September Highlights From Interim President Lee

Dear Colleagues,

I'm so inspired by what we've accomplished together that I wanted to take a moment to share some highlights with you.

Over the past couple of weeks, our commitment to excellence has been evident in many ways, including:

• LSU Online reports that, last year, it supported more than 38,000 unique students in degree and continuing education programs across the state, providing top-quality educational experiences for non-traditional learners and promoting career and social mobility. We are continuing to grow in this sector as learners from around the world become aware of the LSU brand and seek a superior educational experience.
• The LSU Board of Supervisors named six new Boyd Professors across three LSU institutions. This is the highest academic honorific our institution bestows on faculty, and the scholarly accomplishments of these exceptional individuals exemplify the level of research excellence that will catapult us to a Top 50 ranking and, ultimately, AAU membership.
• Our freshman class has the largest number of Louisiana students (more than 5,100) we’ve ever welcomed at once. In keeping with our land-grant mission, as chartered in the Morrill Act of 1862, we are significantly building the talent pipeline for Louisiana!
• As we continue to emphasize the Pentagon Priorities, we have announced a realignment of several research units into one substantial LSU Energy Institute to fortify and grow our strength in this area, and we have announced our intention to become America’s Energy Campus!
• And of course, the LSU Tigers notched another win Saturday night in Tiger Stadium against longtime rival the Florida Gators! While we all cheer on the student athletes and thank them for giving it their all, I’d also like to acknowledge the Golden Band from Tigerland, the Golden Girls, the Color Guard, the cheer squad, and all the other students and staff who perform their hearts out at these games to inspire all of us to victory. Their unwavering energy keeps the stadium alive, and I am so grateful to them for all they do.

To hear more about what we are achieving, tune in to the State of the University Address this Wednesday at 12 p.m. In the meantime, thank you for all you do, and as always…

Geaux Tigers!

 

Matt Lee

Interim LSU President