University, Ph.D., English Literature, 1994
Louisiana State University, M.A., English Literature, 1985
Hamilton College, B.A., English Literature, 1981
Biography:
Dr. Granger Babcock was born in Rocky River, Ohio, which is about nine miles west
of Cleveland. He attended Hamilton College in upstate New York, and, after graduation,
worked briefly in Washington, D.C. before he arrived in the Bayou State to attend
graduate school. After receiving his Ph.D. from LSU, he worked at LSU Alexandria,
the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Louisiana School for
Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Dr. Babcock returned to LSU
in 2000 to work as the assistant to the dean in University College. In 2003, he moved
to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Life, where he served until 2005
as the Vice Chancellor's assistant; he then came to the Honors College as an associate
dean. He teaches in the Ogden Honors College, but his primary responsibility is to
manage the co-curricular programs of the Ogden Honors College, including the Laville
Honors House. He has traveled with the Ogden Honors College' s Gateway to China trip
and currently advises Fusion, the College's online arts review. Dr. Babcock is the
director of the LASAL Scholars program.
Michael Blandino, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean
318 French House
(225) 578-8845
Education:
Ph.D. Music - Experimental Music and Digital Media, Louisiana State University
M.M. Music Theory, Louisiana State University
B.A. Philosophy, Louisiana State University
Biography:
Serving Ogden Honors College students and faculty members since 2000, Michael has
contributed to our advising, enrollment management, assessment, facilities development,
and information technology. A former student of the College, he found its commitment
to excellence, to interdisciplinary study, and to advancing education in the state
of Louisiana to be worth continuing and strengthening.
Sofia Uijttenboogaard
Director of Development
222 French House
(225) 578-6868
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Jeremy Joiner
Director of Academic Advising and Enrollment Management
311 French House
(225) 578-8850
Education:
Bachelor of Science in Microbiology - Louisiana State University
Bachelor of Science in Psychology - Louisiana State University
Biography:
Jeremy brings over ten years of Honors advising experience to his role of coordinating
advising activities for the Ogden Honors College. He works with the advising team
to provide assistance to students throughout their four years in Honors--from getting
acquainted with the academic requirements of the Honors College and the co-curricular
opportunities available at LSU, to completing an Honors Thesis and graduating with
College Honors. Jeremy also coordinates the admissions process for the Ogden Honors
College, as well as the Honors College's participation in university orientation activities
and recruiting events. He previously served as staff advisor to the Honors College
Advocates.
In addition, Jeremy plans and coordinates the Honors College's annual summer study abroad programs that have taken Honors students to China, South Africa, and Cuba.
Cindy Seghers, MSW
Director of Career Development
320 French House
(225) 578-0269
Education:
Master of Social Work, Louisiana State University
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, Northwestern State University
Biography:
Cindy joined the Honors College staff in 2007 after working for five years with the
LSU Career Services Experiential Education office. In the position of Director of
Career Development, she assists students in their search for internships, other career-related
experience and service opportunities. Cindy also serves as liaison with LSU Career
Services and, in that capacity, provides career development guidance for Honors College
students. She assists Dr. Granger Babcock in coordinating the LASAL Scholars program.
Her professional experience includes volunteer program management with Volunteers
In Public Schools, medical and psychiatric social work, and program development with
state and governmental agencies. She currently serves on the LA Delta Service Corps/AmeriCorps
board, Health Care Centers in Schools Advisory Committee, Capital Area United Way
Campaign Cabinet, and the LSU Faculty Club Inc. board of governors. She served in
leadership roles with several community boards and organizations including Directors
of Volunteers In Agencies. She is a graduate of the 2003 Chamber Leadership Class
and is an active volunteer in the community.
Garrett Fontenot, Ph.D.
Manager of Fellowships and Honorific Scholarships
325 French House
(225) 578-4170
Education:
University of Notre Dame, Ph.D., History
University of Notre Dame, M.A., History
Loyola University New Orleans, B.A., History and Global Sociology
Biography:
Dr. Fontenot joined the Ogden Honors College in 2020. He works closely with LSU’s
cohorts of top scholarship recipients, including Stamps Scholars and President’s Alumni
Scholars, from the admissions and selection process through graduation. He also advises
students interested in applying for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships,
including (but not limited to) the Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater, Truman, Udall, and
Astronaut Scholarships, and coordinates the internal selection committees and institutional
endorsements for those awards. He also serves as LSU’s Fulbright Program Adviser.
Dr. Fontenot holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Notre Dame with research focusing on political culture and conceptions of empire in mid-to-late eighteenth century North America. He is specifically interested in France and French North America, and received a Fulbright award to support his research in Montreal in 2016-2017. Before arriving at LSU, Dr. Fontenot worked in the Honors Program at Tulane University in New Orleans. He is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Anthony Doyle
Recruitment Coordinator
1213 West Laville
(225) 578-2992
Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre - Louisiana State University
Biography:
Anthony joined the Ogden Honors College as the Recruitment Coordinator in September
2021. It’s his role to reach out to aspiring Honors students and provide them with
any answers and resources they may need, ensuring a smooth and gradual transition
into the Honors College. Anthony can also be seen at the Honors College’s recruiting
events and orientation activities. Anthony has firsthand experience of student life
as a Tiger having attended LSU, graduating in May 2020. He was a student of the Ogden
Honors College and completed an undergraduate thesis while remaining involved both
in his major and in various campus organizations.Add Text or Links Here
Jordyn Martin
Communications Manager
331 French House
(225) 578-0083
Education:
Masters of Mass Communication - LSU
Bachelor of Science in Communication - Appalachian State University
Biography:
Jordyn joined the Ogden Honors College in March 2020 as the communications coordinator.
She is responsible for generating and overseeing all internal and external communication
for the Honors College with the purpose of raising the public profile for the college.
She attended Appalachian State University where she was a Division I field hockey player and graduated with a BS in Communication in 2015. She lived and worked abroad in Australia and has worked in various fields before starting her masters degree in Mass Communication at LSU. She graduated with her MMC in August of 2019, and after a short stint in Las Vegas, is happy to be back in Louisiana.
Celia Crifasi
Upper Division Advisor
319 French House
(225) 578-1318
Education:
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D. Candidate, History
University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.A., History
Louisiana State University, B.A., History
Biography:
An Honors College graduate and LSU alumna, Celia returned to the Ogden Honors College in 2022 as the Upper Division Advisor for primarily third- and fourth-year students. She assists honors students as they transition to their Upper Division Programs, as they carry out research for their Honors Thesis, and as they begin to think about their post-graduation plans.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Celia graduated from LSU with a B.A. in History and Upper Division Honors in 2017. She continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied and conducted research abroad in Spain and Brazil, received a Fulbright and SSRC International Dissertation Research Fellowship, and earned a M.A. in History in 2019. In addition to her advising duties, Celia is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at UW-Madison working to complete her dissertation. Her research focuses on the early modern Spanish Atlantic World where she analyzes the intersection of Christianity, medicine, gender, the family, race, and ethnicity found in the knowledge held and circulated about breastfeeding practices.
Sydney Larriviere
Academic Advisor
Remote
(225) 578-6082
Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication - Louisiana State University
Master of Arts in Education - Louisiana State University
Biography:
Sydney joined the Ogden Honors College in 2018 as an academic advisor for first- and second-year students. She provides holistic advising and assists students with making the most out of their time as an undergraduate in and out of the classroom. Sydney also coordinates the College’s orientation programs, service projects, student activities and events, including within Laville Honors House and East Campus Apartments communities, and other advising operations.
During her time an undergraduate, Sydney led many service projects as an LSU Ambassador and studied abroad in Glasgow, Scotland. She went on to earn her master’s degree in education with an emphasis in higher education administration. She is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana.
Samantha Fagan
Academic Advisor
315 French House
(225) 578-8373
Education: B.S. Psychology LSU 2019, M.Ed. in Students Affairs in Higher Education 2021
Samantha joined the Ogden Honors College as a lower division academic advisor in August 2022. Her primary role is advising first and second year students. She also assists with Honors College events throughout the year. She is from Gonzales, Louisiana and a proud alumna of LSU. During her time as a student, she worked for three years as a Supplemental Instruction Leader for the Center for Academic Success. Since beginning her master’s program, she has worked at universities in Texas and Montana before coming to work back home.”
Victoria Pfeifer
Administrative Coordinator
101 French House
(225) 578-8831
Victoria is proud to be back at the Ogden Honors College, where she graduated with College Honors in 2020. Though Californian by birth, Victoria has spent most of her life in Louisiana. She attended LSU from 2016-2020. During that time, she earned two undergraduate degrees: one in English and the other in Philosophy. She received the 2020 Honors College Outstanding Thesis Award in the Humanities for her work “Women’s Disabled Bodies in the Novels of Agatha Christie,” excerpts of which she presented at professional conferences at Auburn University and the University of Texas, El Paso.
After graduating from LSU, Victoria spent two years in the business world working as a bookkeeper for a telecom company in Metairie. It was during this time she became an avid knitter (along with reading, her favorite hobby). Victoria returned to the OHC as the Office Coordinator in June of 2022. She is thrilled to be working at the place that holds so many happy memories for her and is excited to make more of those memories.
Rachel Lau
Assistant to the Dean
307 French House
(225) 578-2735
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Julie Lorio, LCSW
Honors College Mental Health Therapist
122 French House
Joining the Ogden Honors College Staff January 2023, as an Embedded Mental Health therapist, Julie provides individual therapy services for students. Majoring in psychology at LSU, Julie graduated with a Bachelor of Science. She followed up her undergraduate degree attending LSU for graduate school, earning a Master of Social Work. Julie is happy to return to LSU in the role of mental health therapist to assist students and promote healthy emotional wellbeing.