View a recording of this meeting here.

BOARD WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS 

Three new members were sworn into the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System after being appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards. Today marks their first meeting. 

The new board members are: 

Barry Busada, a lifelong resident of Shreveport and Tulane alumnus, is a managing member of Linden Management appointed to serve the 4th Congressional District. 

Steve Davison of Ruston is an attorney and special counsel to Genesis Energy, LP appointed to serve the 5th Congressional District. A past president of the Louisiana Tech Alumni Foundation and a member of the Louisiana Tech Athletics Council, Davison was recognized as Louisiana Tech Alumnus of the year in 2013. 

Bradley Stevens of Hammond is a partner at the Edwards & Stevens Law Firm appointed to serve the 1st Congressional District. He is actively involved in his community, particularly at his alma mater Southeastern Louisiana University, where he currently serves on the SLU Lions Athletic Association Board of Directors. 

“I am excited about the new Board members,” Chair James Carter said. “I look forward to having them heavily involved in areas that they find to be exciting in terms of educating the students here in Louisiana, and bringing the great value from their various, wonderful backgrounds.” 

Carter was also sworn in at today’s meeting after Governor Edwards reappointed him to a second full term representing the 2nd Congressional District. 

UL System attorney Brandon Decuir administered the oath of office.  

NEW LEADERSHIP INSTALLED 

Chair James Carter of New Orleans, Vice Chair Elizabeth Pierre of Monroe, and Parliamentarian Jimmy Clarke of Lafayette were sworn into their new leadership roles for the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System at today’s meeting.  

UL System Attorney Brandon Decuir administered the oath of office.  

HENDERSON COMMENTS ON UNIVERSITIES’ ROLE IN DEMOCRACY 

In August, I received a text from one of our presidents. He talked about the street corner in front of his house where over the course of 24 hours, he saw student athletes and allies marching against injustice, pro-life proponents gathering to pray the rosary, a pro law enforcement demonstration, and finally an NAACP rally. All were peaceful. He ended his text with, “America, gotta love it.”

Chief Justice Robert Jackson said, “But freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order.”

Our universities have long been the forum for the expression of ideas. In the classrooms, those ideas are developed, informed, challenged, and refined. On our grounds, those ideas are expressed, sometimes in jarring fashion, often inartfully, but must always be peaceful.

The insurrection we saw play out on television screens and social media yesterday was reprehensible. It will live in infamy.

Alexis de Tocqueville states in his book Democracy in America that “Sentiments and ideas renew themselves, the heart is enlarged, and the human mind is developed only by the reciprocal action of men upon one another.” He cautioned, “in democratic countries, only the social power is naturally in a state to act like this, but it is easy to see that its action is often dangerous.” This was nearly two centuries before social media, an advance that connects us globally in ways he could not have envisioned, but that can be exploited by nefarious actors to spread disinformation and sow the seed of discord.

Our institutions have a role to play. We have a responsibility to develop critical thinkers, learners, and citizens prepared to peacefully engage and differ in the public discourse essential to the health, advancement, and survival of our Republic. We take that role seriously, and I look forward to engaging this Board and our university communities to advance that work.

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE FOR OUR FUTURE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 

The 2021 For Our Future Conference will be held virtually March 18 and 19. The call for proposals is open with a deadline of Jan. 18. Those wishing to submit a proposal can do so here. Further details are coming soon. All conference information can be found at ULSystem.edu/Conference.  

The programming for this year’s conference is organized into the following three tracks: 

POST-PANDEMIC CAMPUS: Student Services, Classroom Technique, Technology, Streamlined Processes, Financial Practices, and Communications
Innovations resulting from COVID-19 and other 2020 crises that should persist.

CULTURAL COMPETENCY: Title IX, Free Expression, Diversity and Inclusion, and International Students
Increasing awareness by developing cultural competencies to strengthen the campus community.

CORE MISSION: Research Practices, Online Learning, Teaching Methods, and Adult Learners
Embracing the mission of sharing and developing the understanding of knowledge to ensure students are prepared for the future of work. 

 

SYSTEM INSTITUTIONS GO LIVE WITH WORKDAY 

Louisiana Tech University, Southeastern Louisiana University, and the University of New Orleans have completed the transition to the Workday platform after a multi-year implementation process.  

Workday offers state-of-the-art, cloud-based enterprise resource planning software that supports institutional management at the universities, equipping staff with new tools that help  modernize business processes, human resource management, data organization and information systems.  

See the full story here.