Summer and Fall 2012 Cornerstone

LSU FOUNDATION

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SUMMER and FALL 2012

The mission of the LSU Foundation is to foster private financial support for LSU, the LSU AgCenter, the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and the LSU System Office.

Cornerstone EDITOR Sara Crow ART DIRECTOR Elizabeth Scott LSU Senior, Graphic Design PHOTOGRAPHY Andrea Laborde Darlene Aguillard Kevin Duffy Steve Franz Ginger Guttner Michael Palumbo Eddy Perez Jim Zietz CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chaunda Allen Ernie Ballard Marco Barker, PhD Melissa Foley Dawn Jenkins Ginger Guttner Wendy Osborn Leudtke Portia Levasseur Ann Marie Marmande Erin Rolfs PRINTING IPC Printing, LLC

To share feedback, please contact Sara Crow at scrow@lsufoundation.org or 225-578-8164. www.lsufoundation.org www.facebook.com/ lsufoundation www.twitter.com/ lsu_foundation

FOUNDATION Supporting Academic Excellence 2

Austin Bennett and Mark Coleman in front of Nicholson Hall

Endowed Scholarships Spotlight

Austin Bennett and Mark Coleman have different career plans and fields of study, but they share the distinction of being the first recipients of the Sid and Peggy Bonner and Joe and Kim Reid Scholarships, respectively. The endowed awards are made possible through the generosity of College of Engineering alumnus Joe Reid and his wife, Kim.

“It’s a relief to have one less thing to worry about,” Coleman says, adding, “It shows a lot of people still care about the students and LSU in general.”

With the extra help, Coleman can focus on graduating from the Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering and supporting his college as a teaching assistant and STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) peer mentor.

Bennett, a geology and geophysics major in the College of Science, is also active outside of the classroom, having turned his passion for photography into a part-time job with The Daily Reveille. Bennett’s appreciation for nature has him on track to pursue a graduate education in Colorado or Washington, with plans to study geochemistry and petrology of hard rocks.

“When I go out into the field, I see mountains and think, ‘Wow,’” Bennett explains of his desire to apply his education to natural landscapes.

Coleman intends to build a career along the Gulf Coast. As a high school student, he was drawn by the College of Engineering’s advanced technology and opportunities for travel and saw petroleum engineering as a fit for his interests.

Choosing LSU was easy—in part because of the LSU posters hanging in his childhood bedroom in Houma, La.

“When you’re a kid growing up in Louisiana, you dream of going to LSU,” Coleman offers.

Bennett also knew early on he wanted to attend LSU, but as one of four children, the University Laboratory School alumnus says the final decision came down to dollars and cents.

“Where I ended up was 100 percent where I had the money to go,” he says.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for scholarship support.” www.eng.lsu.edu • www.science.lsu.edu

ON THE COVER • Clockwise from top left: Visitors to the LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center peek through a “tree cookie” (p. 6) • Steele Burden (p. 6) • LSU College of Engineering students in Lyon, France (p. 22) • Third- and fourth-grade students enjoy a paper airplane contest during Continuing Education’s Tiger Challenge (p. 24) • View of “The Horseshoe” from LSU’s historic Evangeline Hall (p. 12) • An NFL athlete participates in Beyond the Game (p. 35)

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

Inside Cornerstone Summer and Fall 2012 | Volume 24, Number 1 | LSU Foundation

Behind every gift to the LSU Foundation is an individual or organization determined to advance the quality of education.

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6 A Destination for Generations A garden “room” created by the late Steele Burden on what is now the grounds of the LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center

9 4 WELCOME

President and CEO

5 PROFILE IN GIVING

George A. Daniels 6

FEATURE: A Destination for Generations

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ANNUAL GIVING Ring Leaders

10 SPECIAL PROJECTS

It’s Who You Know 12 FEATURE: Live and Learn

14 MEMBERSHIP

Having a Ball 17 HONORING FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES

18 FEATURE: Legal Legacy 20 SCHOLARSHIPS

Banding Together for Scholarships 22 FEATURE: Geauxing Global

24 COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS 26 PLANNED GIVING

1860 Society

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32

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STUDENT SUPPORT Getting Them in the Game ALUMNI GIVING BACK A Ticket to the Dance SERVING THE COMMUNITY

LAUREATE SOCIETY

38 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Passing the Torch 39 CELEBRATING RIBBON CUTTINGS & GROUNDBREAKINGS

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Dear Friends,

This has been an exciting year for the LSU Foundation. In January, we began working on a strategic plan that I believe will allow us to be even more intentional and effective in our efforts to serve LSU, the LSU AgCenter, the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and the LSU System Office.

Our organization has experienced rapid growth in the past decade, and we have enjoyed great success. Yet, as any organization should do, we need to think both long term and short term about ways we can improve. Our strategic plan provides a formalized way of doing that, and of helping us to further unite the development team, support personnel and campus partners who join us in our daily efforts to bring private financial support to LSU.

As we look toward the future, we are pleased to welcome four new members to the LSU Foundation Board of Directors. Clarence Cazalot, Henson Moore, Sean Reilly and Jeffrey Springmeyer are longtime donors to the LSU Foundation, successful business leaders and active community servants who bring valuable expertise and unique perspectives to our board.

As far as I am concerned, the passion our board members and other donors have for this university is unparalleled. On the next page, you will read about the late George Daniels, an LSU alumnus whose generosity in life and, now, after his death, is illustrative of that passion. Mr. Daniels’ decision to give while he was alive and to include LSU in his estate plans truly exemplifies the last two words of the LSU alma mater: “Forever LSU.”

Every day, our team works with people like George Daniels. Whether they are male or female, alumni or friends, just starting out or enjoying retirement, they are equally committed to making our campuses better today and more prepared for tomorrow. They, more than any other aspect of our work, motivate us to also be better today and more prepared for tomorrow.

Sincerely,

G. Lee Griffin (MS Business, 1961) President and CEO, LSU Foundation

Annual Giving

The LSU Foundation has many corporate partners that provide annual support for programs campuswide. Recent celebrations of such gifts have included campus visits by Chevron and ExxonMobil.

To find out if your company matches gifts made to the LSU Foundation, please visit www.matchinggift.com/lsu.

LSU students, faculty and staff joined representatives from Chevron and the LSU Foundation for a March luncheon recognizing Chevron’s annual giving to LSU.

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Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

In May, ExxonMobil presented the LSU Foundation with a check for the matching portion of 2011 employee, retiree and surviving spouse donations that were eligible for its Educational Matching Gift Program.

Profile in Giving: George A. Daniels “I have taken this action to share in my success as a chemical engineer and as an investor, and to provide opportunities for others.” ­— ­George Daniels

George Daniels grew up in rural Smith Center, Kan., and attended the University of Kansas. Immediately following his college graduation in 1955, Daniels began working for Ethyl Corporation, which was acquired by Albemarle in 1962. The job soon led him to Baton Rouge, where he earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from LSU in 1963 and lived for the rest of his life.

Daniels worked for Albemarle for nearly 55 years before retiring as a distinguished R&D advisor in 2009. Throughout his career, he was active in professional organizations and his church and was a strong supporter of both of his alma maters.

Daniels gave generously and broadly through the LSU Foundation, donating over $2.6 million. He volunteered for fundraising efforts centered on generating support for College of Engineering capital projects and other special initiatives, especially in his department, the Gordon A. & Mary Cain Department of Chemical Engineering. Setting an example for his peers, he was a founding member of the college’s Society for Engineering Excellence, which recognizes high-level donors. Daniels also gave through annual funds led by the Foundation’s TigerTalk program. In many cases, he used his company’s matching gifts program to leverage his support.

In 2008, Daniels arranged for the LSU Foundation to be a beneficiary of his estate, choosing to direct this future gift to fund George A. Daniels Graduate Fellowships in Chemical Engineering. Daniels passed away in July 2011, yet his support of LSU will continue through his estate gift.

Judy Wornat, PhD, chair of the Gordon A. & Mary Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, said, "George Daniels' generous gift reflects his deep and committed understanding of the importance of excellent graduate students and research."

In summer 2008, Daniels was honored for his lifelong contributions to LSU and his decision to include the LSU Foundation in his estate plans. There, he shared that in addition to his bequest to benefit chemical engineering graduate students at LSU, he had made a bequest to fund undergraduate scholarships at the University of Kansas.

Daniels said of these planned gifts, “I have taken this action to share in my success as a chemical engineer and as an investor, and to provide opportunities for others.” www.eng.lsu.edu Top: George Daniels at a 2008 luncheon honoring his support of LSU Middle: Gordon A. & Mary Cain Department of Chemical Engineering students Angela Junker, Kevin Euggino and Trey Cook participate in LSU Day at the Louisiana State Capitol.

Bottom: Chemical engineering PhD student Andrew Campos with College of Engineering professors Challa Kumar, PhD, and James J. Spivey, PhD, in LSU’s Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD)

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Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

A Destination for

Generations

Situated alongside one of the busiest thoroughfares in Baton Rouge, near the the I-10 exit for Essen Lane, is a tract of 440 acres of beautifully maintained green space. The Burden Center grounds, home to historic and educational gardens, an urban forest, the LSU Rural Life Museum, and a host of other unique offerings, was made possible by the generosity and vision of the Burden family with the support of the LSU System.

The Burden Center links modern-day agricultural research with the LSU Rural Life Museum’s complex of 19th century buildings and artifacts. The late landscape architect Steele Burden and siblings Ione and Pike once lived on the acreage that is now The Burden Center property. Steele was LSU’s longtime landscaper and is credited with planting many of the campus’s renowned live oak trees. Set near the Burdens’ family home, Windrush House, is a stunning outdoor space that represents Steele’s life work. Century-old garden “rooms,” highlighted with statues and garden ornamentations chosen by Steele on trips to Europe, are bordered by lakes and a wooded area he developed as testing grounds for his ideas.

Steele and Ione, former LSU assistant dean of women, along with Jeanette Burden, widow of Pike, made annual donations of their property to LSU from 1966 until 1992. The Burden family stipulated that the property must be used for horticultural and agronomic research, for development of the LSU Rural Life Museum, and as a green area devoid of buildings extraneous to these purposes. The family also allowed for the construction of museums of art and natural science.

A new, six-phase master plan designed to enhance and transform this treasure has the center poised to become a true destination for generations. Portico Group, a premier firm of landscape architects and interpretive planners, has laid the groundwork for the multi-year initiative. A business plan has been developed to ensure ongoing financial sustainability as each phase is implemented.

Donor- and grant-supported enhancements will build upon the public’s access to research-based information and educational programs that improve quality of life, honoring the legacy of the Burdens and providing a vision for the future that couples the LSU AgCenter’s research and extension activities. As the plan progresses, several naming opportunities will be made available.

Among the enhancements will be a culinary garden; an herb garden of medicinal plants in a setting ideal for meditation and contemplation; age-appropriate, interactive children’s gardens; a community education and outreach complex; and outdoor “Trees and Trails in Burden Woods” classrooms for forestry and environmental research and education. New conference and event facilities will include a terrace for the Orangerie, designed

by A. Hays Town and funded by several other friends of Steele as a memorial to his love of art, history, the outdoors and Baton

Rouge. The Barton Arboretum will be expanded to showcase specimen-cultivated woody ornamentals, and Wetlands at Burden’s Bluff will provide a connecting trail to Black Swamp Boardwalk, which will overlook a 10-acre, rain-fed wetland with 200-year-old tupelo trees.

The Trees and Trails Educational Pavilion, which is a Phase 1 initiative, is nearing its fundraising goal; a groundbreaking is slated for summer 2012. The facility will be home to Project Learning Tree, a program of Burden Horticulture Society that is supported by ExxonMobil and the Junior League of Baton Rouge and provides children with hands-on experiences with nature, urban forests and the environment. Support for the pavilion comes from the Saurage Family, the Lamar Family Foundation, the Louisiana Recreational Trails Program, and the LSU AgCenter/Burden Foundation.

On our recent trip to visit The Burden Center and learn about its plans for the future, the winding drive through the grounds was a respite in itself. Yet, the true delight of the sunfilled spring morning was watching LSU AgCenter Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Kiki Fontenot’s two-year-old son, Jake, and his friend Jude romp through the grounds. The boys delighted in exploring Steele’s gardens, sprinted along the paths of the Trees & Trails program, peeked inside the windows of the Orangerie, and gently investigated young saplings planted last year on Arbor Day. Their obvious joy in discovering nature exemplifies the aim of The Burden Center’s new master plan: to join research and education in a beautiful, stimulating natural environment that appeals to people of all ages. www.LSUAgCenter.com/BurdenCenter

Above: Steele Burden • Kiki Fontenot with son Jake and his friend Jude Opposite (clockwise from top left): the Orangerie, a memorial to Steele Burden • Young Hermes in repose on an old well • Jude and Jake run along a trail • A “Super Plant,” well-suited to growth in Louisiana • Vegetable and flower plantings in the All-America Selections Display Garden • Steele Burden’s Garden House

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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TigerTalk managers Madeleine Ricks, Renee Rochel and Kevin Oubre in the TigerTalk office

Ring Leaders

Each fall and spring, LSU alumni throughout the U.S. pick up the phone and hear the voice of a student “TigerTalker” calling on behalf of the LSU Foundation. The callers—the next generation of LSU alumni—ask fellow Tigers to support annual fund programs campus-wide. Theirs is a popular job for those who want to work on campus in a student-heavy atmosphere where they can refine their interpersonal skills.

“This really helps you learn to talk to people,” says Kevin Oubre, a recent political science graduate who became a TigerTalker after a peer recommended that he apply.

Former TigerTalker Whitney Wilkerson shares, “The hardest part about TigerTalk is getting used to talking to complete strangers about money. I had always been shy on

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the phone before, and this job really forced me to open up and carry on a conversation with someone I couldn’t even see face to face.”

Wilkerson was a TigerTalker throughout college and graduate school and is now a second-grade teacher at Iberville Parish Mathematics, Sciences, and Arts Academy West.

She says, “It has helped me feel more comfortable talking with people, which is important as a teacher. I was also able to gain experience in management through my position as a student manager. This helped me get used to organizing schedules for people and controlling a group in a positive and cooperative manner.”

Wilkerson fondly remembers the people with whom she worked and the potluck dinners they arranged to keep the work environment fun.

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

Oubre echoes that sentiment, saying, “I really like the people. It’s a serious job, but we try to liven it up.”

Wilkerson recalls, “While some calls were negative, most were received positively. I remember talking to a man who had graduated almost 50 years ago and was living in the New York area. He was so excited to talk to someone from LSU, which he hadn’t visited in nearly 30 years, that it was hard to get him off the phone!”

“Our success is built off our alumni,” asserts Oubre, whose personal success ranks him in the top 10 TigerTalkers ever.

Wilkerson is now on the receiving end of TigerTalk calls, while Oubre works full time as assistant director of LSU Funds, which includes the TigerTalk program. www.lsufoundation.org

I support great writing.

Judy Kahn enjoyed a long teaching career in the LSU Department of English, the very department from which she earned a BA and an MA. Kahn coordinated the department’s Readers & Writers program for 15 years and the creative writing program for three years.

Though she retired in 2005, Kahn continues to play an active role in the LSU literary community. She and LSU Department of English Instructor Nolde Alexius recently co-edited Best of LSU Fiction, a celebrated anthology chronicling LSU’s prestigious literary tradition.

And this year, she helped to launch the first annual fund on behalf of LSU Press and The Southern Review, which merged in 2011.

“Joining forces, especially financially, is one way to approach the budget constrictions that currently face all aspects of the university,” Kahn explained of the joint annual appeal, adding, “Our causes are more than aligned; they are the same: to preserve and continue LSU’s great literary tradition.”

Kahn worked closely with LSU Press and The Southern Review to build support for the Judy Kahn new annual fund, including by appealing to her fellow TSR Advisory Group members to lead the way with contributions.

“This effort to reach out to thousands of friends and readers, who may never have had the opportunity to give, will be the foundation for a robust development program,” shared Portia Levasseur, development director for LSU Press and The Southern Review. “Judy’s leadership and tireless support for our annual appeal has been critical to this effort.”

“Without the help of those who support the Press, TSR, and the arts in general,” Kahn warned, “these programs will not be able to attract the best writers, maintain their staff, or produce the quality of books and journals for which they’re known.

From cover design to staying current with electronic publishing, maintaining excellence means money. That is why we need the support of our donors now more than ever.” www.lsupress.org www.lsu.edu/tsr

Louisiana Looking Up, Alumni Giving Back The LSU Flores MBA Alumni Association-Louisiana Chapter and the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business co-hosted Louisiana Looking Up 2011, a celebration of entrepreneurship welcoming state and business leaders, entrepreneurs, students, faculty and staff to exchange ideas, network and discuss improvements Louisiana has made over the years. In December, the chapter presented a check for $50,000—including proceeds from the September 15 event—to the LSU Flores MBA Program to support international Peter Stewart speaks at Louisiana Looking Up study trips for MBA students.

2011 • Shown on page 3 are 2011 keynote “The success of the LSU Flores MBA Program allows us to give back like this,” said speakers Todd Graves, Peter Stewart, Adam Knapp, Dave Steiner, Matthew Saurage and Troy Prevot, chapter president and senior vice president of LUBA Workers’ Comp. “Our Patrick Mulhearn ability to host an event like Louisiana Looking Up is contingent on the quality graduates the program has produced and continues to produce. When you are affiliated with such an elite group, people want to be a part of what you are doing.”

Louisiana Looking Up 2011 featured keynote speaker LSU alumnus David Steiner, CEO of Fortune 200 company Waste Management; LSU Chancellor Mike Martin; Todd Graves, president and founder of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers; Adam Knapp, president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber; Patrick Mulhearn, director of Raleigh Studios Baton Rouge at the Celtic Media Centre; Matt Saurage, president of Community Coffee; and Peter Stewart, president, CEO and co-founder of TraceSecurity.

The event was coordinated by Prevot and fellow LSU Flores MBA alumnus Craig Juengling, executive and professional coach with Juengling & Associates LLC. Premier sponsors were Capital One, Guaranty Broadcasting and Stonetrust Commercial Insurance Company. Major sponsors were Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, the Celtic Group LLC, RoyOMartin and Sparkhound.

Louisiana Looking Up 2012 will feature Lenny Lemoine of The Lemoine Company as keynote speaker, Christel Slaughter of SSA Consultants as emcee, and speakers Don Chachere of Tony Chachere’s, Teri Fontenot of Woman’s Hospital, Matthew Magnuson of St. James Technologies, and Bobby Yarborough of Manda Fine Meats. www.business.lsu.edu Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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Assistant Professor Chris Weber with Jackson Voss outside of Stubbs Hall in the LSU Quad

It’s Who You Know

During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Mandeville, La., high school student Jackson Voss hungrily absorbed everything he could about the political process. His interest had been building for several years.

“I got a civics award in seventh grade, and that was exciting for me,” Voss remembers.

Not surprisingly, Voss jumped into LSU Student Government, joining Freshman Executive Committee and winning a University College senate seat. As a sophomore, he was assistant director of First-Year Experience.

When Voss was accepted into the ASPIRE Undergraduate Research Program in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, he drew upon his experience campaigning with Student Government to pick a research topic.

He explains, “I noticed that we seemed to be reaching out to a lot of people, but we didn’t seem to get a lot of [voter turnout]. I was curious to see what caused that.”

That interest found footing through Voss’ ASPIRE match to Assistant Professor Chris Weber, PhD, who has a joint appointment in the Department of Political Science and the Manship School of Mass Communication.

Under Weber’s mentorship, Voss is conducting a year-long research project. Weber describes the nature of the project by posing a question: “How do characteristics of your interpersonal relationships affect the likelihood of you being politically engaged?”

The pair seeks to answer that question through an e-survey that they administer to LSU student groups. In

so doing, they can draw conclusions about how students’ interactions with other group members impact their political engagement.

Voss will earn course credit for his work, and the program will cover the costs of his and Weber’s presentation at the 2012 International Society of Political Psychology conference in Chicago.

“It’s really a great opportunity for those of us who are considering grad school to have this experience,” asserts Voss, who plans to earn a PhD after college, then teach and research.

Weber agrees, noting the growing competitiveness of graduate schools.

“They want to see you are a good fit and can do research,” he explains. “This should signal to people that Jackson is more than able to do this kind of work.” www.hss.lsu.edu

Current funding for ASPIRE ends this summer, but private support would help it to continue. To support ASPIRE, please visit www.lsufoundation.org/contribute or contact Jill Roshto at jillroshto@lsu.edu or 225-578-6441.

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Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

SOME CALL IT AN EDUCATION.

WE CALL IT A MIND-ENHANCING

EYE-OPENING

CAREER-LAUNCHING

LIFE-ALTERING

EXPERIENCE.

RECOMMEND

A NEW TIGER AT

futuretigers@lsu.edu

AND WE’RE LOOKING FOR

NEW TIGERS Prints Benefit Endowment

Last fall, LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) showcased more than 70 George Rodrigue paintings, including “A Number One Tiger Fan.” The George Rodrigue Foundation for the Arts has generously donated six framed screen prints (3.5’ x 5’) to be sold for $50,000 each, with all proceeds benefiting LSU MOA’s endowment. Rodrigue’s goal is to add $300,000 to the museum’s endowment.

LSU MOA former Executive Director Tom Livesay said of the project, “Endowment represents financial sustainability for the Museum of Art in the years to come. With the move to the Shaw Center for the Arts, the museum and the university are sharing their cultural resources in true civic engagement. Endowment, and the income it generates, guarantees that will continue through quality exhibitions and education programs for children and adults.”

To purchase a screen print, please contact Bunnie Cannon, LSU executive director of institutional advancement, at 225-578-0302 or bcannon@lsu.edu. www.lsumoa.com Right: George Rodrigue’s “A Number One Tiger Fan”

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and

LEARN

They call themselves “Evangefam.” The roughly 200 first-year students living in LSU’s historic Evangeline Hall share classes, meals, living spaces and majors—Not to mention intense video game face-offs and a healthy sense of competition over who is earning the highest grades.

“You can see how good of an experience students are having,” Niki Yazdani says of the environment.

Yazdani and the other students living in the Science Residential College (SRC) have declared College of Science as their intended senior college. They enjoy unique access to faculty, can take classes in the building, and participate in programs that expose them to their chosen fields and LSU.

Mel Lazo, one of seven College of Science students who serve as SRC resident assistants, says, “They’re trying to adjust to college life … There is someone who can help.”

That sincere desire to help rings true for students.

“RAs are really genuine,” Yazdani says. “They want to get to know you.”

“I went to a lot of the programs they had, and they really helped me out,” shares Lazo, who lived in the SRC as a firstyear student. “I decided I really wanted to pass that on to the students in Evangeline.”

Instructor and SRC Rector Christopher Gregg, PhD, sees Lazo’s experience as representative of the program’s overall aim.

He says, “The idea is that we help incoming freshmen make transitions from high school to college. That freshman year is critical in retaining them at the university.”

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Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

Gregg coordinates academic programs, works closely with the SRC’s residence life coordinator, and leads tutoring and review sessions. He and Kim Kubicek, an advisor in the college, track students’ progress and reach out to those who are struggling.

“I have Ms. Kubicek and Dr. Gregg looking out for me,” Matthew Landry says.

“I can talk to Dr. Gregg about anything,” Laila Elhami shares. “Everyone loves him.”

Yazdani adds, “Having the experiences we’ve had with him, we know the professors are humans, too.”

The SRC is one of nine residential colleges that comprise the LSU Residential Colleges Program. Given the personalized services offered, it is necessary to charge a rent surcharge for these halls, but the Division of Student Life & Enrollment plans to introduce an endowed fund through which donors can defray that extra expense.

SRC residents must have minimum ACT or SAT scores that are a bit higher than LSU’s admission standards so they can participate in cohort classes. Through the SRC, they have been able to maintain that level of excellence: not only are their GPAs and retention rate higher than typical College of Science majors, but they also perform better in introductory science classes.

“We’re giving students the tools to succeed,” explains Gregg.

“I don’t think I would have done as well,” Elhami says, noting the hall’s study groups and library.

Other LSU Residential Colleges: Agriculture Business Engineering Global Connections

Herget (for all first-year students) Information Technology Laville Honors House Mass Communication

www.lsu.edu/residentialcollege Photos: Evangeline Hall, at the curve of LSU’s “Horseshoe” of residence halls, is LSU’s Science Residential College and home to first-year students Laila Elhami, Niki Yazdani and Matthew Landry (shown in the lobby).

Landry has had a similar experience.

“It’s a phenomenal study environment,” he says, adding, “If you have a question, you go to the lobby and know there is probably someone there who can help you.”

“The lobby is a vortex,” laughs Elhami. “It will suck you in and you will stay there forever.”

Lazo contends that such connectedness is an inherent benefit of the SRC. Opportunities to experience LSU together extend beyond the walls of Evangeline Hall, in cohort classes ranging from English to biology and field trips such as a behind-the-scenes tour of LSU’s Museum of Natural Science.

“The large university experience is transformed to a small family of learners with similar interests and goals,” explains Student Life & Enrollment Services Vice Chancellor Kurt Keppler, PhD.

Yazdani and Elhami were peers at Baton Rouge High School and planned to live at home during college. After a teacher encouraged Yazdani to live on campus, she convinced Elhami to join her. The roommates are now among the SRC’s most active residents: they are senators on the Residence Hall Association Community Council, work part-time jobs, and volunteer in a campus lab and at local hospitals.

“This learning-living laboratory allows students to develop close relationships with each other and quickly become engaged in classroom and residential experiences,” Keppler explains of the Residential Colleges Program.

“I love it,” Elhami says of being so active.

She and Yazdani feel that being well-rounded will help

them achieve their goal of attending medical school.

“We all have the same drive and determination,” notes Landry, who plans to attend dental school and is active in Residential Life’s Student Accountability Board and the PreDental Society.

Landry grew up in Dallas but is a third-generation LSU student. The SRC stood out as he explored on-campus living.

“It was appealing to be in a study-focused environment,” he says. “Having the SRC attracts the best from in-state and grabs some of those great students from out of state.”

Landry has learned that academic excellence and social enjoyment can go hand in hand.

“People who are really smart can also have a lot of fun,” he asserts.

He and his peers have achieved that balance through their experience living and learning together.

“Everyone is in study mode at the same time,” Elhami says of the community.

In Yazdani’s mind, a mix of academics and socialization yields success.

“I feel like the work and time everyone puts into the residence hall … You can see the outcome,” she says.

As Yazdani, Elhami and Landry conclude their first year at LSU, their feelings about sophomore year are bittersweet.

“It’s really sad!” Elhami remarks about moving out.

All three are excited to continue on to their second year at LSU—but not to leave their “Evangefam.” www.science.lsu.edu • www.lsu.edu/housing Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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Membership Profile

Having a Ball As a young boy growing up in New Orleans, John Havens cheered for the Saints and the Houston Astros and frequently pushed for family road trips to Astros games. Today, as vice chairman and the second largest owner of the Houston Astros, president of Seismic Exchange, owner of Cal-a-Vie Health Spa, an LSU supporter and a community activist, John credits much of his success to the values and ethics his parents instilled in him.

PC and Dee Havens were living in South Mississippi in the late 1940s when the appeal of a new job working on seismic crews in Houma led PC to the place that would become his family’s home for the next 12 years. John and sisters Debbie Havens Patrick and Cathy Havens Cary were born in Houma and grew up mostly in New Orleans.

PC started Seismic Exchange Inc. (SEI) in 1975. Now led by John, SEI has 300 employees in seven locations, the largest 2-D seismic database in the U.S., and one of the largest 3-D seismic U.S. onshore databases.

Among the most important lessons John learned from his father are to treat all people the way he would like to be treated, to keep his word, and to do the right thing so that he never has to look back. John says his mother is very driven and has the “eye of the tiger.”

Wanting to follow in his father’s career footsteps, John studied geology at LSU. There, he met his wife, Terri, an alumna of the Manship School of Mass Communication. John remains close friends with and licenses seismic data to many of his classmates.

One college friend is LSU Foundation member and fraternity brother Billy Harrison, who mentored him in geology.

John notes that Billy’s father, Frank, also a geology alumnus and Foundation member, is a great example of someone who has lived his life in a manner in

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Terri and John Havens in Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros

which he “never has to look back.”

The Havenses’ membership in the LSU Foundation is a tribute to their many LSU connections.

“As alumni whose experiences at LSU remain memorable, Terri and I are confident that our membership is benefiting current and future LSU students,” John asserts, adding, “We want to see LSU build a stronger culture of giving, and we’re glad to be part of

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

sustaining and growing private support for our alma mater.”

When John became the second largest owner in the Astros last fall, he joined several other LSU alumni who are owners in the team. John’s role in the organization will evolve over time, but he is already actively involved in the Astros In Action Foundation and in recruiting season ticket holders and sponsors. www.science.lsu.edu

340+ Members Strong Boldface denotes lifetime members. Membership roster is as of February 2012 Board of Directors Meeting.

Membership Snapshot

Adams and Reese, LLC Dick and Sherri Alario Hank F. and Frances Anderson I. Kent Anderson Mark K. Anderson Reuel L. Anderson Jr. Scott L. Anderson Mary Lou Applewhite Peter W. and Alice F. Arbour Paul Arst Dennis Aucoin James J. III and Laura Bailey Byrd M. and Alice Ball Boyd Barrilleaux Arthur K. III and Shirley Barton Carl W. Bauer Marian Wilfert Beauchamp Dr. and Mrs. Charles D. Belleau Jeff Hals Benhard James J. Jr. and Betty C. Bergin Robert E. Bethard Ann Bickham and B.L. Bickham, MD Bradley and Cindy Black John C. Blackman William D. Blake Barry O. Blumberg Donald T. Bollinger Mr. David Bondy Jr. Daniel Bonnet Bryan and Renee Bossier Sr. Maj. Gen. Bill and Sally Bowdon Clark G. Boyce Jr. J. Herbert Boydstun John B. Brock III

J. Terrell and Mary Kay Brown Stephen T. and Cathy Brown Claude and Bethia Bundrick John F. Burris Jim and Jill Burtner Carol M. Calkins Ronald C. Cambre Joseph Campbell Jr. Jeffrey K. and Wendy Carbo James Carville Clarence Cazalot Philip and Elizabeth Cenac J. Harman and Renae Chandler Richard D. Jr. and Teeta Chappuis JPMorgan Chase Mr. and Mrs. R. Blake Chatelain Kerry J. Chauvin Joan and Purnell Choppin Donald W. Clayton Cindy D. Coffey Thomas and Peggy Collins William M. Comegys III A. Harry Jr. and Joyce Conrad Lodwrick M. Cook Amy E. Counce Judge D. Irvin Couvillion James Crosby Robert H. Crosby III and Kim Crosby Louis D. Curet Donald H. Daigle Robert Daigle Wilton R. and Daisy B. Dale Bill and Cammie Dale Joseph A. D’Amico

Debbie and John L. Daniel Jr. Garrett Hank Danos Ruben J. and Laura Dauzat William D. Davis John S. and Judith S. Dryden Gregory M. Eaton James and Jane Egasti A. Bridger Eglin Clarence Eidt Jr. Ernest Ray and Iris McLaurin Eldred Patrick M. Evans Sidney B. and Joelle D. Evans J. Nelson Fairbanks Cheryl and Peter Fasullo Charlene Favre Calvin C. Fayard Jr. William T. II and René Firesheets J. Robert Fitzgerald James C. and Cherie H. Flores William S. Flores Jr. Richard L. and Shirley S. Flowers Michael R. and Elizabeth T.H. Fontham Gerald and Gayle Foret Lynn and Sharon Foret Larry Franceski Alta Franks John and Alice Frazier Allen E. Frederic Jr. Sam Friedman T. Cass Gaiennie Cathie and Ed Galante Robert Galantucci Virginia Gayle

Ted H. Glaser III Dudley and Melanie Glenn Ferd S. Godbold II Ronald R. Gonzales Henry Goodrich John Graham John B. Gremillion Jr. G. Lee Griffin William D. Griffin James Hall John C. Hamilton Frankie S. Harris III Frank W. Harrison Jr. Frank W. III and Ann Harrison John and Terri Havens Brian and Barbara Haymon Albert and Judith Hermann William Herrington William L. III and Jean A. Higgins L. Leighton Hill Bill R. and Anne Warren Hise Jim and Corky Hutchison Stanley J. Jacobs William L. “Bill” and Peggy Jenkins William Jernigan PhD Craig and Shirley Jobe Bert Jones Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevant, Carrere & Denegere L.L.P Brad and Melissa Juneau Frank H. Kean III Donald W. and Gayle A. Keller Kevin Kelty Richard F. Knight

LSU Foundation Membership

Frank Harrison Jr., Pat Harrison, Ann Harrison, Billy Harrison, and Patti Harrison Pollock

Harrison Family Honored In May, the LSU Foundation and the College of Science honored members of the Harrison family for their longtime support of LSU. Frank Harrison Jr. and his wife, Pat, along with their son, LSU Foundation Board Member Frank W. “Billy” Harrison III, and daughter-in-law, Ann Harrison, were presented with the Forever LSU arches, a three-dimensional sculpture created especially to recognize donors to the Forever LSU campaign. Billy and Ann’s sons, Will and Andy, are also members of the LSU Foundation.

Members’ annual contributions to the LSU Foundation Operating Fund enable the LSU Foundation to refine, enhance and expand fundraising resources at LSU, the LSU AgCenter, the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and the LSU System Office.

Dues are $2,000 annually per individual or married couple (for joint membership). Associate membership is $1,000 annually per individual or married couple and is open to individuals under the age of 40 and LSU faculty and staff; up to half of the amount may be restricted to other LSU purposes. Membership contributions may be made by an individual or by a company on behalf of the member.

www.lsufoundation.org/membership

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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Membership Cliffe F. Laborde Gary L. Laborde John P. Laborde Lucien P. and Peggy Laborde Luke and Sonja Laborde Tommy and Ann Laborde Gene W. Lafitte Judson and Margaret Landers Charles Landry Edmond J. Langhetee Jr. René L. Latiolais Ron Lato Jack E. Lawton Jr. Laura Alexander Leach Timothy and Karen Lindsey Joseph Lipsey Jr. Richard A. Lipsey Harry J. and Norma Longwell Al Lopez Blaine Lourd Stuart D. Lunn Doug and Debra Lunn Jr. Jim and Margo Lynn Doug Manship Jr. Richard F. Manship Bob and Peggy Marin Dr. Ronald Marks Jonathan E. and Maggie Martin Mike and Jan Martin Phil Martin Jimmy and Lillian C. Maurin Roger May Thomas C. McBride Matt McCarroll John S. and Carla C. McClelland Robert P. McCleskey Jr. Jack McElligott James Donald McGinty Mr. and Mrs. Harry E. McInnis Jr. W. Shelby and Molly McKenzie Markham R. McKnight Wally and Andrea McMakin Michael A. and Cathey Meagher David B. Means III Rick and Janice Menniti Frank W. Miller Gordon and Debra Monk W. Henson and Carolyn Moore Sen. Willie Mount Mr. and Mrs. Hermann Moyse III Stephen Muckleroy Patrick and Tami Mulligan Leonard R. and Julie P. Nachman Ronald E. and Mary E. Neal Frank X. Neuner

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John B. and Virginia Noland Stuart and Kim Oden Roger H. Ogden Joseph B. and Tyke Olinde William B. Owens Rock and Kim Palermo Robert J. Patrick William C. Peatross James R. Peltier G. Allen Penniman Jr. L. J. Jr. and Bernardine Persac Robert L. Pettit Jr. Marty Phillips Rawlston D. and Linda Sue D. Phillips G. Frank Purvis Jr. Dottie Reese Kevin P. Sr. and Dee Dee Reilly Charles W. Richardson Jr. Kevin C. Robert Roedel, Parsons, Koch, Blache, Balhoff & McCollister Armand L. and Lynn Roos A.J. Roy III Jim and Ginger Roy Frances Saladin Dr. Frank Sanchez Joe and Gina Sanford Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Claude Schlesinger Schlumberger Technology Corporation Bart B. Schmolke Mark C. and Mary Schroeder Steve and Sheri Scott William L. “Bill” and Renae R. Scott J. Darby Seré Alan Seicshnaydre John F. Shackelford Jerry Jr. and Beverly Shea John T. Shelton Jr. Andrew J. Shoup Jr. Charles P. Siess Jr. Joseph G. Simmons Jr. Martin E. and Judy F. Simmons B. Bruce Simon Michael B. and Suzan D. Simpson Wayne L. Simpson J. Noland Singletary Charles M. Smith Glynn D. and Annie Bell Smith Jeff and Amie Springmeyer Mike and Carol Stamatedes Sherry S. St. Aubin Joseph Stein Jr. Lehrue Jr. and Betty Stevens John Stovall

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

Carl J. Streva Paul A. and Lyndra Strickland Robert M. Jr. and Donna C. Stuart Dr. Marvin Stuckey Richard M. Sturlese Dr. James M. Syler Jr. Byrum W. Teekell James Theus John and Elizabeth Thomas Suzan Tillotson Dr. and Mrs. Ken Tipton Kenneth W. Tipton Jr. Roland M. and Kay Toups Mrs. Sue Turner Thomas H. Turner Michael Vandenbold Cyril and Tutta S. Vetter Donald J. Waguespack Milford Wampold III Burton Jr. and Sue W. Weaver Robert D. Jr. and Claire Webb Charles S. III and Laura J. Weems Anthony J. and Jeanne Dupré Weido Felix R. and Lynn Weill Don and Mary Alice Welge Van and Gail Whitfield Charles S. Williams Dr. W. Daniel and Mrs. Kay Harrison Williamson John M. and Edie Wilson Rick and Holly Wolfert Thomas W. and Cynthia Wood Russell and Cynthia Woodard Thomas and Loretta Lowrey Woodward William H. Wright Jr. J. Lanier Yeates Thomas and Juliet Youngblood Donald J. Zadeck Associate Members Dr. Jerry Baudin Lee and Cindy Bloch John M. Budd Brent and Katherine Kennedy Burlette Rhett and Jennifer Butler Gary Byerly and Maud Walsh Bunnie Cannon Kevin Carman and Susan Welsh Frank Cartledge Dr. Vince D. Cataldo Joey A. Chaney Ron Paul Cheramie Dr. W. David Constant

Dr. Paul Coreil Jeff and Sara Crow Christian D’Elia Karen A. Deville Cary and Nancy C. Dougherty Gina M. Dugas Don L. Eisenberg Patti and Jerry Exner Gwen Fairchild Gaines Foster Edmund J. Giering IV John W. Grubb Amanda Haralson and Thomas Livesay Andrew T. Harrison Frank W. Harrison IV Eli Jones Laurence D. Kaptain Kurt and Debra Keppler Kenneth L. and Judy Koonce Rick and Valerie Koubek Robert Kuhn Dr. Robert and Mindy Landry Ann Marie Marmande Jordan Marye Jarrod and Emily McGehee John and Jennifer McGehee Jeffery and Leah McLain Benjamin D. “Dal” Miller III Mrs. Germaine Miller Randy and Mary Miller Wayne and Brenda Miller John and Laura Moffitt George T. Moss Elisabeth O’Beirne Mrs. A.J.M. “Lena Mae” Oustalet Jr. John D. Jr. and Allyson B. Pellegrin Mrs. Donald Peltier Pamela M. and Jay L. Perkins Thomas “Quinn” Rainwater Lee Rayner William B. Richardson Michael D. Robinson Theresa Russo William L. Silvia Jr. Jeremy and Kate Spikes Beverly Brooks Thompson Kevin P. and Donna K. Torres Rita and H.J. “Jesse” Walker Jack Weiss Chuck Wilson Margaret C. Womack Hart Harris and Shelley Favre Zeringue

K.C. Toups Memorial Scholarship

Dr. K.C. Toups and his dog, Ace

On January 20, 2011, Dr. Kristofor “K.C.” Toups was transporting animals from one practice to another when he was involved in a fatal automobile accident near Raceland, La. Soon after, his family, friends, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine classmates and hometown of Thibodaux, La., came together to establish a scholarship in his name.

Deborah Toups, K.C.’s mother, explained, “Our family decided to honor K.C. with a scholarship because we wanted something that would last forever, so our goal was to create an endowment.”

She noted that K.C. had been very concerned about the cost of attending veterinary school. As such, his family felt that supporting future veterinarians through a scholarship for farm animal students would honor K.C. by defraying recipients’ costs related to pursuing externships.

The first K.C. Toups Memorial Scholarship recipient was named in April 2011, shortly after K.C.’s friends and family and Hope for Animals, a no kill animal shelter, co-hosted the Kause for Critters 5K run/walk and dog walk in Thibodaux. The fund received another sizeable boost that summer when Triple P Farms hosted an auction at the Lafourche Parish Cattleman’s Association, yielding $20,000 in support and bringing the funds raised to the $40,000 needed for an endowed scholarship.

Proceeds from Kause for Critters, now an annual event, are split between the scholarship fund and Hope for Animals. In conjunction with the race, Deborah coordinated the addition of a silent auction to specifically benefit the scholarship fund. This continuing support for the fund will help to ensure that the K.C. Toups Memorial Scholarship can be awarded for years to come.

“We have been truly blessed with family and friends that have supported us in our efforts to honor K.C.,” Deborah shared, adding, “It is truly a tribute to the wonderful veterinarian and person he was.” www.vetmed.lsu.edu

Ronald J. Siebeling Memorial Fund

Former students, colleagues and other friends of the late LSU professor Ronald Siebeling have contributed more than $40,000 to support initiatives that reflect his contributions as an educator, research scholar and mentor.

Siebeling joined the LSU faculty in 1966 as a professor of immunology and pathogenic microbiology. During his career, he served as a major professor for 26 master’s and 17 doctoral students and guided countless students in gaining admission to medical school. The college awarded Siebeling its Outstanding Undergraduate Professor Award in 1990. His classrooms were often packed with students drawn by the clarity, precision and insightfulness of his lectures.

As a researcher, Siebeling was active in addressing regional pathogenic issues. He worked closely with the Louisiana Turtle Farmers Association for more than 25 years to develop a method (now known as “the Siebeling method”) to eradicate Salmonella in hatchling pet turtles. Concurrently, he developed a research program to examine the classification of a bacterial genus that can cause cholera, leading to related studies.

A master mentor, Siebeling was often seen loading students and faculty members into a 12-passenger van to transport them to various national meetings, where they could present before their colleagues and have the interaction and exposure they needed to be superior scholars. www.science.lsu.edu

Professor Ronald Siebeling, PhD

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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Professor Philip Hackney, Ed Waters and Kelly Burris in the chancellor’s conference room at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center

Legal Legacy

Twenty years ago, Rusty Stutes entered the doors

of the LSU Law Center eager to become a lawyer. His interest in tax law led him to Professor Susan Kalinka, a beloved tax law professor. Stutes eagerly pursued every tax class she offered, and Kalinka encouraged him to earn a Master of Laws (LL.M), which was an uncommon endeavor at the time.

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In the late 1990s, Philip Hackney, like Stutes, took as many of Kalinka’s tax classes as he could. After Kalinka passed away in 2009, Hackney’s alma mater approached him about filling her position. Last summer, Hackney and his family moved from Washington, D.C., back to his hometown of Baton Rouge so he could join the LSU Law faculty as an assistant professor.

Hackney now coaches the LSU Law tax moot court team that Kalinka started—and which was recently named the Susan C. Kalinka/Russell J. Stutes, Jr. Tax Moot Court Team because of a gift made by Rusty and his wife, Debbie.

The Stutes family established an endowed fund to offset student travel and operational expenses related to the tax moot court team’s competitions. Theirs is the first gift made to name a moot court team at LSU Law.

Rusty also supports LSU Law through its annual fund; his support is acknowledged through his membership in the Chancellor’s Council. Rusty shares that LSU Law more than prepared him to be successful in pursuing an LL.M. at University of Florida (from which he graduated second in his class) and in his career.

“Susan is the reason I’m here. She was always encouraging me to go teach. She was a cheerleader for pretty much everyone.” ­— ­Professor Philip Hackney

“That was the best investment I ever made in my life,” Rusty says of attending LSU Law.

Like Rusty, Kalinka/Stutes Tax Team students Ed Waters and Kelly Burris were drawn by LSU Law’s strong reputation and affordability, which Burris calls “the perfect combination.” Those qualities and the friendliness of the faculty and staff led the students to leave their hometowns of Cincinnati and Portland, Ore., respectively, to attend LSU Law. The students now carry on Kalinka’s legacy through their participation in moot court.

Rusty was chairman of the moot court program during his third year of law school and says Kalinka was “on the ground floor” of starting the program and expanding LSU Law students’ exposure to tax law.

“She was one of the masters around here who you still hear talked about,” says Waters.

“All of her encouragement bore fruit for me because I wound up establishing a successful business,” explains Rusty, who is managing partner of the firm Stutes & Lavergne in Lake Charles, La., and has argued hundreds of tax trials and motions.

Hackney, too, credits Kalinka with having a major role in his professional success.

“Susan is the reason I’m here,” he says. “She was always encouraging me to go teach. She was a cheerleader for pretty much everyone.”

Stutes echoes Hackney’s assessment, recalling, “Her enthusiasm was pretty infectious.”

“I think it’s very appropriate that her name be attached to this team,” Waters shares. “It’s a tremendous honor.”

In February, Waters, Burris and classmate Rebecca Luster competed in the 2012 National Taxation Moot Court Competition in Clearwater, Fla., ultimately placing as second runner-up. It was the culmination of a few months of intense work under the guidance of coaches Hackney, Professor Elizabeth Carter and Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, former LSU Law vice chancellor and new dean of Stetson University College of Law.

Burris says of her feelings before joining the Kalinka/ Stutes Tax Team, “I want to be a trial attorney, and I knew I had to get over public speaking. I was terrified.”

That fear is now gone. Waters says the necessary focus on style and substance overrides any concerns students might have about public speaking.

Rusty Stutes

“[Moot court] teaches you how to argue law and sound like a lawyer,” Waters says.

Hackney remarks, “That ability to communicate well is their craft.”

Hackney likens the value of the moot court experience to his personal experience coaching youth soccer, explaining, “I can put them through drills, but until you actually put them into a game situation, they don’t learn the game.”

Moot court, coupled with his coursework in tax law, has strengthened Waters’ interest in tax and insurance. He will intern with the Louisiana Department of Revenue and is considering earning an LL.M. Burris, whose parents are criminal attorneys, has for a long time planned to pursue criminal law and is considering a focus in criminal tax law.

Burrus says alumni support of current students through gifts like the Stutes family’s exemplifies the strong sense of community at LSU Law.

“It just further demonstrates how great this school is,” she asserts. “That speaks volumes in and of itself.”

For Rusty, giving back to LSU Law through the Kalinka/ Stutes Tax Team is the ideal tribute to his profession, his law school experience, and a favorite professor.

“It makes so much sense when you think of Susan …

This was incredibly generous of Rusty,” says Hackney. www.law.lsu.edu

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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2011 LSU Tiger Band drum major Chase Howard • The LSU Tiger Band performs for fans at the 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship game in New Orleans.

Banding Together for Scholarships

When Tigerama took over the Pete Maravich Assembly Center last October, Joe Donegan and Chase Howard were among the performers who benefit from the very scholarship fund that concert proceeds support.

Donegan, a freshman in trumpet, has a four-year scholarship. Having exhausted his four-year tuition waiver, Howard received a stipend toward his second bachelor’s degree, in music performance.

“One of my highlights was meeting the donors,” Howard says of the event reception and the pre-concert auction, during which his Tiger Band drum major hat, conducting gloves and mace were up for bid.

For Donegan, the experience was one of many in his freshman year that took his breath away.

“Going from high school, the

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transition was ridiculous!” he exclaims of regularly performing in front of large crowds with the LSU Tiger Band.

One such crowd was that of Tigerama, an annual concert that benefits the School of Music Scholarship Fund. The dollars are critical for attracting outstanding musicians like Donegan and Howard.

Donegan, the only first-year student chosen for the trumpet studio last year, shares, “I wouldn’t be able to go here if it wasn’t for that. I wouldn’t be able to afford it.”

“LSU is one of the best in the country,” he says of his decision to move from northern Virginia to Baton Rouge to attend LSU.

Howard, too, says scholarships played a big role in his decision to attend LSU. The Dallas area native graduated in the top 10 percent of his

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

class, granting him acceptance into Texas public universities. But when a teacher asked him if he was familiar with LSU and mentioned that the band director was in town, Howard expressed interest.

“I said I knew it was in New Orleans, the capital city,” he laughs.

Despite his lack of knowledge about LSU, once Howard met former Director of Bands Frank Wickes, his decision was made.

“I talked to him for two seconds and was sold,” Howard recalls.

Now, he hopes his future career as a high school band teacher will happen in his new home state.

Howard shares, “I really want to stay in Louisiana. It becomes part of your blood.” www.lsutigerama.com www.cmda.lsu.edu

Putting School to Work

Tammy Millican in Virginia’s Courtyard at the new Business Education Complex

Filling the Gap

Janice Reuther, a 1993 alumna of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, remembers the big financial commitment of attending college.

“I know how I felt when I was younger,” she said of being a student who did not qualify for need-based aid.

In an effort to assist what she calls “the lost group right in the middle,”

Tammy Millican just happened to find out about LSU’s tuition reimbursement program for employees after she joined the Office of Facility Services in 1997. By the next fall, she was enrolled as a student in the Manship School of Mass Communication, concentrating in public relations. Two classes at a time, three semesters a year, Millican earned her undergraduate degree (and a 3.9 GPA) while working full time and raising five children.

She shared, “I would not have been able to do it without my husband.”

In 2007, LSU Staff Senate selected Millican to receive a Staff Senate Scholarship. The $500 cash award is funded by donations from LSU staff members who want to support their peers pursuing degrees.

“That was a big deal to me for books,” she recalled.

Millican graduated in 2008 but soon missed school. She started working on a Master of Public Administration in 2010 and graduated in May. Also in 2010, Millican became Facility Services’ first communications manager and was able to put her newly earned degree to work by building a communications program for the office.

“I believe in our mission and Facility Services,” she said of her passion for LSU and the role that Facility Services plays on campus, from building design to landscaping and a range of services in between.

That passion extends beyond the walls of Millican’s office. In addition to organizing blood drives sponsored by Facility Services, Millican volunteers for campus programs like Roaring into the Halls, a move-in event for students, and Holiday on Campus. She was selected to participate in LEAD … Emerge, a semester-long professional development program that nurtures future university leaders. And she is a senator on LSU Staff Senate—through which she now donates to the same scholarship fund that gave her a lift a few years ago. www.lsu.edu/staffsenate

Janice and her husband, John, have made a planned gift to establish the Janice Whitaker Reuther Scholarship in the E. J. Ourso College of Business.

The endowed scholarship will support students who need financial help but do not qualify as high need.

“This particular income bracket we’re targeting represents where John and I were and where a lot of our friends were,” Janice explained.

Though the Reuthers have moved throughout John’s career as a pilot, their roots remain in Louisiana. Janice earned an MBA from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and feels

strongly about supporting the U.S. in being internationally competitive in the business world. John is not an LSU alumnus, but giving to the university is a natural fit for the couple because the rest of his family attended LSU. They see their endowed gift as a way to ensure their legacy lives on.

Janice said, “LSU is so important to the Reuthers. We can continue to be part of that great school.”

The Reuthers have also made a planned gift to support the aviation program at Louisiana Tech University, John’s alma mater. www.business.lsu.edu

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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Above: Touring Pérouges • Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Lyon, France • Exploring the historic village of Pérouges, near Lyon • Tour of the Rhodia plant • Burt and Norma McNeil in The Edwin “Burt” & Norma S. McNeil Radio Frequency (RF)/Communication Laboratory at LSU

Geauxing Global

Eleven College of Engineering students started spring break with a pre-dawn wake-up call. They had to get to the airport to begin a trek that would take them to Lyon, France, by way of flights through Houston, New Jersey and Geneva, Switzerland, and, finally, a picturesque train ride.

The 10-day immersion trip was the first such experience hosted through the college’s Global Engineering Initiative.

Every detail was carefully planned to maximize the students’ exposure to the engineering industry, culture and higher education community of Lyon. A second trip, to Italy with 12 students, took place in May.

The 11 mechanical and industrial engineering students chosen to attend the Lyon trip were among 25 who applied.

To earn a spot, each student submitted an essay on his or her career goals and expectations for the experience.

Helping to defray students’ travel costs was a portion of Edwin “Burt” and Norma McNeil’s gift to the college’s Global Engineering Initiative. The idea for the initiative emerged from a growing need to prepare engineering students to excel

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Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

and compete in a global economy. That need was echoed by the senior engineers on the college’s Advisory Council on Engineering Communications.

“They strongly advised that we start giving students a broader perspective on engineering and its application in places other than the U.S.,” explains Warren Hull, manager of the Engineering Communications Studio and director of the Global Engineering Initiative.

Burt, an LSU electrical engineering alumnus, traveled as a project manager with ExxonMobil and on vacation with Norma. Those experiences, coupled with Dean Rick Koubek’s conversation with him about the new Global Engineering Initiative, sparked his interest.

Burt contends, “We can’t just say the way we do things is the way everyone else does things. That would be the wrong approach.”

That understanding is a key takeaway that many of the students expressed during a recent dinner with the McNeils.

“Going out of the country really helps to open up your

mind … We can get so close-minded in the way we do things,” says Kevin Louth.

Louth and his peers spent two days at Lyon Polytech, where they sat in on solid mechanics and fluid dynamics classes and helped students practice speaking English.

The group’s tour of the Rhodia plant, which produces sucrose, provided a firsthand look at French business and production processes. During the tour, they met an engineer who is originally from Germany and the plant manager, who is from France but worked in Baton Rouge for a few years.

“It’s an increasingly international world across the board,” says trip chaperone and Department of Mechanical Engineering Chair Dimitris Nikitopoulos, PhD.

The students rounded out their trip by exploring the medieval village of Pérouges, where many buildings exemplify how to successfully address engineering challenges.

In describing the trip to the McNeils, Shane Moore shared, “Honestly, it was the best experience of my life.”

Moore, like many of the students who participated, plans to return to Europe.

Louth bought a camera right before the trip and put it to use taking more than 2,000 photos.

“I wanted to remember everything we did,” he said.

Far more than just a sightseeing venture, Louth sees the experience as lending credibility to his future efforts to compete for international work experience.

He explains, “I can say, ‘I’ve been to France. I’ve worked

with French engineers before.’”

Gerry Knapp, the only freshman on the trip, feels similarly encouraged about the possibility of interning overseas.

“It definitely seems a lot more possible to do it now,” he says of his plans for future travel.

As is the case at most universities, LSU’s engineering curricula are packed with courses and accreditation-driven initiatives, leaving little room for expansion. Through the Global Engineering Initiative, all students will have options to achieve varying levels of global competence so they can interact, communicate and work effectively with people and companies worldwide.

Included in the initiative are global case studies; faculty development workshops on integrating global competencies; a course on contemporary issues in global engineering; global immersion and study abroad trips; international internships; and panels composed of industry experts with international experience. These programs will prepare students for the global marketplace.

“They might be here in Baton Rouge, but their projects might be anywhere in the world,” Hull says.

For Burt, acknowledging that shift in the industry and investing in the students who will be most impacted by it is an obvious fit for him and Norma.

He says of today’s LSU Engineering students, “That’s our future.” www.eng.lsu.edu Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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Gulf South Rotating Machinery Symposium

Fifth- and sixth-grade students build the strongest, longest bridge possible and take apart appliances to see how they work during LSU Continuing Education’s summer 2011 Junior Njneer course, part of the Tiger Challenge program.

LSU100

The Gulf South Rotating Machinery Symposium (GSRMS) celebrated its 30th anniversary in March, marking three decades of not just its annual conference, but also of supporting youth programs at LSU. LSU Continuing Education has been the symposium’s contracted coordinator since the inception of the multi-day educational event, which brings together oil and gas industry professionals who are dedicated to educating and improving the compression and rotating machinery industry.

Over the past three decades, GSRMS has contributed a half million dollars to Continuing Education to support its youth programs. Through such initiatives as Tiger Challenge (for students entering pre-K through eighth grade) and Tiger U (for students entering grades 9-12), youth visit LSU to take noncredit courses ranging in focus from math, reading, writing and social studies to film making, entrepreneurship, environmental science, and video game design. www.outreach.lsu.edu

In March, the LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute hosted the second annual LSU100: Fastest Growing Tiger Businesses. Homeland HealthCare of Allen, Texas, earned the No. 1 spot among the 2012 LSU100 honorees.

The LSU100 is a highly competitive annual event that celebrates the success of former LSU students; recognizes the impact of LSU on the local, regional and national economies; and provides a forum for honorees to pass lessons learned to current LSU students. Nominations for the 2013 LSU100 class open July 15. www.lsu100.com

Shell Tutorial Center Shell Oil Corporation has committed to giving $300,000 to the Center for Academic Success in support of the newly named Shell Tutorial Center. The multidisciplinary tutorial center, in LSU’s Middleton Library, hosts an estimated 25,000 student visits each year. Tutors are College Reading and Learning Association certified, trained to use the most up-to-date, research-based techniques to heavily emphasize critical thinking principles and concepts. www.cas.lsu.edu Students study in the Shell Tutorial Center.

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Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry

When Tiger fans witness the naming of the Homecoming queen and king each fall, the sparkle of the royal crown and scepter they see is compliments of Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry. The company partners with the Division of Student Life & Enrollment to provide the items, as well as special gifts for the king, queen and entire court. It is one of many ways Lee Michaels has supported the LSU community over the past three decades.

Corporate Gifts and Special Events Director Lindsay Chustz said of the partnership, “A lot of our customers and employees are LSU graduates, and we want to support them.”

In addition to its in-kind support of LSU Homecoming through the Division of Student Life & Enrollment, Lee Michaels is a donor to the E. J. Ourso College of Business’ new Business Education Complex and has given to the LSU Museum of Art, the Manship School of Mass Communication and the College

2011 LSU Homecoming Queen Mo Isom and King Zachary Corbin, with the crown and scepter and special king and queen gifts donated by Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry

of Humanities & Social Sciences.

Chustz shared that Lee Berg, the company’s founder, is committed to supporting the city where his business started, and that LSU is one such key partner in that commitment. A core value of Lee Michaels is to be a good

corporate citizen in the cities in which the company does business. Chustz and Lee Michaels’ other employees see this approach as an expression of gratitude to the communities that have made Lee Michaels successful. www.lsu.edu/homecoming

Liskow & Lewis

The Liskow & Lewis law firm, with offices in New Orleans, Lafayette and Houston, has pledged $200,000 to establish the Liskow & Lewis Visiting Professorship in Energy Law at the LSU Law Center. The professorship, as an endowed gift, will provide funds to bring distinguished scholars in energy law and closely related fields to campus on an annual basis as part of LSU Law’s expanded program in 21st century energy law. The multidisciplinary energy program will help to prepare lawyers for the complex and highly specialized practice of energy law.

“Liskow & Lewis was a natural partner to support our energy law initiative,” said Chancellor Jack Weiss. “They are an established leader in energy law, serving as counsel to many significant clients in the energy field, and many of Liskow & Lewis’ more than 100 attorneys are graduates of LSU Law.”

“Liskow & Lewis and the Law Center have had a strong relationship for over 60 years,” said Keith Jarrett, president and managing partner. “Our firm has continually looked to LSU for top graduates to join us, and has lent support to the school and the student body over the years through scholarships, professorships, and other gifts. As a law firm that prides itself on being in the forefront of Louisiana energy law, backing the new Energy Law Center was a natural fit

for us. With this sponsorship, Liskow & Lewis is proud to support continued scholarship and excellence in energy law in our state.”

Plans are to have the visiting professor engaged with students in the classroom and during both formal lectures and informal gatherings. The legal community and energyrelated organizations will be invited to participate in a variety of activities, as well.

Liskow & Lewis, founded more than 70 years ago, is a recognized leader in all aspects of energy and natural resource law and has an outstanding national reputation for its depth and experience in energy litigation and arbitration.

Its attorneys achieve in disciplines beyond their deep energy reserves, providing comprehensive client representation in litigation and transactional matters across a wide range of business matters.

A long-standing partner with LSU Law, Liskow and Lewis previously established the Liskow and Lewis Professorship of Law and the Liskow and Lewis Scholarship Fund, which provides assistance to as many as five law students annually. The firm also participated in giving to the Law Center’s Chancellor’s Excellence Fund, and its attorneys participate in the Annual Fund. www.law.lsu.edu Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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LSU's Fellowship for the Future

Many people do not use all of their retirement assets but are unaware that such assets left to individuals may be taxed 50 to 60 percent. Charitable organizations, including the LSU Foundation, are not taxed on gifts of retirement assets. Your support through naming the LSU Foundation as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan can make a lasting impact at LSU, continuing your legacy of support well beyond life.

Gifts

of

Retirement Assets

Retirement assets that are bequeathed to individuals may be taxed 50 to 60 percent.

Gifts of retirement assets made to the LSU Foundation are not taxed, and the estate may benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction.

Membership in the 1860 Society is awarded to anyone who submits documentation—through a letter of intent or a copy of the relevant portion of one’s will—naming the LSU Foundation as a beneficiary of his or her estate. Estate gifts can include trusts, insurance policies, retirement plans and annuities, among other options. www.lsufoundation.org/plannedgiving

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Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

Please email jhenslee@lsufoundation.org if you would like to receive a periodic, free electronic newsletter about charitable giving, estate planning, and related news from Washington, D.C.

LSU's Fellowship for the Future

A Passion for Horticulture Louise Patricia Deegan of Pineville, La., passed away in May 2011. A nationally accredited flower show judge and master flower-arranging instructor in the Ikenobo School of Ikebana International, she exhibited flower designs both locally and nationally— at the New Orleans Museum of Art and the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Following, Jim Deegan shares why his mother’s bequest to support horticultural research at the LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center is a fitting celebration of her life.

My mother, Patricia Deegan, spent the better part of 98 years as a landscape designer, gardener, flower show judge and club leader. She believed that by supporting horticultural research, her life would inspire others. She also hoped that Louisiana would become the “green standard” for its agricultural productivity and eco-friendly quality of life.

One of her favorite organizations was the Louisiana Society for Horticultural Research. Each year, she would eagerly wait in line to pick up new plant releases at the Ira Nelson Horticultural Center in Lafayette. After they were planted and a year had passed, she'd evaluate their performance and report her findings to staff at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

She appreciated this hands-on collabora-

Photos taken at the LSU AgCenter’s Burden Center in spring 2012

tion between the gardening community and horticultural researchers.

She also valued the opportunity to study landscape design at Northwestern University. In planning a home landscape, she preferred the naturalistic over the formal. Perhaps she was influenced by the Japanese concept of “borrowed landscape,” which looks outside the lot's boundaries for trees and open spaces that create more interest.

My mother was an instructor in the Ikenobo Ikebana school of flower arranging. Therefore, she loved and judged Louisiana irises, not to mention camellias, daylilies, roses, magnolias and aspidistra.

Another lifelong interest of hers was bonsai.

She was a close friend of Felton Jones, to whom the North Carolina Arboretum's Bonsai Exhibition is dedicated.

Patricia Deegan gave so much in her lifetime to so many that her gift to support horticultural research at the LSU AgCenter will truly honor her memory. www.LSUAgCenter.com/BurdenCenter

Give Us a Chance to Say Thank You!

Several years ago, an LSU alumnus living in California generously bequeathed a multi-million dollar gift to the LSU Foundation to support the College of Art & Design and establish a research endowment for environmental teaching. Unfortunately, because we did not know about his legacy gift until after he passed away, we were unable to thank him or learn about his experience at LSU.

If you have included the LSU Foundation in your will, we hope you will allow us the opportunity to personally thank you and share with you the benefits of your (automatic) membership in the 1860 Society.

We understand that you may not wish to be acknowledged publicly. Even if that is the case, we would appreciate the opportunity to thank you for your generosity and hear about your connection to LSU. We can also help you ensure that your gift will be directed in the way you intend by providing guidance related to bequest language. It is important to us that your wishes are honored.

Gwen Fairchild, Director of Planned Giving gfairchild@lsufoundation.org | 225-615-8915 Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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LSU's Fellowship for the Future

Continuing His Work The late Raymond “Rod” Rodriguez skipped his 1952 commencement ceremony at LSU— he was too excited to begin working full time to attend. Rodriguez had just accepted a job with Chevron, where he would ultimately build his career and remain working until his retirement decades later.

Rod often commented to his wife, Eva, that his A rendering of the Donald W. and Gayle A. Keller Well Facility Classroom degree from the College of Engineering provided the foundation he needed to be successful as a petroleum engineer. That lifelong respect for LSU is what led Eva, who is not an LSU graduate, to carry on his legacy by giving to the Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering. She has given $500,000 in support to the college’s renowned Well Facility through a donation to the Donald W. and Gayle A. Keller Well Facility Classroom and an endowed, planned gift that will provide perpetual funding to the facility.

The Eva Dee and Raymond “Rod” Rodriguez Well Support Fund will establish an endowed fund to support the only full-scale well control research and training facility in North America. Eva’s forward-thinking gift celebrates Rod’s career in petroleum engineering in a way that affords that same success to future petroleum engineers. www.eng.lsu.edu The 1860 Society began in 1993. In the following membership list, boldface denotes charter members; (d.) denotes deceased members.

Dr. Hal Aaslestad Robert and Claudia Adley Mark K. Anderson Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite George M. Armstrong (d.)

Patricia W. Armstrong Paul Arst Ellen Arst (d.)

Mr. William T. Arterburn Fred and Jan Atchity Anna Marie Baer (d.)

Mr. William B. Baggett Sr. William and Frances Beck, PhD Dr. Bonnie D. Belleau Thomas and Gaye Bennett Patricia K. Benoit Scott M. and Ruth Bergeron James M. Bernhard Jr. Juanita M. Berryman (d.)

Mr. George C. and Mrs. Merritt Betts (d.)

Jamie Blair Bice Dale and Barbara Biggs Ruth Anne Bindursky Dr. Charles (d.) and Mrs. Bess K. Black Lee and Cindy Bloch Sybil F. Boizelle

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Dr. Roselyn B. Boneno Robert J. Boyle William J. and Karen G. Brack Lynnwood J. Brassett, MD (d.)

Joanne B. Brassett John C. Burch Mrs. Jean P. Burt (d.)

John R. and Suetta Busenlener Susan Marshall Buzick Claire L. Cagnolatti Carol Calkins Kathryn P. Callahan (d.)

William and Ann Callegari Mr. Earnest Dare Campbell Mrs. Earnest Dare Campbell (d.)

Cathy H. Caplan, PhD Jeffrey K. and Wendy W. Carbo William G. Castle Jr. (d.)

Mrs. William G. Castle Dr. Doyle Chambers (d.)

Don M. and Jan S. Chance Ms. Kelly Cherry Mr. David E. Chozen (d.)

Suzanne and Doug Christensen Alma Beth Clark Mr. Marvin R. Clemons (d.)

Allen E. Cohen

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

Max Z. Conrad Lodwrick M. Cook Kenneth C. and Carolyn G. Corkum Mr. John L. Creed Mrs. John L. Creed (d.)

Mr. R. Gale Creed Allen Crow Kurt and Gene Anne Culbertson Louis D. Curet Howard and Jaie Daigle Mr. George A. Daniels (d.)

Andrea M. Daugherty (d.)

Mrs. Susan H. Dawson Mr. Donald C. Delaune (d.)

Elaine Delaune (d.)

Mona and Dave J. DeFelice Jr. Mr. Allyn C. Donaldson Jr. (d.)

William C. Duffy Jr. Donna Atwood Duffy Gwendolyn G. Dugas Mr. John W. Dupuy Christopher and Eva Dyba Mrs. Mary Frey Eaton Clarence and Rosa Lee Eidt Jay Ervin Farrar Robert Wickliffe Fenet Natalie Fielding

Diane J. Finley, MD Albert “Joey” Folse Jr. Judith Anne Garretson Folse Mrs. Eunice M. Fontenot (d.)

Gerald and Teri Fontenot Dr. George M. Frame II Dr. Eileen M. Skelly Frame Mr. Mark P. Freeman Jr. (d.)

David H. Frid Dr. and Mrs. Dexter A. Gary Mrs. Virginia M. Gayle Mr. Lester C. Gerard (d.)

J.C. (Sonny) Gilbert Dr. Thomas Green (d.)

Mrs. Thomas Green Mr. and Mrs. G. Lee Griffin Mr. Michael G. Griffith Mr. Cesar A. Guerra Jr. Marshall W. Guidry Arthur and Judy Halbrook Regina and John M. Hamilton Mr. Stephen H. Harmon Jr. Margaret Womack Hart David and Nancy Harvey Robert H. Harvey (d.)

Mrs. Corinne P. Harvey Sherri Hayes Richard W. Hicks

LSU's Fellowship for the Future

A Gift for Future Generations

The late Lawrence B. Sandoz earned a juris doctorate from LSU in 1919, a path his son would follow 29 years later. Lawrence B. Sandoz Jr. was editor-in-chief of the Louisiana Law Review and graduated as the top student in his class. After serving honorably in the U.S. Army as a major on Gen. George Patton’s staff, he began a law career in Opelousas, La., that ultimately spanned 60 years.

In tribute to his profession and its roots at LSU Law, Lawrence and his wife, Romayne, chose to include LSU Law in their estate plans. The couple had been married 61 years when Lawrence passed away, in 2007. Romayne died last fall, leaving through the LSU Foundation a bequest to establish the Lawrence B. Sandoz, Jr. Endowed Professorship at LSU Law. The Sandozes provided for flexibility in directing these funds, allowing LSU Law to choose the area in which the professorship can be most helpful. www.law.lsu.edu Sarah Lou Hill Tom Hill Lucy L. Hilton Elizabeth R. Holloway Jane Honeycutt Ellen and Tommy Hontzas Mrs. Lillian Fitzgerald Klettke Hoover Mary Hutcheson (d.)

Dr. George and Mrs. Klileen Jones W. Griffin “Griff” and Barbara Jones Craig and Lisa Juengling Richard and Katherine Juneau Janice Jurisich and William Leo Bishop Michael A. Katchmer Donald W. and Gayle A. Keller Dr. James L. and Mrs. Aileen Kelly Neil and Arlene Kestner William and Constance Kidd Lucien Paul Laborde Sr. Mrs. Peggy Laborde Luke and Sonja Laborde Rene L. Latiolais Robert E. Leake Jr. Elena R. LeBlanc (d.)

Bradley A. Leger Ms. Ana A. Litvinoff Harry and Norma Longwell Dr. Alfredo and Maria Lopez Loy R. (Pug) and Jeannie Lorren Shirley M. Mackie

John Marshall (d.)

Carole Marshall Pamela A. Martin Shirley Mayhall Raymond and Opal McDuff (d.)

Mr. Larry McKee Mrs. Elena Mickelson Mr. Ben R. Miller Jr. Benjamin and Leslie Miller III Jimmy L. and Doris McVicker Miller Hank and Cheryl Miltenberger John Boyd Mitchell, PhD Cong. W. Henson and Carolyn

Moore Virginia L. Mouw Markwell and Paulette Nager Dick and Judy Najolia Philip J. Neck David and Terri Nelson Mrs. Eleanor P. Newman (d.)

Roger H. Ogden Lt. Col. Cary Frank Owen Daryl Ann Owens James H. Painter Mrs. Joye Lawrence Parker (d.)

Richard Peck Janice Pellar Dr. James R. and Ann Peltier Charles O. Peyton Cecil R. Phillips Edward B. Picou Jr. and Dan G. Armstrong

Romayne F. Sandoz

Lawre

nce B.

Douglas P. Reed Col. Keith Reeves Mike and Lea Ann Remondet Janice Whitaker Reuther and John Reuther James and Patti Richards Frederick “Rusty” Richardson William Richardson Percy E. “Rebel” Roberts May Rose Robertson (d.)

Dr. and Mrs. Robert A. Robicheaux Melissa Robinett, DVM, and David Robinett Linda J. Robinson Michael D. Robinson Winifred Robinson and James W. Robinson (d.)

Eva Richardson Rodriguez Dean Ron and Jane Ross James P. and Ginger Roy Thomas and Darlene Ryder John and Toni Sardisco Alton and Hillery Scavo Mila and George Houston Sexton III Judith Stoddard Sherman Dr. Chester P. Siess (d.)

Charles M. Smith, MD Glynn D. and Annie Bell Smith Gayle B. and John Rogers Smith Martha Taylor Smith Mrs. Eula T. Smith Mr. Wedon T. Smith (d.)

Sando z Jr.

Dr. Eugene C. St. Martin Mrs. Pauline Stanley (d.)

Mr. Tom Stephens Robert B. Stobaugh James and Nancy Moore Strenk Robert M. Stuart Dotty Stuart (d.)

Dr. Marvin E. Stuckey Mrs. Loretta C. Stuckey (d.)

Dean A. and Rosalind Sutherland Lemuel M. Thomas (d.)

Beverly Brooks Thompson Mrs. Leonard C. Tobin Deborah Dunlevy Todd Stephen and Beth Tope Florence Ann Trappey Leonel E. and Helen L. Tustison Gene F. Van Norman (d.)

Betty R. Van Norman Arlene Verzwyvelt Ford Mr. Wayne Vines Thomas A. and Virginia C. Waldrop Dr. Candace Warner Timothy and Nanci Weckwerth Mr. Harry J. Wilson Mary Jack Wintle William A. Womack Anne and Sit Wong J. Lanier and Marie Yeates Linda and Ron Young

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Enjoying the Suits and Sneakers benefit gala are Black Male Leadership Initiative Fellows Joshua and Joseph Hollins with Sevetri Wilson of the Tyrus Thomas Foundation and Marco Barker, PhD, of the Office for Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach

Getting Them in the Game

Guests donned formal wear and sneakers for a good cause last fall at the Suits and Sneakers benefit gala for the Tyrus Thomas Foundation (TTF) and the LSU Black Male Leadership Initiative (BMLI) Fellows Program. The fitting footwear was a nod to host Tyrus Thomas, an NBA Charlotte Bobcat and a former LSU basketball player.

Thomas started the foundation to cultivate and improve his hometown of Baton Rouge and adopted cities of Chicago and Charlotte, N.C., by enhancing these communities through development, supporting organizations with similar initiatives and goals, and implementing programs geared toward youth outreach.

The BMLI’s mission of improving the recruitment, retention, graduation and participation rates for black male students through mentoring, leadership development and academic support is a

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natural fit.

“I knew that I had to get Tyrus involved and that it would be through minority recruitment and retention programs that he could make the greatest impact for current and future minority students at LSU,” says TTF CEO and LSU alumna Sevetri Wilson, recalling her first experience with the BMLI.

BMLI Fellow Joshua Hollins says of the program, “Seeing each fellow grow in their different areas of study and extracurricular activities, all while sharing the commonality in experiences, struggles and growth is amazing.”

During the LSU Homecoming football game, Thomas, wife Jaime and Wilson presented $18,000 to the LSU Summers Scholars Program and the BMLI Fellows Program.

“In order to recruit and retain the best and brightest and to give opportunities to all minority students, we must

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

support programs like the Black Male Leadership Initiative and Summer Scholars at LSU,” Thomas contends.

Also during Homecoming Week, he attended the BMLI’s inaugural LSU Preview Day for black male students in grades 7-9. Thomas and Wilson led a lunch discussion during which Thomas urged students to gain as much information as possible and avoid negative influences.

“We must come together in unity and in partnership to ensure all students, regardless of economic background or any adverse upbringing, are given a true shot at this thing,” Thomas says of college. “These type of programs provide students with a first-hand look into LSU and give them more positive options for their future. I wish I had a chance to attend a similar program during my early teenage years.” www.lsu.edu/bmli

Hole in One for 170+

With each stroke of the club, participants in the 2012 LSU UREC Open Golf Tournament supported LSU University Recreation’s Development Fund, which provides financial assistance for more than 170 student employees to attend regional and national conferences and workshops, obtain advanced certifications and training, and receive scholarships.

Seniors Robert Bostick and Megan Williams have worked at UREC throughout college and were selected to attend the 2012 National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association Conference. The UREC Development Fund covered airfare, registration and hotel costs.

“Without the help, I wouldn’t have been able to go,” said Williams, who was able to network and interview for graduate assistantships, the first step in her long-term plan of working for the U.S. government.

Bostick, a human resource education major who plans to pursue a career in student affairs, enjoyed participating in the staff development sessions and sharing what he learned.

Like all UREC employees, Williams and Bostick have been able to attain free CPR and first aid training. UREC also paid for Williams to become a certified lifeguard and for Bostick to earn challenge course certification.

“It’s not just a student job,” Bostick said.

He and Williams serve on the UREC Employee Advisory Board, through which they have been actively involved in developing a multi-year plan for facilities improvements.

“I love what it’s taught me about myself and how much I love LSU as a university,” Williams shared. www.LSU.edu/UREC

The Art of Print

Ella Desmond with her award-winning work

Robert Bostick and Megan Williams in the UREC Student Recreation Center Climbing Gym

Ella Desmond, a senior in print making, recently had the opportunity to apply her talents to the publishing side of print: Desmond is the LSU Press prize winner and second place overall winner of ART UNBOUND: URBANATURE, a juried student art show held in February. Desmond’s work will be featured on the cover of an upcoming LSU Press catalog, an honor that is especially meaningful because of its direct relation to her work.

Participants were challenged to use books as the subject, medium or inspiration and apply the 2012 School of Art theme of “URBANATURE.” The competition, jointly hosted by LSU Press and the school, sought artwork focused on the interplay between the visual arts and literature within the setting of cityscapes and natural environments. Entrants were encouraged to interpret this statement with creativity, paying special attention to the LSU Press’ mission to disseminate knowledge and culture through books of the highest academic and cultural merit.

Desmond said of the opportunity to submit her work, “It’s phenomenally important to have professional experience.”

Winners received cash prizes that were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Galantucci and Donna and Rick Richard III.

“To win something was incredible validation of what I had been working on,” Desmond shared. www.lsupress.org www.design.lsu.edu Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

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Department of Finance Chair V. Carlos Slawson Jr. with LSU finance students

A Ticket to the Dance

Just a handful of years ago, LSU Foundation member Jordan Marye was an LSU undergraduate student eager to break into energy finance. He credits the personal guidance of his professors in the E. J. Ourso College of Business with allowing him to do so.

“They were very active in isolating promising students and helping them,” Marye explains. “They gave me a ticket to the dance, as my dad would say.”

After he graduated in 2003 and moved from his hometown of Baton Rouge to Houston, Marye knew he needed to help the next generation of finance alumni succeed.

“I’m just trying to help out,” he says of his continuing involvement at LSU. “Someone did that for me.”

After graduation, Marye worked as a consultant in the energy practice of Huron Consulting Group and an ana-

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lyst in the global energy group of UBS Investment Bank. Six years ago, he joined Denham Capital Management, an energy-focused private equity firm.

He is now a managing director.

Having personally experienced how competitive the job market in their field can be, Marye and many of his former classmates not only give back to their department as donors, but also lend their time to review students’ résumés, answer their questions about careers in finance, and help them network with peers in the industry.

“Someone has to coach them to understand what they are doing,” asserts Marye, who says that such coaching gives students a competitive edge when they are ready to enter the job market.

“LSU, specifically in the energy finance world, has a limited but strong representation of smart kids who are

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

all hustle,” he says.

Marye contends that LSU finance alumni tend to “outperform” in the workplace, but he says that one-onone guidance from faculty and alumni remains an essential starting point.

“The whole idea is preparation …

They just need to get clued in on the nuances,” he explains.

Cluing them in is a responsibility Marye takes seriously—in large part because of the difference that kind of involvement made in his own career.

“The real game changer was when those individuals stepped in and took an interest in me,” Marye says of his former professors, adding, “By people taking an interest in me, that’s where I went from a kid with a textbook to someone who could be a successful businessperson.” www.business.lsu.edu/finance

Alumni Support Diversity Initiatives

During Homecoming weekend last fall, alumni of the 2001 National PanHellenic Council pledge classes of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority visited their alma mater for multiple events celebrating “A Decade of Success.”

Co-chairpersons Tia Gipson of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and Steve Brockington Jr. of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity led the group of more than 100 alumni, who raised $5,130 in support of the newly rebuilt LSU African American Cultural Center and LSU’s Spring Fest, an annual minority recruitment and retention program.

Notable contributions included those from Ryan Clark of the Pittsburgh Steelers; Robert Royal, formerly

Chaunda Allen (second from left), director of LSU’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, and Dr. Katrice Albert (center), vice provost for Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach, with alumni of LSU’s 2001 National PanHellenic Council pledge classes

of the Cleveland Browns; and Mario Garner, EdD, former LSU Student Government vice president.

More than 5,000 students and alumni participated in the weekend, which included a welcome home and

networking social; the first annual NPHC tailgate, jointly hosted by LSU students; and a larger social that proved to be the cornerstone of the weekend’s fundraising efforts. www.lsu.edu/oma

Once a Scholar, Always a Scholar

The award-winning LSU Summer Scholars Program (SSP) brings highachieving minority students to LSU for eight weeks after high school graduation. Research shows that minority students who form a campus community are more successful academically than their peers who begin college without such support. Former LSU Summer Scholars are now successful educators, business owners, lawyers, athletes, volunteer activists, physicians, elected officials, and corporate executives.

During the SSP’s 20th reunion, 60 alumni, the Tyrus Thomas Foundation and other supporters contributed more than $15,000 toward University College’s $300,000 fundraising goal for the SSP. With private support, SSP can double in size while continuing to cover tuition, room, board and programming.

SSP alumna Danette Thiery said,

Danette Thiery, Chris Cropper and Alicia Gholar at the Summer Scholars Program Reunion

“It’s important to me to give because I know Summer Scholars really helped me to transition to the university.

I came from a moderate-sized high school, so it helped me to adjust to such a big campus, as well as to being a col-

lege student. After going through SSP, I felt like I had the upper hand compared to other freshmen, I knew how to handle a college course, and overall it prepared me for my time at LSU.” www.lsu.edu/ssp

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Mike VI Helps Kick Off ABC Challenge

Mike VI and Renee Michael, senior project manager with Blue Cross Blue Shield and new member of Pearls & Tigerpaws, a volunteer league for the LSU SVM

On March 3, the L Club at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center became a safari watering hole. Mike VI’s home is just a few steps away from the PMAC, making this the perfect site to toast the kickoff for the School of Veterinary Medicine’s "ABC Challenge."

Margaret Womack Hart and Bobby

Lewis, DVM (LSU SVM, 1977), are co-chairs of the ABC Challenge, so named for its aim of reaching “above and beyond capital.” Specifically, this two-year endeavor includes raising funds for a linear accelerator for cancer treatment, biomedical and infectious disease research, and enhancements to the SVM Companion Animal Clinic.

Chancellor Mike Martin and wife Jan joined members of the schoool’s Blue Ribbon Task Force and 80 donors to celebrate LSU SVM’s pride, history and mission. Diane Deaton of

WAFB-TV hosted the evening, which included a presentation by Dr. David Baker, LSU SVM professor and Mike’s veterinarian. Guests enjoyed a behindthe-scenes tour of Mike's habitat and private enclosure, complete with photos with Mike. Mike’s LSU SVM student caretakers were on hand to answer questions and provide facts about the tiger and his care.

The kickoff event was the first of many celebrations leading up to the school’s 40th anniversary in 2013. www.vetmed.lsu.edu

Empowering Louisiana Women

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2009, almost 60 percent of women in the U.S. were part of the labor force, and they represented 51 percent of people in management, professional and related occupations.

Yet, women earned 80 percent of the salaries of their male counterparts, across every industry and occupation.

Last October, the LSU Women’s Center hosted a statewide dialogue on

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strengthening women’s advancement opportunities. The Louisiana Women’s Summit was sponsored by LSU, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, and Entergy, as well as several other local businesses and nonprofits.

Recognized at the summit were the 2011 recipients of the Pathfinder Award: 16 women from throughout Louisiana—including LSU Foundation Board Member Laura Leach of Lake

Cornerstone | Summer and Fall 2012 | LSU Foundation

Charles—who demonstrate excellence in community engagement, business and leadership while creating new paths that promote the development and recognition of other women. Rolfe McCollister, president and founder of Louisiana Business Inc., was honored with the Men who Champion Women Award for his leadership in including women at all levels of his organization. www.lsu.edu/louisianawomenssummit

Beyond the Game

Current and former NFL and MLB players—including former Tigers— have a partner in the transition from the sports world to the business world thanks to LSU Executive Education’s Beyond the Game. The three-day programs are held annually, with a summer session for NFL athletes and a fall session for MLB athletes. Private donations defray the costs, limiting participants’ financial responsibility to just airfare.

Each session of Beyond the Game assists up to 15 athletes in developing a personal brand, building business knowledge, gaining access to expert business consulting, and creating a plan of action. The athletes participate in training and networking, as well as information seminars designed to develop their business acumen and prepare them for success off the field.

LSU Executive Education is part of the LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute. www.sei.lsu.edu

Leading Louisiana

In March, more than 350 high schoolers converged on the 4-H Camp facility in Pollock, La., for the 4-H Junior Leadership Conference. Each parish may send eight delegates to the annual event, which is for youth who are engaged in significant leadership or service-learning activities.

Youth conference participants do not just learn about leadership—they also practice it. Youth decide what is

Clockwise from top: Glyn Milburn and Vernon Fox • LSU Rucks Department of Management Instructor Kerry Sauley with NFL Beyond the Game participants • Michael Young

offered, preside over the sessions and teach the educational workshops. For the 2012 conference, participants chose from among several tracks, focused on the outdoors, teamwork, leadership, life skills, service-learning activities, and science, engineering and technology.

The 4-H Junior Leadership Conference is partially funded by private donations, which provide support for operational supplies and motivational speakers. www.lsuagcenter.com/4h

Participants of the 2012 4-H Junior Leadership Conference

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The LSU Foundation Laureate Society recognizes individuals, couples and organizations whose cumulative gifts to the LSU Foundation total $100,000 or more in support for LSU, the LSU AgCenter and the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Introduced in November 2006, Laureate Society levels were named for individuals whose contributions to LSU laid the groundwork for the university’s success today.

JOHN M. PARKER LAUREATE $10,000,000-$24,999,999 Gov. Parker, who served as governor of Louisiana from 1920-24, began the “Greater University” movement that led to the foundation of the present-day campus, including moving LSU from North Baton Rouge. He also passed a 2 percent severance tax to support education.

TROY H. MIDDLETON LAUREATE $1,000,000-4,999,999 As LSU president, Middleton helped restore LSU’s financial and academic reputation after a series of scandals in the 1930s. Boyd Professorships were created during his tenure. Despite a stellar military career, Middleton called his time at LSU his “most satisfying and rewarding.”

Baton Rouge Area Foundation Fund Donors ExxonMobil

AT&T Foundation Carol Albritton Biedenharn Mr. Charles L. Barney Burden Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Ronald C. Cambre ConocoPhillips Devon Energy Corporation The Dow Chemical Company Art E. Favre Jim and Cherie Flores Mrs. Alta V. Franks Freeport-McMoRan Foundation Friends of Rural Life Museum Alfred C. Glassell (d.)

Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation Billy Harrison III and Ann Harrison Mr. and Mrs. Anthony C. Leach Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Harry J. Longwell The Douglas Manship Family Marathon Oil Company Mr. and Mrs. Roy O. Martin III Mr. and Mrs. James E. Maurin Dr. James R. and Ann A. Peltier Dee Dee and Kevin P. Reilly Mr. and Mrs. William W. Rucks IV Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Schmitt Perry J. Segura Bingham C. Stewart (d.)

Mr. (d.) and Mrs. Patrick F. Taylor Mr.(d.) and Mrs. Bert S. Turner

T. HARRY WILLIAMS LAUREATE $5,000,000-$9,999,999 History professor Williams brought international attention to LSU academics when he won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for Huey Long.

Williams, a lecturer extraordinaire, served on the LSU faculty for 38 years.

BP America, Inc. Chevron Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation Schlumberger Shell Oil Company Emmet and Toni Stephenson

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STEELE BURDEN LAUREATE $500,000-$999,999 A master landscaper and arborist, Burden designed and facilitated much of Baton Rouge's green space. The LSU campus is a testament to his love for the land. Many of LSU's live oak and magnolia trees, valued at $50 million, were planted by Burden in the 1930s.

American Sugar Cane League Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite John W. Barton Sr. (d.)

BASF Corporation Campanile Charities Dr. and Mrs. Clarence P. Cazalot Jr. Contractors Educational Trust Fund Coypu Foundation E.I. DuPont denemours & Company Entergy Gardner Denver, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Edward G. Galante Adolphe G. Gueymard (d.)

Mark R. and Carolyn Campbell Guidry IBM International Foundation KPMG Foundation Carole and Charles W. Lamar III Mr. and Mrs. Ulyesses J. LeGrange Don and Pat Lyle Jerry McKernan (d.)

McMains Foundation Mr. Ronald E. and Dr. Mary E. Neal Mr. and Mrs. John B. Noland Roger H. Ogden Mr. Francis "Buzz" Raborn Mr. and Mrs. Oliver G. Richard III Nadine C. Russell Jane and Denny Shelton Taylor Porter Brooks & Phillips LLP Tidewater Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Rick Wolfert Milton Womack (d.) and Margaret Womack Hart Eric L. Abraham

R. OLIVIA DAVIS LAUREATE $250,000-$499,999 Davis, the first woman to receive a degree from LSU, earned a master’s degree in mathematics in 1905. The next year, 31 women enrolled.

Richard and Linda Sturlese Cyril and Tutta Vetter Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Walter Lantz Foundation Elton G. and Jo Ellen L. Yates

American Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (La. Division) Mary and Oscar Andras Mr. and Mrs. James J. Bailey III Mr. and Mrs. Byrd M. Ball George W. Barineau III A. K. and Shirley Barton Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Jeff H. Benhard Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation Clark and Laura (d.) Boyce Campus Federal Credit Union Julian R. (d.) and Sidney N. Carruth Dudley and Beverly Coates Mr. Lodwrick M. Cook Mrs. Lodwrick M. Cook (d.)

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Crosby III Julian A. (d.) and Doris Westmoreland Darden Deloitte Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Norman A. Deumite Jerry and Nancy Dumas Richard V. and Seola A. Edwards Clarence M. Eidt Jr. Ernst & Young Foundation Fluor Corporation Formosa Plastics Corporation Friends of the LSU Museum of Art Georgia Gulf Corporation Halliburton Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Harrison Jr. Cordell and Ava Haymon Daniel B. Heard Hollingsworth-Richards Auto Group Richard and Katherine Juneau Kean Miller Hawthorne D'Armond McCowan & Jarman, LLP Mr. and Mrs. Donald W. Keller Kip Knight Elena Rodgers LeBlanc (d.)

Donna Wright Lee Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Lipsey Liskow & Lewis Dr. and Mrs. Alfredo Lopez Louisiana Chemical Association Louisiana Public Facilities Authority Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center McDermott Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Edwin B. McNeil Mrs. A.J.M. "Bubba" Oustalet Jr. Mr. and Mrs. G. Allen Penniman Jr. Phelps Dunbar LLP Mr. and Mrs. D. Martin Phillips Pulte Homes Dr. Robert S. Reich (d.)

Mr. and Mrs. Otha Charles Roddey Scripps Howard Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Jerry E. Shea Jr. Dr. Charles M. Smith Joe D. Smith Jr. (d.)

Dr. and Mrs. William R. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Jeff N. Springmeyer

GEORGE MASON GRAHAM LAUREATE $100,000-$249,999 Often called the “Father of LSU,” Graham was the first chairman of the board of trustees of the fledgling Louisiana State Seminary of Learning, which became LSU. Jerry W. Affolter Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Alford Arkansas Veterinary Medical Foundation Ellen and Paul Arst A. Wilbert's Sons, L.L.C. John Q. Barnidge Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Barré Gray and Angelique Barrow Marian Wilfert Beauchamp Ram N. Bhatia Dianne and John B. Brock III Tom and Virginia Bromley The Brookhill Foundation Mr. Robert J. Bujol C.J. Brown/Latter & Blum Cajun Industries, LLC William A. and Ann R. Callegari Mrs. Jules A. Carville Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston Harman Chandler Cleco Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Stanley M. Cothren Sr. Cultural Services of the French Embassy Louis D. Curet George A. Daniels (d.)

Jacques and Paula de la Bretonne Delta Gamma Foundation Judge James L. Dennis Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc. Ernest R. and Iris M. Eldred ETEC - Ronnie Hebert, President Keith and Karen Evans Honorable and Mrs. Randy L. Ewing Charlene M. Favre Calvin C. Fayard Jr. Cynthia Felder Fayard William and René Firesheets II Brett and Renee Furr Mr. and Mrs. Roy D. Gerard Gerry Lane Enterprises Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. G. Lee Griffin Dr. Michael G. Griffith Mr. (d.) and Mrs. Frank R. Groves Jr. Pamela O'Niell Moore Hamel and George F. Hamel Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Holt B. Harrison Robert H. and Corinne P. Harvey Brian and Barbara Haymon Craig Hendrix Patricia C. Hewlett John A. Hollinshead Dr. Dominique G. Homberger The Hubert Charitable Foundation, Baton Rouge, LA Huie Dellmon Trust International Center for Journalists

Jones Walker Waechter Poitevent Carrere & Denegre Dr. Charles and Elise Kaufman George A. Khoury Jr. Kenneth (d.) and Louise Kinney Joseph A. Kleinpeter Kleinpeter Farms Dairy, LLC Koch Industries/Georgia Pacific Mr. and Mrs. John P. Laborde Lucien and Peggy Laborde David and Betty Laxton Louisiana Academy of Veterinary Practice, Inc. Louisiana Farm Bureau Foundation, Inc. Jonathan and Maggie Martin Dr. (d.) and Mrs. Calvin C. Mattax Mr. and Mrs. W. Shelby McKenzie Monsanto Company & Monsanto Fund The Mosaic Company Walter and Jennifer Morales Roger and Marcia Moser Sarah P. Munson Dr. and Mrs. Paul W. Murrill Nestle Purina Pet Care Mr. Eiad M. Odeh and Mrs. Mary E. Roper Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. O'Shields Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center William and Nancy Owens Dr. Ruth Martin Patrick Donald L. Peltier Sr. (d.)

M.R. Pittman Group, LLC PPG Industries Foundation William and Gail Pryor G. Frank Purvis Jr. Jennifer Eplett and Sean Reilly Michael D. Robinson Robinson Brothers Satake Corporation L. Cary Saurage II SCAVMA Pet Fare Schreier-Edisen Foundation Dr. and Mrs. William L. Senn Jr. John and Rose Ann Shelton Jr. Andrew J. Shoup Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Siess Jr. Janice C. Silver J. Noland Singletary Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Allen L. Smith Jr. South East Marketing Michael R. and Carol Todd Stamatedes State Farm Companies Foundation William and Connie Stone Carl J. Streva Mr. and Mrs. Martin Svendson Dr. Mehmet T. and Mrs. Karen N. Tümay Tyan Computer Corporation Mr. John G. Turner and Mr. Jerry G. Fischer Mrs. Alverdy Veron and J. Michael Veron Mr. and Mrs. Burton D. Weaver Jr. Dr. and Mrs. K. Mark Weaver Armour C. Winslow Gary R. Wooley Thomas and Juliet Youngblood Zen-Noh Grain Corporation Mr. and Mrs. Richard Zuschlag

This list includes only those Laureate Society members who have given the LSU Foundation permission to publicly acknowledge their inclusion in this society. (d.) denotes deceased members.

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Board of Directors OFFICERS Laura L. Dauzat • Marksville, La. Chairperson of the Board Gary L. Laborde • New Orleans, La. Chairperson-Elect of the Board G. Lee Griffin • Baton Rouge, La. President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffery McLain • Baton Rouge, La. Vice President for Development Gina Dugas • Baton Rouge, La. Chief Financial Officer William L. Silvia Jr. • Baton Rouge, La. Corporate Secretary George Moss • Baton Rouge, La. Chief Investment Officer

DIRECTORS Mark K. Anderson • Monroe, La. J. Herbert Boydstun • Baton Rouge, La. J. Terrell Brown • Baton Rouge, La. Clarence P. Cazalot Jr. • Houston, Texas Robert H. Crosby III • Mandeville, La. William T. Firesheets II • Baton Rouge, La. T. Cass Gaiennie • Shreveport, La. Frank W. “Billy” Harrison III • Houston, Texas Gene W. Lafitte • New Orleans, La. Charles A. Landry • Baton Rouge, La. Laura A. Leach • Lake Charles, La. David B. Means III • Mansfield, La. W. Henson Moore III • Baton Rouge, La. William B. Owens • Alexandria, La. James R. Peltier • Thibodaux, La. Sean E. Reilly • Baton Rouge, La. John F. Shackelford III • Bonita, La. Jeffrey N. Springmeyer • Houston, Texas Robert M. Stuart Jr. • Baton Rouge, La. Sue Turner • Baton Rouge, La. Burton D. Weaver • Flora, La. Felix Weill • Baton Rouge, La. J. Lanier Yeates • Houston, Texas

EX-OFFICIO William L. Jenkins Interim President, LSU System Michael V. Martin Chancellor, LSU William B. Richardson Chancellor, LSU AgCenter Jack Weiss Chancellor, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center

Gene W. Lafitte, Jackie Lafitte, Ann "Candy" Weiss and LSU Law Chancellor Jack M. Weiss

Passing the Torch

Gene Lafitte’s connection to the LSU Foundation is 40 years deep, starting with his decision to become a member in 1972. He did so at the urging of a colleague who was a charter member. Years later, another friend recruited Lafitte to serve on the Board of Directors, a post he accepted and has held since the late 1990s. Lafitte says he felt highly honored when he was approached to lead the Board. He became Board president in 2001, and he treasures the experience of his service.

“That job would always take whatever time you could give it,” he shares, adding, “We had a fine staff at that time, as we do now.”

Lafitte has found it uplifting to be part of the board, which he says is “composed of people who are extremely capable, fun to be with, and dedicated to the university.”

In addition to his connection as an alumnus of both LSU and the LSU Law Center, Lafitte’s service to the Foundation has been driven by his appreciation for his alma mater’s role in the state.

“LSU has provided leadership in industry because of its outstanding academic programs,” he says, noting the success of LSU alumni.

Through his work with the Foundation, Lafitte has developed an equally great appreciation for the importance of philanthropic support at LSU.

Lafitte asserts, “We need more money than we are going to get from other sources. As Louisiana’s flagship university, LSU gives the state an engine that it desperately needs.”

He views giving as a mutually beneficial experience for donors and LSU and hopes to see a broader, ever growing base of significant donors in the years ahead.

“My wish would be that many more of our alumni would step up to the plate,” Lafitte shares.

After years of support, Lafitte has decided to conclude his board service this December.

He says of his decision, “It’s time for someone else to enjoy it.”

Gene Lafitte is a 1950 graduate of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences and a 1952 graduate of the LSU Law Center. In 1954, he joined the firm of Liskow & Lewis. He founded the litigation department and served as the firm’s president and managing partner, then chairman; he retired in 1998 but continues to serve in an Of Counsel capacity.

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Celebrating

Ribbon Cuttings

Clockwise: Donors, students, faculty and staff with keynote speaker Steve Forbes at the March 2 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Business Education Complex • University Laboratory School’s new Pennington McKernan Gymnasium and Multipurpose Facility • At the April 26 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the College of Music & Dramatic Arts’ new Tiger Band Hall were, from left, Director of Athletic Bands Roy King, Development Director Steve Covington, LSU Chancellor Mike Martin, donor Sue Turner, Dean Laurence Kaptain and outgoing Tiger Band Drum Major Chase Howard • Chevron Portfolio Manager for University Affairs Bill Hunter, College of Science Dean Kevin Carman, LSU Chancellor Mike Martin, LSU alumna and new Chevron employee Jaime Glas, and College of Engineering Dean Rick Koubek in the Chevron Reservoir Characterization Lab

and Groundbreakings Right: LSU College of Engineering faculty and students with Donald and Gayle Keller, center, at the March 5 groundbreaking of the Donald W. and Gayle A. Keller Well Facility Classroom

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IMPACT FRIENDS “I give because I want the students who come after me to have the same exceptional and amazing experiences that I did. I was so lucky to have been given countless opportunities to grow and shine at LSU.” Lance Frank

2011 Manship School of Mass Communication Senior Gift CBS News, New York

GIVE TO www.lsufoundation.org

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