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Dear LSU Family and Friends:
Earlier this month, Enervana Technologies, one of the Louisiana Business & Technology's incubator tenants, won a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research award in the amount of $100,000 from the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships. I'll have more to share about the LBTC with you in a moment. Last month, we announced the generous gift of $500,000 given to the Forever LSU campaign for the Business Education Complex (BEC) by Holly and Rick Wolfert and recognized those who have given or pledged $1 million for the BEC. Ceremoniously, these donors—RoyOMartin, Cathy and Billy Rucks, Amedisys Inc., Sherry and Ross Centanni, Lillian and Jimmy Maurin, and Cherie and Rob Arkley—were honored before kickoff on the field the day of the LSU-Florida game. Also, we held a press conference to announce the $1 million donation from Amedisys. Thanks again to all of these very gracious supporters for continuing to ensure we are able to offer the the best facility for our outstanding faculty, staff and students. The E. J. Ourso College Dean's Advisory Council (DAC) held its annual fall meeting, which was facilitated by Harrison Coerver of Coerver & Associates. DAC provided input for the college's 2010-2015 strategic plan, and I am happy to report it was done so with record attendance at the meeting. We also hosted the annual alumni party with entertainment provided by "Capital Gains," a band made up mostly of our very own faculty members. Both the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute (SEI) and the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI) have installed boards, and we will soon be publicizing the names of those advisors and experts. Last month, we also hosted the inaugural Dean's Seminar Series on Global Research, Education and Practice in which Dr. Edgard Cornachione, associate professor and director of graduate programs at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, spoke. LSU Executive Education hosted the E. J. Ourso College of Business Supply Chain Management Symposium: Best Practices for a Global Economy as part of the LSU Center for Energy Studies' Energy Summit 2009: Energy Market Challenges and Opportunities. Adam Knapp, President and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, was the keynote speaker. Companies in attendance included Accenture, British Petroleum, Cameron, CapGemini, Entergy, Halliburton, and Shell. In November, we'll celebrate LBTC's 21st Anniversary Celebration, LSU Executive Education will co-host "The Business and Law of Intellectual Property," and Administaff Chairman of the Board, CEO, and Co-founder Paul Sarvadi will speak to the LSU Flores MBA students as part of our Distinguished Speaker Series.
If it seems like there's a lot going on…well, there is. Our outreach activities reflect the terrific work of our faculty, students, and staff. We're on the move! I invite you to do what you can to get involved.
Eli Jones, Dean and E. J. Ourso Distinguished Professor of Business |
