Cornerstone Winter 2019 and Spring 2020 by LSU Foundation

CORNERSTONE WINTER 2019 AND SPRING 2020

A Letter From

J. BRYAN BENCHOFF

Photo by Kathryn Gaiennie

“Last year, of the $275 million raised for LSU’s campuses statewide, $243.9 million was given in support of the flagship campus. Of that, $171.2 million (70 percent) was given in support of academics.”

Friends, Since the spring launch of the LSU Fierce for the Future Campaign, we have had the opportunity to visit with LSU supporters throughout Louisiana and around the country to share LSU’s vision for tomorrow. While it will be exciting to hit our $1.5 billion goal—and we’re more than halfway there—I see that we are all far more excited about the ways philanthropic support will advance our six campaign pillars: arts and culture; coast, energy, and environment; research and economic development; health and well-being; education; and leadership. These pillars are in lockstep with the university’s strategic plan, as they should be, and they are connected by our shared commitment to improving quality of life for everyone. The stories included in this issue of Cornerstone highlight philanthropy’s powerful role in meeting pressing challenges that are acute in Louisiana and impacting the world. As I hope you’ll notice in reading them, we measure progress in the opportunities we offer, the problems we solve, the pathways we open, and the lives we change forever. The LSU Foundation has been working diligently to implement a strategic blueprint that positions us to truly unlock LSU’s philanthropic potential. In the past three years, we have outpaced our fundraising goals, we have risen from dead last to third in the SEC in alumni giving participation, and our endowment value is up 16 percent. Last year, of the $275 million raised for LSU’s campuses statewide, $243.9 million was given in support of the flagship campus. Of that, $171.2 million (70 percent) was given in support of academics. By making LSU a philanthropic priority, you are driving this impact. Together, we are leading with a spirit innate to LSU, charged with tenacity and purpose. We are bringing our all for the future of LSU, Louisiana, and the world. Thank you for being fierce for the future with us. Gratefully,

J. Bryan Benchoff LSU Foundation President and CEO

fierceforthefuturecampaign.org #FierceForTheFuture

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

YOUR GIVING ... DRIVES EXCELLENCE 15 Remarkable 19 Full Steam Ahead 22 Sisters

ADVANCES COMMUNITIES 24 Winning Attitude 28 Virtually Vital 30 A Rare Bird

CREATES EXPERIENCES 32 Common Ground 36 Margin of Excellence 38 Building a Global Network

19 24 38

SUPPORTS STUDENTS 41 The Risk-Taker 45 Hopeful History 48 Challenge Accepted

SPECIAL SECTION

2018-19 Giving Report

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ABOUT THE COVER Graphic Design Student Office (GDSO) staff member Dakota Baños (Art & Design, ’20) immediately thought of the Disney film "Meet the Robinsons" when he learned of this issue’s theme, “Ever Forward.” He shared, “Using the over-thetop architecture style shown in the future of the movie as a reference, I began to cultivate an imagined version of LSU. The paper plane on the cover is a metaphor for traveling to a bright, lively utopia.” The Amite, La., native chose to pursue graphic design while working on his high school’s yearbook staff, and now has a dream to work for the magazine GQ. Baños finds inspiration for his art in colorful entertainment media, specifically from concert stage designs like Katy Perry’s, Nintendo games like Super Mario, and illustrative works like Dragon Ball. To the donors of the College of Art & Design, he says: “The School of Art has given me an opportunity to feel welcomed and free to express my creativity that wouldn’t be possible without your generosity.” design.lsu.edu

WHY I GIVE Whitney Breaux (Mass Communication, ’09; Business, ’11) made her first gift to the LSU Manship School of Communication on the university’s first Giving Day, April 30. When she learned that she would give birth to her son her senior year, Breaux was “blown Photo by Andrea away” by the support of her Manship School Laborde Barbier family, who went the extra mile—and gave her an extra hand—to ensure she graduated with her class. “When life throws you challenges or barriers, I’ve never really been one to sit back and let them incapacitate me,” Breaux shared. “It meant everything to walk across that stage and know that, yeah, I’ve got this really cute 7-month-old on my hip, but his mom’s a college graduate!” Now, Breaux is an international brand leader for Eli Lilly and Company, a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, where she helps to cultivate a new generation of great talent. “Leadership to me is not the general that sits on the high horse, observing the battlefield and telling people what to do,” Breaux shared. “I help them identify their strengths and opportunities to help them elevate their skills to the next level. We outwork the competition, and I watch them kill it. That is what gets me going every morning.” And her son? Jason Jr. is almost 11 years old, and he’s celebrated nearly every birthday in Tiger Stadium.

CORNERSTONE

WINTER 2019 AND SPRING 2020 MANAGING EDITOR Jennie Gutierrez EDITOR Elin Hawkinson ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sara Whittaker

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Marianna Davis ART DIRECTOR Ashley Motsinger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tobie Blanchard Adrian Hirsch Steve Sanoski PRINTING Progress Printing TO SHARE FEEDBACK, PLEASE CONTACT: Jennie Gutierrez  Associate Director of Communications and Marketing  jgutierrez@lsufoundation.org   225-578-3836

lsufoundation.org /lsufoundation

lsu.edu/manship

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

@lsu_foundation

Profile

GEORGE E. ROBINSON III, D.V.M., M.S.P.H.

Board of Directors

George E. Robinson III, D.V.M., M.S.P.H., (Veterinary Medicine, ’81) is one of the newest members of the LSU Foundation Board of Directors but a longtime supporter of his alma mater. He endowed one of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s (SVM) first scholarships for under-represented students, motivated to relieve financial strain for promising scholars and promote diversity. In the spirit of LSU’s Fierce for the Future Campaign, Dr. Robinson shared that he is fierce for leveraging philanthropy to strengthen LSU’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, benefiting the university and society as a whole. “Companies that are mindful and intentional about diversity tend to have better results and an overall better working environment,” Dr. Robinson said. “If we plant those seeds at LSU, ultimately, our graduates will carry that Photo by Andrea Laborde Barbier message and those values with them wherever they go.” Dr. Robinson, who was the first African American student from Louisiana to attend the LSU SVM, was named its 2018 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and gave the school’s commencement address that May. “It sent chills down my spine because it felt full circle. After I graduated, I spent a lot of time working to influence minority students to attend the LSU SVM,” Dr. Robinson said. “I think one of the gaps is exposure and mentorship. A lot of folks don’t have a black veterinarian to look to in their community and say, ‘I want to be like Dr. George’ ... That puts a kind of social responsibility on me, too.” Based in Chicago, Dr. Robinson is the chief executive officer of Heartland Veterinary Partners, a growing, $100 million+, “vet-centric” company that owns and manages nearly 100 veterinary practices. The company’s goal is to lift the burden of administrative functions from veterinarians so they can focus on their true passion: practicing medicine. “With my experience in upper management and running my own practice, I realized I could build a business that resonated with veterinarians looking to improve their practices,” Dr. Robinson explained. “We provide equipment and continuing education for doctors while creating a positive experience for the pet-owning public.” As an LSU Foundation board member, Dr. Robinson looks forward to applying the fundraising skills he honed while serving as chair of the Southern University Foundation and on several civic and governmental boards in New Orleans, where he practiced for many years. “Philanthropy has always been a part of my life,” Dr. Robinson said. “Schools that are considered great have alumni who give back; I’ve been raising funds for the LSU SVM since the day I graduated. Supporting LSU is a way to create a legacy of service and caring.” lsufoundation.org/board lsufoundation.org/nationalboard

2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

Clarence P. Cazalot Jr. | Houston, Texas Chairperson of the Board & Director

Frank W. “Billy” Harrison III | Houston, Texas Chairperson-elect of the Board & Director J. Bryan Benchoff | Baton Rouge, La. LSU Foundation President and CEO Laura L. Dauzat | Marksville, La. Corporate Secretary & Director D. Martin Phillips | Houston, Texas Corporate Treasurer & Director

EX OFFICIO F. King Alexander LSU President

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Profile

MARIE “MIMI” MOYSE SCHLESINGER

LSU Foundation Membership

Marie “Mimi” Moyse Schlesinger (Humanities & Social Sciences, ’75) comes from four generations of LSU alumni. Her LSU Foundation membership continues a family legacy of investing in the university to afford students an outstanding education and experience on campus. Schlesinger began her Tiger journey at the University Laboratory School, where she kicked off her favorite campus pastime of attending LSU football games, which she continued to enjoy once enrolled at LSU. As a student, Schlesinger was employed at City National Bank and values the experience of learning how to balance her education, employment, and social life. A lesson from LSU shapes her daily interactions: “the importance of accepting, listening, and treating a person as a unique individual, to be accepted as an equal based on all characteristics.” Schlesinger, a Metairie, La., resident, comes from a line of philanthropists, and she cites her grandmother, Rosalie Gottlieb Moyse, as an inspiration for her own generosity to LSU, New Orleans Museum of Art, Long Vue House and Gardens, The National World War II Museum, and the National Council of Jewish Women. “She often said that the community has been good to her, and she owed it to the community to be good to it. My family has always followed in her beliefs,” Schlesinger shared. She became a member of the LSU Foundation after the death of her father, Hermann Moyse Jr. (Humanities & Social Sciences, ’42), who served on the LSU Foundation Board of Directors and gave generously to the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. His legacy continues through two scholarships at LSU: He endowed the Eric Voeglin Professorship in the Department of Political Science, named for the first recipient of LSU’s prestigious Boyd Professorship, and the Louisiana banking industry established in his honor the Hermann Moyse Jr. Chair of Banking. “He was very quiet about his accomplishments and activities that benefited others. When I realized how important LSU was to him, I gave more thought to LSU and realized how important it had been for so many generations of my family. I wanted to continue a tradition at a level that would work for me,” Schlesinger, also a member of LSU Alumni Association, said. Schlesinger, who went on to graduate from Loyola Law School in New Orleans, wants to ensure that all students who want to be successful at LSU are not deterred by financial needs. “It is important for the university to attract and maintain the highest quality faculty members to ensure a top-notch education for those fortunate to attend LSU,” she added. “I also support the institutions outside of Baton Rouge that have impacted me and where I see there is a need to be a positive impact on others.” lsufoundation.org/membership

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

Photo by Josh Brasted

2018-19 GIVING REPORT JULY 1, 2018, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2019

DURING FISCAL YEAR 2019, DONORS CONTRIBUTED

$275,005,918

$171.2 MILLION (70%) GIVEN TO SUPPORT ACADEMICS

TO SUPPORT THE FLAGSHIP CAMPUS.

$109.2 MILLION in kind and direct to LSU gifts secured by our fundraising team $62 MILLION directly to the LSU Foundation

25.3% FACULTY $15.8 MILLION

24.3% SCHOLARSHIPS $15.2 MILLION

6.4%

SUPPORT AREAS

38.4% PROGRAMS $23.9 MILLION

OTHER $4 MILLION One of the areas supported by these gifts is excellence funds, which provide deans the flexibility to meet emerging needs throughout the year.

5.5% CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS $3.4 MILLION

57.6%

$29.9 MILLION

ENDOWED GIFTS

COMMITTED THROUGH ESTATE PLANS

GIFTS OF $1 MILLION OR MORE

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2018-19 GIVING REPORT JULY 1, 2018, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2019

OF THE $62 MILLION GIVEN DIRECTLY TO THE LSU FOUNDATION LAST FISCAL YEAR:

12.1%

50.4%

CORPORATIONS

ALUMNI $31.4 MILLION

(including corporate foundations)

$7.6 MILLION

5.4%

WHO GAVE

FOUNDATIONS $3.3 MILLION

3.9% ESTATES $2.4 MILLION

6.1%

19%

OTHER $3.8 MILLION

FRIENDS $11.9 MILLION

0.4%

2.7%

NON-ALUMNI PARENTS $256,012

HOW THEY GAVE

WHAT THEY GAVE

CASH - $19.8 MILLION

ENDOWED - $35.9 MILLION

PLANNED GIFTS - $12.6 MILLION

NON-ENDOWED - $26.4 MILLION

PLEDGES - $29.8 MILLION

FACULTY AND STAFF $1.7 MILLION

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

WHERE THEY GAVE

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE - 1.3% AGCENTER - 4.1% COLLEGE OF ART + DESIGN - 5.4%

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES - 5.5% LAW CENTER - 2.8%

E. J. OURSO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS - 8.1%

MANSHIP SCHOOL OF MASS COMMUNICATION - 4%

COLLEGE OF THE COAST & ENVIRONMENT - 2.1%

COLLEGE OF MUSIC & DRAMATIC ARTS - 6.3%

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING - 11.3%

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE - 18.3%

HONORS COLLEGE - 0.7%

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE - 0.1%

COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES & EDUCATION - 2.6%

SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE - 16% OTHER - 11.3%

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2018-19 GIVING REPORT JULY 1, 2018, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2019

ON JULY 1, 2016, THE LSU FOUNDATION SET IN MOTION A PLAN TO TRANSFORM ACADEMIC FUNDRAISING AT LSU. HERE’S WHERE WE ARE TODAY:

16%

67%

endowment value

planned gifts, including estate commitments

75%

20% number of $25,000-plus gifts

flagship campus fundraisers’ visits with donors

THIRD IN THE SEC

MORE THAN HALFWAY TO $1.5 BILLION

in alumni giving participation, up from last

LAST YEAR, 18,476 TIGERS IN 50 STATES AND 10 COUNTRIES INVESTED IN LSU’S FUTURE.

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

Fierce for the Future Campaign goal

LSU FOUNDATION GROWTH AND PERFORMANCE

Three-year Fundraising Snapshot

FLAGSHIP ACADEMIC FUNDRAISING ($ Millions, FY16-FY19)

171

LSU & LSU AGCENTER (GIFTS IN KIND) LSU & LSU AGCENTER (CASH) 100

LSU FOUNDATION

FY17

FY18

FY19

LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation

The LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation, an affiliate of the LSU Foundation, has 10 projects underway, including the revitalization of Charity Hospital in New Orleans. The Nicholson Gateway Project, encompassing a 28-acre site on the corner of Nicholson and Skip Bertman Drive, was developed under the leadership of the LSU Property Foundation, which preceded the establishment of the LSU REFF. Such partnerships enable real estate projects to be realized more quickly than would be possible for LSU, while reducing capital and maintenance costs.

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2018-19 GIVING REPORT JULY 1, 2018, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2019

LSU GIVING DAY

Tigers in Louisiana, in 45 states, and from China to the Netherlands answered the call on April 30 to support LSU students, faculty, and staff on LSU’s first Giving Day, a joint effort of the LSU Foundation, Tiger Athletic Foundation, and LSU Alumni Association. Our goal was 1,860 donors by 11:59 p.m. In true Tiger fashion, we surpassed the goal by 5 p.m. and kept the momentum going throughout the night.

3,505 GENEROUS TIGERS BLEW PAST OUR GOAL OF 1,860 DONORS!

Top Units Supported: $844,861 given

20 challenge gifts (and $144,683 challenge dollars) unlocked

1. University Laboratory School 2. LSU Alumni Association 3. E. J. Ourso College of Business 4. College of Engineering 5. Tiger Athletic Foundation

Cass Gaiennie (Business, ’78) supported a university-wide challenge gift incentivizing student participation. On Giving Day, the 50th student donor unlocked $2,000, and the 75th student donor unlocked an additional $3,000 from Gaiennie. “The success of Giving Day is a reflection of the deep spirit and pride that everyone in the LSU community shares, whether they live close to campus or across the world,” said Gaiennie, a current member and past chairperson of the LSU Foundation Board of Directors. “I enjoyed being part of the challenge gift part of Giving Day because it provided a way for donors to join together to make a bigger impact on LSU than they would have made on their own. I’m also proud of our students for unlocking the challenge I supported. Overall, the results were remarkable for a first-time effort, and I hope such generosity becomes a Tiger tradition.”

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

SENIOR GIFT CAMPAIGN

Through their gifts, donors to the 2019 Senior Gift Campaign planted their roots at LSU, made the campus experience even better for future Tigers, and set an example for those Tigers to give back, too. The Student Philanthropy Council chose to highlight the LSU Student Emergency Support Fund, which assists students who need immediate financial relief after storms, fires, family hardships, and other disasters.

256 STUDENTS (+16% FROM 2018) PARTICIPATED!

Top Funds Supported: $2,979 contributed during the campaign

+76% dollar amount given

1. Student Life Emergency Support Fund 2. College of Humanities & Social Sciences Excellence Fund 3. Veteran & Military Student Services Support Fund

“The inspiration behind my gift is based upon my exceptional experience within my major. LSU’s biological engineering department is a very close family atmosphere. I wanted to give something back to the second family I have acquired and will miss dearly after graduation.” Kerci Champagne (Engineering, ’19) Top 2019 Senior Gift Campaign Donor Gift Supported the Student Life Emergency Support Fund

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2018-19 GIVING REPORT JULY 1, 2018, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2019

FACULTY & STAFF CAMPAIGN

In April, the LSU Foundation introduced the university’s first Faculty & Staff Campaign in nearly a decade. The focus was the new Career Excellence & Enrichment Fund, which will provide research and teaching support for faculty and professional development support for staff.

1,542 FACULTY AND STAFF (30%) GAVE LAST YEAR!

Top Units Supported: $30,000+ from 485 donors on the first LSU Giving Day alone

$6,255 to start the Career Excellence & Enrichment Fund

1. Staff Senate Support Fund 2. University Laboratory School Development Fund 3. Career Excellence & Enrichment Fund

“Our work is really about creating an experience for students from underrepresented populations, not only to change their lives, but to change their families’ lives, to change their communities’ lives. When you think about the work in that way, it has a different level of meaning. “I give back to LSU because I think it’s important to be all in, and I think it’s important to serve the populations that I work with. I’m hoping through the way that I lead that I’m imparting to our students the message that, when you leave here, you’re obligated to leave and to serve, and pay it forward for all of those students who will come behind you and be members of the LSU community.” Kenya LeNoir Messer, Ph.D. Former Associate Vice Provost for Diversity

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

DRIVING EXCELLENCE

Remarkable LSU College of the Coast & Environment Dean Christopher D’Elia and his wife, Jennifer, are dedicated to enhancing education, music, and the environment. Their leadership gifts of an endowed professorship for future deans of the college and an endowed student scholarship in the LSU School of Music honor their late son, Wake; enable Dean D’Elia’s successors to continue their research; empower students to complete their musical education; and set a powerful precedent for the university’s faculty and staff to contribute what they can to the areas they are passionate about, too. Wake D’Elia in Venice, Italy

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 WATCH ONLINE

lsufoundation.org/cornerstone

Wake worked for CNBC in a variety of technical roles, including technical production supervisor for its flagship morning show, Squawk Box.

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

ake was named after his great grandfather— a decision that the D’Elias joke a sleep-deprived Jenny made independently. “They wouldn’t let her go to sleep unless she named the baby. She said, ‘Well, we’ll call him Tallmadge Wakeman D’Elia,’” the dean remembered with a smile. “I got back to the hospital the next day, and I said, ‘You said what is the name?!’ We’d had discussions that had all kinds of other names, and she just chose that one because she was tired from 23 hours of labor and she loved my grandfather, who had died the month before.” Wake became a recognized photographer and videographer, even posthumously receiving a New York Press Club award for his last project, a documentary titled “The Making of a Maestro: From Castelfranco To Carnegie Hall.” Working with his cousin to chronicle the life of Sir Antonio Pappano, the English-Italian music director of the Royal Opera House, the film put Wake’s degrees from the University of Albany SUNY in mass communication and history to use. Wake loved any activity on skates (both roller and ice!) and traveling, particularly to Italy with his wife. “He was a remarkable guy with lots of friends,” Dean D’Elia shared. “He just was a magnet for other people, kind of a ringleader. He was a lot of fun to talk to and argue with—he was always good at arguing!” His tragic, accidental death in 2018 shook his parents and the many people he met throughout the U.S. and the world. As the D’Elias grieved and reflected on the 38 years they enjoyed with Wake, they also made a pivotal decision to make planned gifts at four universities. With 25 years of “fulfilling” and “eye-opening” work in fundraising for nonprofit organizations in science,

“He was a remarkable guy with lots of friends. He just was a magnet for other people, kind of a ringleader. He was a lot of fun to talk to and argue with—he was always good at arguing!” - Christopher D’Elia

medicine, and the arts, spending the majority of her career as a director of development at the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C., Jenny too knows firsthand that philanthropic dollars are, as the dean puts it, “the lifeblood” of excellence. They believe that research sparks innovation, and that finances are often a stumbling block for students to obtain a college education. Dean D’Elia says that the beauty of planned giving is that he and Jenny won’t be around to miss the money. “We’re now in an age when the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in human history is occurring, so there’s a huge opportunity for this to happen, and make a huge impact as well,” he said.

Ten years ago, Dean D’Elia, who discovered his lifelong interest in marine life through his grandparents’ beach cottage along the Long Island Sound, was invited to interview at LSU and became intrigued by the university’s ambitions to play a central role in coastal studies and restoration efforts. After only a year in Louisiana, Dean D’Elia was faced with “the most incredible epic” of his life: the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which required his constant attention to address pressing questions and requests about the event’s repercussions on the Gulf of Mexico and potential solutions. Since then, the School of the Coast & Environment has become the College of the Coast & Environment (CC&E),

Top left: Wake D’Elia and his coworkers at CNBC, part of NBC Universal, in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; Bottom left: Wake’s first day of school; Bottom middle: Wake with his parents, Chris and Jenny; Right: Wake and Chris D’Elia Photos courtsey of the D’Elia family

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Christopher and Jenny D’Elia at the LSU Foundation Center for Philanthropy Photo by Slade Blanchard

growing the undergraduate program 540 percent and becoming a hub for Tigers to gain hands-on experiences in an area of global importance. Dean D’Elia believes that CC&E is “the place to be” for environmental science. “We wrote the book early on in delta studies, wetland studies, coastal oceanography, and more. It’s a great honor to be able to serve as dean of this wonderful college,” he said. “It’s critical for a state university like ours to be really engaged in and work with the community. My goal is to reach out and partner with as many entities in this area and state as possible. If we’re going to be successful, we all have to work together and try to pursue a common agenda. For us, the coastal imperative is huge; that’s where we can be real leaders.” The gifts to the College of Music & Dramatic are rooted in Dean D’Elia and Wake’s shared love for music. The dean was exposed to classical music at a young age when he and his mother attended Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta, “The Pirates of Penzance.” He now attends the College of Music & Dramatic Arts’ symphonic performances, and he and Jenny also appreciate the connection that the fine arts have to mathematics and science, enriching both students’ quality of life and technical skills. With three guitars and an extensive collection of music equipment, Wake enjoyed being creative and making music. “We know that his name and our love for him will be there until the day we die. But because he died so young, we would like other people to know his name, and know that he’s made an impact that he didn’t live long enough to make happen himself,” Jenny said, adding, “It is a healing process, but it made us happy to do something positive that came out of his death.” lsu.edu/cce lsu.edu/cmda

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

Fourth graders test balloonpowered cars made out of recycled materials.

True to its motto of “Total Effort in Every Endeavor” and its standing as one of the top-ranked schools in the country, the University Laboratory School (ULS) is working toward becoming the first STEM-accredited public school in Louisiana and—supported by its Annual Appeal donors—is doing so while adopting an overall STEAM approach that includes emphasis on the arts, activities, and athletics.

“W

hile STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, at ULS, we broaden our students’ investigations of scientific concepts to also include inquiry and problem-based learning in the creative process and ensure our students have opportunities for social, physical, and leadership growth and development through arts, activities, and athletics,” explained ULS Interim Superintendent Amy Westbrook, Ph.D.

ULS Annual Appeal donors (a network of more than 900 families, alumni, and friends) are a powerhouse of support for ambitious efforts like the STEAM initiative. Their collective impact touches every area of campus. With the steady support of the Annual Appeal, ULS can continuously acquire resources that sustain its model educational environment, centered in innovation and research, while keeping tuition affordable and offering professional development opportunities for Louisiana’s educators and clinical teaching experiences for future teachers.

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ULS’s two-year STEM accreditation journey began last year, with a goal of earning AdvancED’s (now known as Cognia) prestigious certification by the end of this school year. The program recognizes schools that demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement and learner outcomes. The organization asserts that “AdvancED STEM Certification ensures that even the most effective educators and programs continually assess and improve to meet the needs and demands of the real world.” At ULS, the continuity of a K-12 education within one school and the breadth of expertise of its faculty—the majority of whom have master’s degrees or doctorates and many of whom are National Board certified—offers daily opportunities to leverage multidisciplinary projects and collaborative experiences that strengthen core coursework. This unique model provides a solid framework for integrating STEAM into the curricula for all grade levels, and doing so in a way that makes learning fun and hands-on. Annual Appeal dollars very often provide the financial backing to bring the faculty and staff ’s visions for STEAM education to life, infusing $124,000 into fine arts; $132,000 into STEM learning; and $219,000 into technology in just the past year. uhigh.lsu.edu

LSUFOUNDATION.ORG/CORNERSTONE

PLOT TWIST As part of their fairytale unit, kindergarteners learned the traditional literature lessons of story structure, characters, and comprehension and used imagination, creativity, and STEM to give the main characters a helping hand. Using household items, they created parachutes to assist Jack down from the beanstalk more quickly, built stronger chairs for the three bears, and tested materials to ensure the three pigs have only the strongest of houses.

KAPOW! NO MORE TANGLES First graders solved the problem of tangled headphone cords in keeping with their classroom’s superhero theme: led by the school’s technology instructor, STEM coordinator, and middle school science and math instructors, the students designed and created 3D Batman cord holders, complete with their initials.

AND ACTION! As part of a crosscurriculum project involving art, technology, and music classes, second graders produced, created, and directed their own stop motion animation movies. Each student researched an animal, built a diorama habitat, and created a clay representation of the animal. They then developed storyboards, shot photographs of their animal, sequenced the photos via video production, and composed an original score complementing the animal’s movements and characteristics.

“CACHE” ME IF YOU CAN ULS fourth graders learned to geocache using GPS navigation in their physical education classes, then put their newly learned skills to the test with a geocache race at the Baton Rouge Zoo. The race also reinforced animal adaptation concepts they had learned in their science classes.

SAFE LANDING Students in fifth grade science classes tackled a STEAM challenge of designing a parachute that could land a cargo load safely. They conducted research, brainstormed ideas, planned, and created prototypes. On the day of the challenge, students dropped parachutes out of their classroom’s second story window and logged their observations, then graphed their data, discussed a variable to improve, and shared findings.

BEYOND THE SURFACE High school students used state-of-the-art handheld instruments to study water quality at the LSU Lake. The probes helped them to determine dissolved oxygen, pH, total solids, and temperature, then used Bluetooth to transfer the data directly to their tablets and other handheld devices.

A HEART FOR 3D DIGITAL DESIGN Elementary and high school students created, on site, 3D digitally designed key rings and magnets for attendees of the Baton Rouge area American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Luncheon, focused on promoting healthy lifestyles, building awareness, and raising critically needed funds to support research and education initiatives to prevent heart disease and stroke.

LANDSLIDE LEARNING As part of their study of the layers of the earth, eighth graders discovered how earthen materials (such as sand, gravel, clay, and lava rock) containing water and located on slopes can lead to landslides. Students replicated these scenarios with models that they built and worked to protect. Students learned that engineers utilize similar, but life-size, models to determine where and how to construct buildings.

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In July 2019 , Sigma Theta LSU Delta Sorority sist ers celebrated th eir 30th year reunion wit h a trip to A ustin, Texas, and pr oudly wore their Fierce for the Campaign T Future -shirts.

S R E T S SI LSU alumna Monica Leachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earliest experiences of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority cemented future passions and formed pathways to her present-day career and social pursuits. She and her sorority sisters, defined by their time at LSU in the late 1980s, are continuing to live out the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission of sisterhood, scholarship, and service through supporting the LSU Office of Diversity and building strong communities and families.

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“W

e had fun and enjoyed our college experience, but through it all, we were always active in community service, engaged in progressive campus organizations, and served as activists for sociopolitical justice and equality. It may have started with the issues of a college campus, but as we grew and advanced professionally, we have taken that commitment of activism into our current lives and professions,” Leach said. Leach, the senior associate vice chancellor for enrollment management and academic affairs at North Carolina Central University, is an inaugural member of the LSU National Diversity Advisory Board (NDAB). She and more than 40 of her sisters are also donors to the Office of Diversity. Leach is passionate about the office’s efforts because she knows that a community—and a country—will only be as successful as the individuals within it. She is proud of the university’s support and resources provided to underrepresented students, so that they can play a role in shaping the U.S.’s future. “As a nation, we still have work to do in fostering talent, wisdom, and skills from all our diverse communities,” she said. “As a NDAB member, it is important to publicize that the mission of diversity is an important mission for us all, not just for students from diverse backgrounds. This is an effort to capture the Monica Terrell Leach, Ed.D. (Agriculture, ’91) talent and increase the level of success for LSU and our larger community.” Many of the Delta Sigma Theta sisters now fill leadership, service, and philanthropic roles throughout the U.S. Leach credits these roots of activism to the sorority’s founders, but believes that her sisters—“smart and resilient women,” as she refers to them—were destined for greatness. “I truly believe that each of them would be winners no matter which pathway they took in life … We are built on the strong legacy of our courageous founders,” she said, adding, “During a time of oppression and community isolation, they understood that communities needed to look inward for sources of support and restitution. Thus, they understood the power of giving back and community building and how important it was to build networks of resources and support.” The bond Leach and her sisters share through Delta Sigma Theta, formed at LSU and deepened throughout the years, is “profound” and maintained through “life’s triumphs and tragedies.” “We keep a journal of our experiences, and over the 30 years, we have little time to reminisce on the past as we are always making new memories. Sometimes we catch ourselves and stop to acknowledge the awesome blessing we have been given,” she shared. The launch of LSU’s Fierce for the Future Campaign really resonated with them given their sorority experience. “We are committed to remaining strong activists and community builders to sustain our past successes and improve the future for all. Thus, Fierce for the Future fits right into our mission,” she said. The LSU NDAB, a program of the Office of Diversity, is comprised of national industry leaders who provide talent and expertise to foster diversity and inclusion on campus and drive the mission and vision of diversity to faculty, staff, students, and neighboring communities in support of the advancement of LSU. lsu.edu/diversity

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MARTIN HAYMON (HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES, ’71) DECIDED TO THINK BIG PICTURE ABOUT HIS HISTORIC PLANNED GIFT TO LSU. He has created endowed scholarships on the flagship campus within the LSU Colleges of Agriculture, Humanities & Social Sciences, Engineering, and Science, and in the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business. He’s also done so at LSU Eunice, LSU of Alexandria, LSU Health New Orleans, and LSU Health Shreveport. Martin’s historic gift is intended to transform Louisiana through providing education to diverse students across the state.

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ADVANCING COMMUNITIES

Martin Haymon on LSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flagship campus Photo by Andrea Laborde Barbier

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artin’s LSU story starts with his parents, the late Derryl and Helen Gold Haymon, esteemed LSU alumni who encouraged each of their five children to earn college degrees. Martin’s experiences and the work ethic that he developed on campus shaped a quality that became pivotal to his professional and personal accomplishments: integrity. “Your word is your most important thing you have,” he said. “I really belonged here,” Martin shared. “My parents, along with teachers, taught, influenced, and molded me into a better person and certainly contributed to most of the accomplishments that I had. They helped me strive to be the best I could be. LSU is the cornerstone of my success.” Immediately after crossing the commencement stage, Martin began putting that success into play: “When I graduated college, my dad looked at me with my cap and gown on my head, and he said, ‘Son, you have achieved a very, very important milestone in your life, and you’re very young, but it is now time for you to go to work,’” he remembered.

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“RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT LSU HAS INCREASED THEIR RANKING NATIONALLY VERY STRONG ACADEMICALLY. THESE NUMBERS INDICATE THAT WE’RE IMPROVING AND SHOULD FURTHER INSPIRE OTHERS TO CONTRIBUTE. IT ISN’T JUST THE AMOUNT. IT’S AN ATTITUDE. IT REALLY IS." - MARTIN HAYMON

In 1953, Derryl Haymon founded Petroleum Service Corporation, a family-owned business. Martin, along with his father and two brothers, managed the business. Petroleum Service contracted and provided skilled personnel to perform tasks including operating marine dock facilities, barge and tank car loading and unloading of petroleum and chemical products, and operating train locomotives moving rail cars in and out of chemical plants and refineries. The work was performed not only in Louisiana along the Mississippi River but in other states such as Texas, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Martin is proud of the many clients they earned who praised their services.

Martin Haymon created endowed scholarships on the flagship campus within the LSU Colleges of Agriculture, Humanities & Social Sciences, Engineering, and Science, and in the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business, as well as at LSU Eunice, LSU of Alexandria, LSU Health New Orleans, and LSU Health Shreveport. Photos provided by LSU, LSUA, and LSUE

“I actually did the work myself for quite a period of time before I moved into the office because I needed to learn enough about the business so that I could speak properly and knowledgeably with others about the work itself. I did a lot of the hiring, and I went out on some jobs to help with supervision. Your management is only as good as the people out there doing work. Much like a quarterback, you’ve got to have a lot of really good people working together and cooperating,” said Martin, who retired from the company in 1991 and is currently an investor. Eventually, the business was sold and became SGS Petroleum Services. Martin carefully contemplated how to shape his planned gifts, considering how to balance support of several other educational institutions within the state as potential beneficiaries. He remembered his parents’ philanthropic example: His father, Derryl, was inducted into the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction, and his parents received the prestigious Purple and Gold Award from the LSU Alumni Association and the President’s Award for recognition of support for understanding the needs of education at LSU. “In no way am I expecting to ever equal the greatness of what my parents did for LSU. They were the standard by

which all of us children tried to follow,” he said. “This has been building from them into me, but I didn’t have the capability to make a gift of this size until now.” Ultimately, Martin chose to include several of LSU’s campuses to give “a boost” to hardworking students from “all walks of life,” helping them be successful throughout their education and careers. He sees his gift as but one part of a greater contribution by LSU donors, and he is proud to be part of their company. He believes that “winning is contagious”—each Tiger who gives will inspire yet another. “My gift has a lot to do with me wanting to really put my shoulder to the wheel, and to do it for the university system,” Martin shared. “Recent studies show that LSU has increased their ranking nationally very strong academically. These numbers indicate that we’re improving and should further inspire others to contribute. It isn’t just the amount. It’s an attitude. It really is.” For the thousands of students his scholarships will support in perpetuity, Martin wants them to know that the sky is the limit: “Aspire to achieve and be ambitious! Do not settle for mediocre, and always maintain good ethics.” lsufoundation.planmylegacy.org

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Edward Benoit III, Ph.D., with items collected for the Virtual Footlocker Project Photo by Andrea Laborde Barbier

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VIRTUALLY VITAL With a $2,000 Dean’s Circle seed grant, LSU School of Library & Information Science (SLIS) Associate Director Edward Benoit III, Ph.D., launched the Virtual Footlocker Project (VFP) to investigate how contemporary veterans and active duty personnel document their time in service. He was later awarded a $391,000 early career grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to take the project to the next level.

n our Snapchat-Skype-Instagram world, images and text appear and disappear in split seconds. How will the experiences of our generation survive the ravages of time? That’s what Benoit wondered on a long flight from Milwaukee to Baton Rouge for a job interview with LSU. Of particular interest to the second-generation Air Force veteran and Ph.D. in information studies was how much history would be lost if soldiers’ digital descriptions of events and interactions with family and each other vanished into cyberspace. “I began thinking about what items would mark my time in service and of current military personnel,” Benoit said. For generations, airmen, sailors, marines, and soldiers documented their wartime experiences in personal diaries, photographs, and correspondence. Veterans often kept these collections long after their service and handed them down to family members. Some items eventually make their way to museums and archives. In archives, these treasured personal accounts serve a vital role in humanizing wartime sacrifices and experiences. “With the shift toward digital technologies over the past 20 years, the contemporary 21st-century soldier no longer creates the same analog personal archives,” Benoit said. “That creates a critical future gap in the record.” Shortly after joining the SLIS faculty in 2014, Benoit submitted a grant application to the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) Dean’s Circle to explore options for safeguarding military memories made on digital devices. “I loved the name, and we found the application to be unique,” recalled Arthur M. Halbrook, Ph.D., then vice president of CHSE Dean’s Circle. “These firsthand accounts are recreations of a moment in time and represent reflections of how things really were,” Halbrook continued. “They’re a part of history that should be preserved. If they’re lost, they’re lost forever.”

The Dean’s Circle seed grant allowed Benoit to catalog the types of formats active duty personnel used and where they stored these documents, videos, and images. He presented preliminary results at a prestigious international conference and published an article in Preservation, Digital Technology & Culture. Based on those findings, Benoit received the Russell B. Long Professorship in 2018 to collect and analyze additional data. Now, with the IMLS funding, “We will conduct a series of focus groups, map technical requirements on existing standards, identify technical and policy-based challenges, and propose a functional framework for protocol design,” explained Benoit. “We will develop a series of workshops for archivists.” Though it is still in the formative stages, VFP has already received national attention and support from the United Service Organizations, Wounded Warrior Project, Louisiana Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Louisiana National Guard Museum, Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project, and National WWII Museum. In recognition of his contributions to information science, Benoit was recently honored as CHSE’s 2019 Advocate for Diversity and received the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award. This past July, Benoit co-authored “Participatory Archives,” a book that explores how the archival community is leveraging social media and digital technology to engage users and expand collections. While the research and technology pilot program involves only active duty military and veterans, its innovative application may one day help preserve and archive precious digital memories for families everywhere. lsu.edu/chse/slis

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A RARE BIRD Tom Taylor—rare book dealer and author of “Aves: A Survey of the Literature of Neotropical Ornithology,” on display in the LSU Hill Memorial Library—is a long-time supporter of LSU Libraries Special Collections and the LSU Museum of Natural Science. We sat down with Taylor to discuss his sojourn between the stacks. Though not an LSU alumnus, you’ve certainly logged plenty of hours in the library! How did you build a connection with LSU? Tom Taylor: After visiting many public and

private rare book collections around the country for my business, I became something of a bibliophilic vagabond. LSU was a good place for me—first as a customer, later as a venue that afforded me the wonderful opportunity to research and write. In 2007, you approached LSU Libraries with your idea of producing a catalogue and exhibition about Neotropical ornithology based on the holdings of the E. A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection. Notably, the collection includes the elephant folio edition of John James Audubon’s “Birds of America.” Your yearslong collaboration with LSU Libraries and former Curator of Books Michael L. Taylor resulted in “Aves,” a survey of four centuries of works about ornithology in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Why is “Aves” an important publication? TT: “Aves” provided something not then

available: a gathering of short biographies of most of the significant contributors in Neotropical ornithology, with accounts of their work and “interludes” that put the work in historical context. It also has a long section devoted to work by the LSU Museum of Natural Science, which certainly deserves the recognition. Brown Pelican, Plate 251, from “Birds of America”

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How would you describe the experience of researching “Aves” at LSU? TT: The Hill Memorial Library was crucial to my progress as

a student of natural history. When I was researching “Aves,” there was a lot of information that was not available online; it had to be consulted in hard copy in a reading room. The Hill reading room is a beautiful, serene space. The high ceilings and tall windows invite the imagination to wander, providing a place apart from the hustle of the world where real concentration is possible. There are fewer and fewer such places left, even in university libraries. Treasure it! Why are LSU Libraries and the LSU Museum of Natural Science personal philanthropic priorities? TT: I have supported the LSU Libraries because of the

collections and, more importantly, the people. Everyone in Special Collections always treated me as if I were special, long before I donated anything. Treating people this way is how you create and sustain loyalty, even among folks who are not LSU grads. The museum is internationally renowned for the fieldwork it has sponsored on South American birds. My

gifts have been designated to help graduate students travel to South America and continue this tradition. You must have many fond memories of your time at the Libraries. Care to share a few? TT: I brought my grandson, who is passionate about birds,

to the Hill Memorial Library, and [former LSU Libraries Assistant Dean] Elaine Smyth brought out Volume 4 of “Birds of America” to show him. He still talks about it. I still appreciate it. I have also been a page-turner twice for the Libraries’ annual public viewing of all four volumes of the “Birds of America.” It was such a pleasure to talk with visitors about the books, the art, and Audubon himself. This is the only time and place I know of, anywhere, that an ordinary citizen can see these books up close and personal. View “Aves: A Survey of the Literature of Neotropical Ornithology” online: exhibitions.blogs.lib.lsu.edu/aves/ lib.lsu.edu lsu.edu/mns

Tom Taylor turns pages for visitors on Audubon Day 2014. The free public event showcases John James Audubon’s “Birds of America” (London, 1827-38). Photo courtesy of LSU Libraries

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Tina M. Harris, Ph.D., at the Manship School of Mass Communication Photo by Andrea Laborde Barbier

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CREATING EXPERIENCES

TINA M. HARRIS, PH.D., IS THE LSU MANSHIP SCHOOL OF MASS COMMUNICATION’S DOUGLAS L. MANSHIP SR.-DORI J. MAYNARD CHAIR IN RACE, MEDIA & CULTURAL LITERACY— THE FIRST POSITION OF ITS TYPE IN THE NATION—AND THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2019 NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION’S PRESTIGIOUS ROBERT J. KIBLER MEMORIAL AWARD. THE MANSHIP-MAYNARD CHAIR EMPOWERS HER TO FACILITATE INTERPERSONAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE BY ENGAGING SCHOLARS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH THE ISSUE OF RACE, MEDIA, AND CULTURAL LITERACY.

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hile Harris had no intention of leaving her alma mater and professional home for 21 years, the University of Georgia, she was craving fresh ideas and a change that would “ignite the fire within” her. She became excited as she learned about the resources, platform, and research and service opportunities that the endowed Manship-Maynard chair would provide her. It fulfilled a wish list she had created for the next chapter of her life to impact and inspire others. Her only potential roadblock? Her mom, a diehard Bulldog, who—all football rivalries aside—supported her big move. “We all belong to the human race, but we have differences that are important. We shouldn’t ignore them and the systemic oppression that exists in our society,” Harris said. “I want to take it a step further by challenging people to think more critically about how race informs their identities and, more specifically, how it impacts their interracial communications. Now, I have resources to do things beyond the classroom that are going to prepare people to be global citizens and make a change in the world when it comes to racial relations.” Harris explores race within interpersonal contexts and how it relates to issues of representation in the media. She

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is teaching her students to acknowledge elements of racism, stereotypes, and prejudice within the media, both in covert and overt instances. Now that she is at the Manship School, she wants to create opportunities for viewers to engage with these images, paying special attention to those that we may have normalized and accepted, and challenge their perceptions and assumptions. “My goal is to equip students with not only the knowledge, but with the skills necessary for them to have effective communication in their relationships outside of the classroom and ultimately work toward dismantling racism,” Harris shared. “I want to have the opportunity to really talk with people about how they are engaging with the media and how these different representations of groups impact the way that they interact with each other and how they respond to these media detects.” She also wants to work with existing organizations in the Baton Rouge community, giving a voice to historically marginalized groups, engaging its members, encouraging them to tackle these difficult discussions head on, and ultimately finding unity. “What can we find between us that is common, and how can we use that common ground to appreciate and value our differences, and then take the next step in terms of dismantling different types of systemic oppression?” Harris asked.

Manship School of Mass Communication students Photos provided by LSU

Harris says the donors who endowed her chair have shown a commitment to social justice, an awareness of the sociopolitical climate, and an initiative to facilitate frank discussions and service within the community. What’s more: she is “invigorated” by the diversity and passion of the Manship School faculty, staff, and students to bring about change through curriculum, policy, and mass media. “I would just like to thank both the Manship and the Maynard families from the bottom of my heart for creating this endowment. It is fulfilling a dream of mine that I always knew that I had, but I didn’t know there were resources out there to bring about the change that I hope to make,” Harris shared. “I just feel like a kid in a candy shop.” Harris formerly taught in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia. She is the co-author of the textbook “Interracial Communication: Theory Into Practice.” Her other research interests include communication and pedagogy, diversity and media representations, and race and ethnic disparities and religious frameworks in health communication. She is the recipient of more than 30 recognitions and awards for her outstanding achievements.

WE ALL BELONG TO THE HUMAN RACE.

BUT WE HAVE DIFFERENCES THAT ARE IMPORTANT. WE SHOULDN'T IGNORE THEM AND THE SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION THAT EXISTS IN OUR SOCIETY.” - TINA M. HARRIS, PH.D.

lsu.edu/manship

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MARGIN OF EXCELLENCE As a member of the LSU College of Science Dean’s Circle and an annual donor to the LSU Fund and the Science Development Fund, Linda Goodrum, M.D., (Science, ’85) is elevating LSU to achieve international recognition for outstanding academic and research programs. Her gifts allow the College of Science to achieve the margin of excellence needed to strengthen its impact on our students and contributions to scientific knowledge.

Dr. Goodrum’s support of the Science Developnent Fund and LSU Fund creates experiences for students.

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r. Goodrum always planned to attend LSU; her parents, alumni and lifelong Tiger fans, met on campus and her brother played football for the university. She personally benefited from philanthropy as

a student. “I was the typical ‘bookworm,’ as I was trying to maintain a scholarship in order to continue my college studies and attend medical school. I enjoyed the dorm life and the beautiful campus,” she remembered. “The College of Basic Sciences, as it was known then, created an atmosphere of camaraderie among the pre-med students, and the courses were challenging!” After graduating summa cum laude and receiving her bachelor’s degree in zoology from LSU’s flagship campus, she earned her M.D. from LSU Health Shreveport. Dr. Goodrum is now a specialist at Maternal Fetal Medicine Associates of South Texas in Houston. Her special interests are hypertension in pregnancy, preconception care, and genetics. She believes that healthy women lead to healthy pregnancies, families, and communities. “My time at LSU laid the groundwork for my future successes. I was happy to start donating to the LSU College of Science, as I gained much from my professors and fellow students while there,” she said. “My college experiences taught me to study hard to achieve success. I also had to learn how to live, study, and work with others, which allowed me to mature.” Through her participation in the college’s Dean’s Circle, Dr. Goodrum supports student organizations and educational travel expenses, faculty recruitment and recognition activities, and development initiatives to build alumni and community relations. The Deans Circle’s

“

My time at LSU laid the groundwork for my future successes. I was happy to start donating to the LSU College of Science, as I gained much from my professors and fellow students while there. My college experiences taught me to study hard to achieve success. I also had to learn how to live, study, and work with others, which allowed me to mature.” - Linda Goodrum, M.D.

Dr. Goodrum’s gifts to the Science Development Fund support student organizations and educational travel expenses, faculty recruitment and recognition activities, and development initiatives to build alumni and community relations. Photos provided by LSU College of Science and LSU

support for the Science Development Fund also provides incoming freshmen who have financial need with the opportunity to attend one-week intensive programs, Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) and CHEMIS. “I hope that my financial gifts are helping other students to achieve their goals and dreams. I also hope that donations will help attract and retain excellent professors and instructors,” she shared. “LSU provides an excellent educational experience amid a beautiful campus setting. I am proud of the accomplishments of its many students who have impacted Louisiana communities, the country, and the world.” Dr. Goodrum also gives annually to the LSU Fund. As the university’s general fund, the LSU Fund supports the success of all LSU students, faculty, and staff. Gifts to the LSU Fund are used by the LSU president to fund immediate and emerging needs, from scholarships to campus beautification— all focused on strengthening the university and providing an even more valuable education to students campus-wide. Linda Goodrum, M.D.

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Photo by Sharon Sly

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BUILDING A GLOBAL NETWORK Next spring, five recent STEM graduates from LSU and participating U.S. universities will begin nine months of learning and networking with Hong Kong students and professionals as part of International Research Experience and Professional Development in Built Environment Sustainability (IRES Track III), a pilot program that is the brainchild of LSU Professor Yimin Zhu, Ph.D., holder of the Pulte Homes Endowed Professorship in Construction Management.

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Professor Yimin Zhu stands in the MMR Building Simulation and Information Modeling Cave, a virtual reality lab. Photos by Jordan Hefler

ast July, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $450,000 to Zhu and his team of researchers for the program, which will bring together LSU, the American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE), and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) to establish the U.S.-Hong Kong Center of Leadership Development in Built Environment Sustainability. The center will conduct international research and professional training activities for U.S. graduate students, preparing them for work in a global setting.

“Built environment sustainability as a global challenge affects the well-being of hundreds of millions of people, their communities, and the future of their lives,” said Zhu, the project’s principal investigator. “Hong Kong’s unique sustainable urban development challenges and solutions can offer U.S. students exceptional international research experiences on this topic.” Working alongside Zhu on IRES Track III are ASTFE Senior Vice President Yong Tao; LSU School of Leadership & Human Resource Development Assistant Professor Tyree Mitchell, Ph.D., and Associate Director Tracey Rizzuto, Ph.D.;

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Graduate students (left to right) Samantha Chacon, Girish Rentala, Srikanth Bangaru, Matthew Korban, and Alireza Sedghikhanshir work with Zhu.

and Geoffrey Shen, HKPU’s former vice president of student affairs. The project team members, whose backgrounds span engineering, architecture, construction, computer science, and social sciences, will be responsible for recruiting graduate students from underrepresented groups across the nation. “I think most people would agree that a diverse workforce is important for social and economic development,” Zhu shared. “But if you look closely at the STEM fields, you will find a gender imbalance in the workforce, as well as a minority imbalance. This program offers an opportunity for students from underrepresented groups to have a special experience, and hopefully that experience will help their future careers.” Zhu teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and he describes LSU construction management students as practical, respectful, and full of curiosity. The latter, he noted, is one of the most crucial characteristics to cultivate, as successful students must become independent problem solvers capable of adapting to rapidly shifting technologies and challenges. “More than 50 percent of engineering graduate students work for industry or government agencies, so the preparation for them needs to be different,” Zhu said. “They need to learn what we call transferable skills: leadership, communication, and global competence.” The U.S. students in IRES Track III will begin with a training camp of self-paced online learning programs on leadership development, built environment sustainability, and program logistics, virtually teaming up with Hong Kong students and mentors as they go. After completing the training camp, they will spend four weeks at HPKU engaging in an innovation lab and collaborative research activities with Hong Kong peers.

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“

More than 50 percent of engineering graduate students work for industry or government agencies, so the preparation for them needs to be different. They need to learn what we call transferable skills: leadership, communication, and global competence.” - Yimin Zhu, Ph.D.

At a recent kickoff meeting, Zhu and his team discussed how the first session will culminate. The final plans haven’t been solidified, but one idea is a Shark Tank-style competition that requires students to not only develop a brilliant concept, but also communicate their ideas effectively and persuasively. Zhu is grateful for the NSF grant that will move the program to fruition more swiftly, but he is clear that private funding is essential to ensure public universities continue to offer a superior education and produce compelling research. “The Pulte Homes Endowed Professorship allows me to travel to professional conferences to present my research, upgrade my lab equipment, and help my students pursue travel and training as well,” he explained. “Without this support, we would not be able to sustain and maintain the high quality that we have committed to our students. I want to say, ‘thank you,’ from the bottom of my heart.” lsu.edu/eng

SUPPORTING STUDENTS

The r e k a -T k s i R Fishing turtles out of the LSU Lakes to sell at a roadside snow cone stand. Successfully massmarketing the first disposable diaper to American families. Transforming a little-known popcorn geneticist into the most recognizable name in quality snack food. These are not tasks for the faint of heart. Yet Lyttleton T. “Lyt” Harris IV (University Laboratory School, ’58; LSU Business, ’63) embraced these and other challenges throughout a career of calculated risk-taking, reaping great rewards. Now, he’s investing in LSU’s risk-takers with a $2.5 million planned gift to the E. J. Ourso College of Business that will ensure his undergraduate marketing scholarship inspires leaps of faith for generations to come.

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B “I SAID, ‘ORVILLE, YOU’RE THE POPCORN GROWING EXPERT; we’re the marketing experts. Together, we’ll make you the Colonel Sanders of the popcorn business.’ It did fantastically well. Within three years, it was the #1 brand in the U.S., and it still is today.” - Lyttleton T. “Lyt” Harris IV

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esides the snow cone stand, a young Harris ran a lawn mowing service, peddled Christmas cards and shelled pecans door to door, and delivered the Saturday Evening Post. In high school, he worked every summer at a local department store, selling everything from men’s clothing to stationery. “Even as a child, I really had an interest in business and marketing and earning money. That was an early passion of mine,” Harris shared. “I knew I wanted to pursue studies along those lines in college.” Harris received an undergraduate business degree from the University of Mississippi before returning to his native Baton Rouge, La., to earn a master’s degree in marketing from LSU. On-campus interviews led to job offers from three bigname companies, and he accepted a position in Scott Paper Co.’s management training program in Houston. Later, he was transferred to Denver to head up their first test market for a disposable diaper. Still a bachelor, Harris attended prenatal classes to get to know his customer base. He pioneered the “take-home kit,” among other techniques, to introduce new parents to the revolutionary product from day one. Needless to say, they were a hit. Fast forward a few years, and Harris advanced to director of marketing for a large division of Hunt-Wesson Foods. On a chance visit to a Marshall Field’s department store in Chicago, he noticed a glass jar with a homemade label reading “Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn” and a picture of “a funny little man in a bow tie.” Intrigued, Harris bought a few jars to test in HuntWesson’s lab. The verdict: it was truly

a superior popcorn. He arranged to meet with Mr. Redenbacher, then a popcorn geneticist living in Indiana. Harris recalled, “I said, ‘Orville, you’re the popcorn growing expert; we’re the marketing experts. Together, we’ll make you the Colonel Sanders of the popcorn business.’ It did fantastically well. Within three years, it was the #1 brand in the U.S., and it still is today.” After Hunt-Wesson, Harris worked for several years as a senior executive in the banking and finance industry, becoming president and eventually CEO of Southwest Management and Marketing Co. In 2004, Harris sold his company, and he now serves as managing partner of the Harris Investment Partnership. He and his late wife, Venita, established the first endowed scholarship at Northwood University in Michigan in 2005. The results were so rewarding that Harris more recently decided to expand the program to LSU, as well as his undergraduate alma mater and the University of Colorado, where Venita received her degree in finance, considering this the "optimum way to give back and benefit huge numbers of deserving students for many years to come." "The future rests on the shoulders of the upcoming generations, and it is important that those less fortunate be given the opportunity to pursue higher education with the assistance of scholarships rather than be burdened with excessive student loan debt for many years into their careers,” Harris said. “This was an easy choice for me, and there was not much vacillating when it came to making education my top priority."

“THE FUTURE RESTS ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE UPCOMING GENERATIONS, and it is important that those less fortunate be given the opportunity to pursue higher education with the assistance of scholarships rather than be burdened with excessive student loan debt for many years into their careers. This was an easy choice for me, and there was not much vacillating when it came to making education my top priority.” - Lyttleton T. “Lyt” Harris IV

Lyttleton T. “Lyt” Harris IV (University Laboratory School, ’58, LSU Business, ’63)

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“REALIZING THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON’T EVEN KNOW YOU WHO WANT YOU TO SUCCEED is an indescribable feeling. In the future, I will try my best to do the same, whether it’s a donation or creating my own scholarship, should I be so fortunate.” - Matthew Klos (Business, '20)

Matthew Klos (Business, ’20) of Mandeville, La., was the first LSU student to receive the Lyttleton T. Harris IV Scholarship. He and Harris met for lunch and remain close, Harris acting as a mentor via regular email correspondence. Like Harris, Klos plans to dive into a career after graduation and hopes to one day own a business that develops innovative solutions to everyday problems. He said receiving the scholarship was a major confidence booster. “Realizing that there are people who don’t even know you who want you to succeed is an indescribable feeling,” Klos shared. “In the future, I will try my best to do the same, whether it’s a donation or creating my own scholarship, should I be so fortunate.” Harris’ advice for Klos and all LSU marketing students is to be brave and never fear taking a risk on something you believe in. “I’ve taken huge risks, and they’ve served me well,” said Harris. “In any kind of business, that’s the way to be successful.” lsu.edu/business

After learning he’d received the Harris Scholarship, Klos met with Harris and the two began corresponding regularly. “Getting to know your scholarship recipients is one of the most heartwarming aspects of the endowed scholarship program,” Harris said. Photos courtesy of Harris and Klos

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David Lindenfeldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents, Drs. Arthur and Florence Lindenfeld, on their wedding day Photo courtesy of the Lindenfeld family

Hopeful History For 39 years, LSU Professor of History David F. Lindenfeld, Ph.D., encouraged students to examine the past with an eye toward the future. He and his wife, Jerri G. Becnel, recently made a joint planned gift in their wills that will establish endowed undergraduate and graduate scholarships in history and embolden the most radical of beliefs: hope in a brighter tomorrow.

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David F. Lindenfeld, Ph.D. Photo by Andrea Laborde Barbier

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orn in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to two M.D.s—his mother was one of only a handful of female students in her Depression-era medical school class—Lindenfeld attended a Quaker boarding school and earned degrees from three prestigious universities: Princeton, Harvard, and the University of Chicago. But his family’s story might have been very different if his father, who was Jewish, had not managed to emigrate from Hungary in 1924, thus escaping the Holocaust. Fifty years later, Lindenfeld began teaching German history at LSU, an experience he described as “interesting—not exactly what the students were expecting.” “I know that many people think of history as learning about their own background, but I think the main value is rather the opposite, namely to learn about people and situations that are different from one’s own. It broadens your perspective,” Lindenfeld shared. “I guess that’s how I got into German history with a Jewish background, and even more so with studying other religions.” It was this concern with learning about different societies that led Lindenfeld to initiate LSU’s first world history introductory survey course and later develop a graduate minor field in world history for Ph.D. students. “Until the late 1990s, almost everyone on the [Department of History] faculty taught either American (including Latin American) or European history,” he explained. “I came to believe that our students were getting short-changed by not being educated about the interdependent world they would be living in.” While leading the department in a global direction, Lindenfeld was himself influenced by LSU students to shift his scholarly focus from purely intellectual history to the history of religion. “I had always been attracted to the role that ideas and beliefs play in history, and I continue to be so today,” he said. “But over time, and partly due to interactions with students, I came to appreciate the non-rational aspects of ideas and beliefs. I also came to believe that people cannot live without hope—it’s a basic survival mechanism. In looking to how I could combine these insights with my shift to world history, the study of cross-cultural religious interaction seemed to be an obvious line of research. It’s been a very rewarding pursuit.”

"I also came to believe that people cannot live without hope—it’s a basic survival mechanism.” - David Lindenfeld, Ph.D.

Now retired from teaching, Lindenfeld is still an active scholar, attending conferences and presenting papers. He also volunteers his time to Together Baton Rouge, an organization devoted to social and racial justice. It was Becnel’s idea to share the couple’s love of history and give back to the department that was home for nearly four decades by creating the David Lindenfeld Superior Graduate Scholarship in History and David Lindenfeld Undergraduate Scholarship in History. “It made excellent sense to me as soon as she said it, and it seemed like a natural extension of the work I did as a faculty member,” Lindenfeld recalled. “I’ve had a very fortunate life, and I think I owe society a great debt.” Troy Blanchard, Ph.D., interim dean of the LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences, shared his personal gratitude for Lindenfeld’s years of service and generous bequest. “Dr. Lindenfeld dedicated his professional life to inspiring an enduring appreciation for all that history can teach us. His vision for the department broke new ground, impacting educational and career trajectories for countless students,” Blanchard said. “We are grateful to him and Jerri for endowing these scholarships, which will continue Dr. Lindenfeld’s legacy at LSU and open pathways for more students to explore a passion for history and make their own marks as historians, academics, and educators.” lsu.edu/hss

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ACCEPTED

Rising to a challenge set by two classmates, dozens of members of the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center Class of 1978 have collectively given $100,000 to establish just the second LSU Law endowed scholarship named in honor of a graduating class. Forty years after their commencement, the Class of 1978 has set a bar for subsequent classes to come together and help future lawyers develop a background in comparative law, for which LSU is world renowned. First-year LSU Law student Caroline Swanson, the first recipient of the Class of 1978 Scholarship, recently met with 1978 graduates and donors (from left to right) Diane Crochet, Warren Byrd, David Rubin, Billy Patrick, and David Ziober to personally thank them for their generosity.Â

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“I

t really speaks well of the values and character LSU Law instilled in our class, which had a lot of camaraderie and was full of talented people who went on to be highly regarded and very successful in the legal community,” said Warren Byrd, deputy commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Insurance and a Class of 1978 Scholarship Committee member. The challenge began with a gift from Ross and Beth Erny Foote, who met on their first day of law school, married shortly thereafter, and graduated in 1978. In addition to establishing their own scholarship, the Footes anonymously pledged $60,000 and challenged their classmates to match it dollar for dollar in collective giving. They pledged another $20,000 if the class could come up with $100,000. “Our lives have been made possible by the LSU Law Center,” shared Ross, a retired judge. “We left with so much more than just law degrees, and we’ve always thought it was important—not only for ourselves, but for everyone who owes their success to the LSU Law school—to give back as much as possible.” The Footes were finally revealed as the challengers at the class’ 40th reunion celebration last fall after the class met the $100,000 goal. Seventy-six classmates, including three who are deceased and had donations given in their memory, contributed to the effort. Beth, a sitting U.S. District Court judge, believes the scholarship adds to a legacy of greatness the class began more than four decades ago. “We were really the first class at LSU Law to have a significant number of women,” she said, noting slightly more than 15 percent of the class was female—a figure that grew to nearly 50 percent in the subsequent 20 years. “Along with having so many successful women, which I’m particularly proud of, it was just an outstanding class of people. The

“

Our lives have been made possible by the LSU Law Center. We left with so much more than just law degrees, and we’ve always thought it was important—not only for ourselves, but for everyone who owes their success to the LSU Law school—to give back as much as possible.” - Ross Foote

number of judges and highly successful lawyers our class produced is remarkable.” First-year LSU Law student Caroline Swanson is the first recipient of the Class of 1978 scholarship. “Receiving any scholarship is exciting, but to be the first is really special,” she said. “I’m very fortunate to have a family that is doing their best to help me pay for law school, and the Class of 1978 Scholarship is very helpful to me and my family.” For the Footes, seeing the first scholarship awarded doesn’t mark the end of a challenge so much as the start of a new one. “Just imagine if every class picked up on the idea and met the same challenge,” said Ross. “Fast forward another 40 years and that’s $12 million in endowed scholarships for LSU Law, which would make us very, very competitive. We’ve set a bar with this scholarship, and now we’re challenging every other class to meet and exceed it.” law.lsu.edu

At their 40th class reunion in October 2018, members of the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center Class of 1978 posed with a check for their endowed scholarship. The class raised the final $10,000 in the weeks following the reunion.

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A Letter From

PRESIDENT F. KING ALEXANDER

Dear LSU Family, We’re already more than halfway to our ambitious $1.5 billion goal for the Fierce for the Future Campaign. We have been able to unite all eight campuses in this effort for the first time ever, bringing together all of LSU to move our university forward and celebrate our collective accomplishments. Every day, our students, faculty, and staff are touched by your generous gifts that support our fierce pursuit of excellence. Our forward progress is fueled by LSU’s ability to recruit the best and brightest faculty, staff, and students. Few public universities can compare to LSU. Our rare status as a land-, sea- and space-grant institution uniquely positions us as a fierce leader in research, providing Louisiana with the talent and tools to find answers to the most challenging questions of our time. We are relentless in our pursuit of progress for our state, our nation, and our world. LSU researchers are developing new treatments for cancer, diabetes, and other diseases, while also bringing revolutionary new strategies to sugar farmers and building computer models to precisely project hurricane damage. We are fiercely proud of the fact that we have our largest, most diverse, and most academically accomplished student body in LSU history. Our students come not just from every big city and small town across Louisiana’s 64 parishes, but from all parts of the globe. You can see purple and gold everywhere from Breaux Bridge to Boston to Bangladesh. We’re excited about the fact that we’re not just enrolling students in record numbers, but graduating them as well. More Louisiana students, more graduate students, more veterans, and more students from diverse backgrounds have walked across the stage to receive an LSU degree than ever before. We can also boast some of the lowest-debt levels and highest starting and mid-career salaries among our peer institutions. We know that the potential is limitless for our Tigers. Our graduates have landed rovers on Mars, won Academy Awards and Pulitzer Prizes, written New York Times bestsellers, and led Fortune 500 companies. LSU has an impact that is immeasurable, touching the lives of so many people not just here in Louisiana, but around the globe. Your support helps LSU move ever forward, continuing to advance and change the world. With your help, we will continue to be Fierce for the Future. Sincerely,

F. King Alexander LSU President

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THANK A DONOR DAY 2019 On Sept. 25, the campus community celebrated LSU’s second annual Thank a Donor Day (TADD). TADD engages Tigers to learn all the ways that philanthropy impacts their LSU experience—from scholarships to research funding to campus beautification—and send donors messages of appreciation. On TADD 2019, 75 volunteers and more than 2,000 students, faculty, and staff stopped by four campus stations. They wrote postcards, recorded video messages, and took photos to share with LSU donors, and they filled up our Why I LSU board, too. Learn more about TADD and check out what these Thankful Tigers had to say at lsufoundation.org/tadd. Photo by Erin Oswalt

Meeting the Needs of the Digital Student

 WATCH ONLINE

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By LSU Online LSU Digital & Continuing Education has met the needs of students in our community and beyond for over 95 years. The department was created as an extension program to offer educational opportunities to enhance the application of information beyond campus. Today, LSU Online has adopted a culture of innovation by developing online programs to meet the needs of digital students.

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e’re moving at start-up speed, forging a new path to meet the needs of nontraditional learners, and providing them an education option at every level from LSU,” said Vice President of Digital and Continuing Education Sasha Thackaberry, Ph.D. From short-course MicroCreds® all the way up to a master’s degree, LSU Online provides students access to the same high-quality education in a convenient online format. A key factor in developing these in-demand programs is to understand the needs of nontraditional students, who may have pursued higher education but not finished the degree, while also being mindful of their career goals. LSU Online is committed to providing these individuals with a portfolio of offerings—credit and noncredit—to meet their professional goals, whether upskilling to stay ahead of industry demands, credentials needed for a promotion, or a certificate or degree to prepare for a career change. Additionally, LSU Online develops custom and on-site workforce training programs. LSU Online understands the challenges that may come with reacquainting the student to classes again, so they have a dedicated team of concierges to provide customer service to and build personal relationships with our students. The moment an individual expresses interest in LSU Online, they are assigned to an enrollment concierge to help them through the application process. Once the student is admitted, an individual learner concierge will be assigned to the student all the way to graduation. Recently, LSU Online launched its first two bachelor’s degrees in the fall with more to come in the spring, so students anywhere in the country can pursue an undergraduate degree from a flagship university. LSU Online’s first “fully stackable” online pathway in construction management provides an individual interested in the industry an option where their credits can build up from one program to another. Working professionals who have on-the-job experience in construction may qualify for Prior Learning Assessment credits to apply toward a degree, saving them both time and money. “The magic we have on campus, we are bringing to online programs,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Stacia L. Haynie, Ph.D. “Our online students will leave with an LSU degree, and their diploma will be the same as every student on our campus. It’s going to represent the quality and rigor of any LSU degree.” online.lsu.edu.

LSU Online master’s in kinesiology with a specialization in sports management student Marissa Rimbert with her family at the LSU summer commencement ceremony in Baton Rouge, La. She traveled from Georgia to walk across the stage to receive her LSU diploma.

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