LSU Embarks on Inaugural Scholarship First Bus Tour March 13-16
March 06, 2023
UPDATED March 15, 2023
BATON ROUGE – LSU is taking its mission and message on the road this month. Powered by RoyOMartin, the inaugural Scholarship First bus tour will take LSU President William F. Tate IV, joined by a few special guests along the way, on a 1,000-mile winding route around Louisiana, with the goal of learning more about some of the state’s key industries, listening to key stakeholders and visiting with alumni and elected officials to ensure alignment of LSU’s statewide priorities in serving Louisiana.
“LSU is a driver for the future of our state and is important to so many Louisianians, but not everyone can make it to any of our eight campuses or 64 extension offices. So, we’re taking LSU to the people,” Tate said. “This is going to be a listening tour and an awareness campaign all rolled into one. We’ve got a very aggressive itinerary and can’t wait to meet our friends out on the road.”
The public itinerary includes metros as big as New Orleans and Shreveport and as small as Chopin and Minden, as Tate captures the full perspectives of Louisiana. Of course, you can’t get a taste of Louisiana without tasting the food, and Tate intends to sprinkle in a few stops to the Bayou State’s favorite diners. Details are subject to change. Media are invited to the bulleted events below. Follow LSU’s social media accounts or check www.lsu.edu/president/tour for updates, highlights and behind-the-scenes activities.
Monday, March 13
President Tate and the Scholarship First tour bus will depart from LSU’s Memorial Tower bright and early, with a special send-off from Coach Kim Mulkey. After a stop for boudin, the bus will head to LSU’s original campus in Pineville for an important announcement, then roll through the meat pie capital of Louisiana, stopping in Shreveport for the evening.
- 6:00 a.m. Send-off from LSU’s Memorial Tower (Baton Rouge, LA)
- 9:30 a.m. Unveiling of LSU’s Economic Impact on Louisiana at the place where it all began (Pineville, LA)
- 11:00 a.m. Tour the Roy O Martin plywood factory, the nation’s largest and learn about the importance of the timber industry (Chopin, LA)
- 1:00 p.m. “Meat” and Greet with Natchitoches Alumni and Friends at Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant
Tuesday, March 14
Tuesday will take Tate on a picture-perfect road trip through north Louisiana with stops in the “Friendliest City in the South” and “Sportsman’s Paradise,” giving way to glimpses of the state’s agricultural past and its future. After a lunchtime social with area supporters in Monroe, the bus will make its way back to Central Louisiana for a reception hosted by LSU alumnus Roy O Martin in Alexandria.
Wednesday, March 15
After breakfast at Lea’s Lunchroom, the bus will depart from Alexandria, making its way through New Iberia to the “Sugar City,” Jeanerette, to tour sugarcane farms and processing plants and learn more about the importance of sugarcane to the Louisiana economy. Then it’s a mad dash to Cajun Country, reaching Crowley just in time to harvest crawfish with Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, before ending the day in Lake Charles.
- 10:00 a.m. Visit to “Sugar City” to tour sugarcane farms and processing plants in Jeanerette
- 1:30 p.m. Crawfishing in Crowley
- 3:00 p.m. Resiliency Tour in Lake Charles – visit storm affected areas with elected officials, local leaders and LSU experts
Thursday, March 16
On the final day of the tour, the bus will hustle down to Convent to visit with Shell and discuss the future of the energy industry in Louisiana, then jaunt over to the Big Easy to sit down and dine on world-famous Creole and Cajun cuisine. From there, the group will visit the Port of New Orleans to make an exciting announcement, then end the day celebrating on the Northshore with LSU family and friends.
During the tour, media can contact Ashley Arceneaux at ash@lsu.edu or 225-278-8694 for updates on exact times and locations for media availabilities.
Learn more about LSU's Scholarship First Agenda: https://www.lsu.edu/scholarship-first/index.php