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header image for OAA newsletter: Provost Roy Haggerty speaking with Kirk Kallenberger, General Manager of the Shell Convent Refinery, during President Tate's Scholarship First Bus Tour. Logo for LSU Scholarship First with text "Office of Academic Affairs Newsletter, March 2023"Provost Roy Haggerty speaking with Kirk Kallenberger, General Manager of the Shell Convent Refinery, during President Tate's Scholarship First Bus Tour. 

A Note from Provost Haggerty


Dear Colleagues,

As I have met with faculty and their departments over this academic year, I have been overwhelmed with the talent of our faculty and staff.  I have been particularly impressed with the scholarship and creative activity of the early career faculty I have met and learned about.  For example, this academic year, seven LSU faculty have received an NSF CAREER award, in seven departments in four different colleges.  LSU has averaged about three awards per year, so this is an exceptional accomplishment by our newest faculty.  Most importantly, it puts LSU and our students in good shape for more success in the future. The awardees are:

  • Adam Forte, Geology & Geophysics, College of Science
  • Rui Han, Mathematics, College of Science
  • Christine Lattin, Biology, College of Science
  • Shyam Menon, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering
  • Paul Miller, Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, Coast & Environment
  • Justin Wilson, Physics, College of Science
  • Don Zhang, Psychology, College of Humanities & Social Sciences

And the success is not just in the STEM fields. Another exceptional achievement was the Han & Heung Festival, a groundbreaking collaboration between the School of Music and the larger LSU community that you can read about below.

Dr. Nicholas Serrano and Dr. Fabio Capra-Ribeiro, Assistant Professors of Landscape Architecture and Architecture respectively and their students of Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Architecture have been working together with the mayor and community foundation to support resiliency planning in Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes. 

Dr. Julie Schneider and her co-investigator, Dr. Jana Oetting, were awarded a $365,766 grant from NSF. Led by Schneider, the study will be the first of its kind to investigate community-based and dialect-based differences in vocabulary throughout the Deep South, in an effort to improve existing interventions which seek to close academic achievement gaps in childhood.

LSU also recently celebrated 10 years of Science Café. Over 10 years, many dozens of faculty – and not just in STEM – have presented their work to the Baton Rouge community.  Special thanks to the Office of Research and Economic Development, who have sponsored Science Café over its life, and to Chief of Staff Ashley Arceneaux and Interim VP and Dean of Agriculture Matt Lee, who together launched Science Café a decade ago.

If you would like to read more about LSU’s scholarship impact across the state, please check out Working for Louisiana.

And speaking of scholarship, I joined President Tate on part of his Scholarship First bus tour, in which he covered 1,000 miles and spoke to hundreds of our fellow citizens, along with business leaders and legislators about the excellent work of our faculty, staff and students.

These are just a few examples of the many great things LSU faculty have accomplished recently. I look forward to seeing more to come. 

Sincerely,

Roy Haggerty
Executive Vice President & Provost



"Our faculty has been so productive that they rank in the Top 100 universities in the world in terms of new patents. Did you know that LSU produces more grant dollars than Brown or Dartmouth?"

 

William F. Tate IV, LSU President


 

A Conversation with Incoming Dean Alena Allen


Incoming Dean of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center shares insight into her research and how LSU Law will advance the Scholarship First Agenda. Read more about Dean Alena Allen.

headshot of Alena Allen with stylized LSU background with quote "Law Permeates Everything"

 

Provost's Fund in Action


A spotlight on the Han & Heung Festival, made possible by the Conference Support Fund  from the Provost's Fund for Innovation in Research.

header image for Han & Heung Festival with red background "Presented by LSU School of Music, Han & Heung Festival, Sponsored by the Provost's Fund for Innovation in Research"

On Jan. 27, the LSU School of Music hosted a festival celebrating the stories of resilience and optimism shared by both the Korean and African-American diasporas through an unforgettable fusion of music and social dialogue. This festival was made possible by the Conference Support Fund from the Provost's Fund for Innovation in Research. Panelists participating in the post-concert dialogue included:

  • Maxine Crump, President of Dialogue on Race (Moderator)
  • Dr. Lori Latrice Martin, LSU Associate Professor of Sociology
  • Dr. Cecilia Kang, LSU Associate Professor of Clarinet
  • DoYeon Kim, Gayageum Performer, New England Conservatory
  • Dr. Ju-Yong Ha, Ethnomusicologist, University of Hartford
  • Terrance McKnight, WQXR New York

Read more about the Han & Heung Festival.

 

Social Research & Evaluation Center Named Center of Research Excellence by the Louisiana Board of Regents


The LSU Social Research & Evaluation Center (SREC) in the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education has been named a Louisiana Board of Regents’ Center of Research Excellence. This designation signifies that the SREC is a statewide research leader in its focus area, facilitates faculty, researcher, and student engagement in innovative research, and positively impacts economic development in the state. Learn more about SREC.

 

First Global Learning Program for PSA Scholars


PSA students in Dakar, Senegal standing in front of African Renaissance Monument

Pre-Scholars Academy students in Dakar, Senegal standing in front of African Renaissance Monument

Students from LSU’s Pre-Scholars Academy (PSA) traveled to Dakar, Senegal over spring break as part of the program’s first global experience. The PSA program specifically focuses on supporting low-income, first-generation students throughout their enrollment at LSU. International Programs and Enrollment Management & Student Success partnered together to include a global experience for these students, and for many participating, this was their first time abroad. LSU also received a passport grant from the Institute of International Education. The grant funding was used to provide passports to first-year PSA students, to inspire them to think more seriously about studying abroad while at LSU. Read LSU’s press release to learn more about the global learning program.

Encourage Students to Strategize Their Summer


LSU students can get summer course credit both in the classroom and through online courses, study abroad, internships, or research. As they’re making plans for summer, ask them to consider summer session! Enrollment is open now. LSU students who take a summer course are twice as likely to graduate in four years than those who do not. They may also be able to use financial aid and scholarships to study abroad or help finance internship or research costs. Learn more about summer courses.

 

Upcoming Events



SEC Forum on AI/ChatGPT

All faculty are invited to a virtual panel of faculty experts on various generative artificial intelligence topics, including ChatGPT, hosted by the Southeastern Conference. The Zoom event is set for Friday, April 14 from 9-11:30 a.m. CT. Register for the Zoom event.

Provost's Distinguished Lecture Series

The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to announce the inaugural Provost's Distinguished Lecture on Monday, April 17 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in 1263 Patrick F. Taylor Hall. The speaker will be Dr. Kyla McMullen from the University of Florida. Her topic is “3D Audio: A Multidisciplinary Perspective on Sound Perception and Development." Formal announcement and invitation to follow.

REFRESH

All faculty are invited to attend "REFRESH | New Perspectives on Teaching". This workshop is held every year before the start of the fall semester and provides an opportunity for faculty to learn more about best practices in teaching and pedagogy. It will be held Friday, Aug. 18 from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Formal announcement and invitation to follow.

University Faculty Awards

The LSU Office of Academic Affairs will host the annual University Faculty Awards on Tuesday, April 25 at 3:00 p.m. in the Noland Laborde Hall at the Lod Cook Alumni Center. Formal announcement and invitation to follow.

Promotion & Tenure

All faculty who are promoted and/or tenured in the 2023 academic year are invited to a celebratory event that will take place on Tuesday, May 2 at 3:00 p.m. Formal announcement and invitation to follow.