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William F. Tate IV: An immeasurable amount of potential
An immeasurable amount of potential
LSU’s commitment is to improving lives in measurable, impactful ways that evolve from evidence-based research and study. BY WILLIAM F. TATE IV
COURTESY LSU
William F. Tate IV is president of LSU, providing leadership, vision and direction for all campuses across the university system.
A SUCCESSFUL UNIVERSITY
aims to change the life course of its students and impact every family and community in its state. LSU’s flagship status and our land-, sea- and space-grant designations require that we accomplish these two aims while charting a course as a model in scientific and health-related discovery, healing by way of clinical education and practice, and technical support as part of agricultural extension, coastal use and restoration efforts, and space science and outreach.
There are two things that make LSU different than other higher education institutions in terms of responsibilities and outputs: a commitment to producing research including basic science, clinical and translational science, social science, humanistic inquiry, and practically applicable research that changes the lives of everyday people, and the provision of social and economic mobility for our graduates. In other words, we have a deep and abiding commitment to improving lives in measurable, impactful ways that evolve from evidence-based research and study.
But I know firsthand that, upon hearing the word “university,” most people think purely of traditional education, of degrees and classes and lectures in large halls or tiny classrooms. No doubt, that is a large part of what we do and will remain central to our very core. But it’s not the extent of who we are—and it’s certainly not where my vision stops.
As a leader, I operate with tunnel vision aimed on two broad but critical goals. First, what I want most for LSU involves collectively and relentlessly connecting our research and scholarship to the problems facing our state, nation, and society so that we improve lives and livelihoods of everyday Louisianans and our neighbors across the country. This goal requires a transformation of our research infrastructure—which is, unfortunately, less than state-of-the-art in places— into a world-class operation that supports basic research but also focuses on the practical application of discoveries from individual scholars and research teams to the living room. Achieving success means that LSU’s research impacts parish by parish across the state.
My other primary goal calls for the development of new and innovative ways to create upward economic mobility for our students. When we talk about inclusion, we use many words, but I’ve yet to see any individual be included in anything if they don’t have the means to take care of themselves or their families. It’s a basic fact of life: We need to generate income to live, and a university education offers one pathway to income mobility and a family’s economic security. In addition, the university educates its students to transition into learned citizen scholars prepared to contribute to civic capacity and problem solving. Our compact with the state calls for us to ensure we support creating an educated citizenry.
LSU, through our eight campuses across the state, presents a nearly immeasurable amount of potential. Consider the incredible research capacity represented by your flagship, the AgCenter, Pennington Biomedical Research Center right here in the capital, and our Health Sciences Centers in Shreveport and New Orleans. And think about LSU’s incredible opportunities to improve our students’ economic mobility at the flagship, as well as our campuses in Alexandria, Shreveport, and Eunice. All told, LSU’s campuses educate students in programs offering associate degrees to Ph.D.s and medical degrees, as well as every major professional degree. Our educational reach takes many forms including agricultural extension and research agents, coastal and space-related programs, as well as our health screenings and medical outreach that touch every parish in the state.
In terms of our research capacity, we have come a long way in the last year. You may have heard about our Pentagon priorities, or the LSU ABCs: agriculture, biomedical, coast, defense and energy. We built a plan to leverage our research in these areas because they directly impact the people of Louisiana whether personally or professionally. So when our researchers make discoveries and translate findings to societal challenges, we all benefit
Through partnerships with LCMC and Our Lady of the Lake, we’ve secured $245 million to help us enhance our cancer research and biomedical enterprise. Right now, the people of Louisiana suffer a cancer mortality rate among the highest in the nation, and if they have the means, many leave the state for treatment upon diagnosis because we do not have a National Cancer Institute-designated hospital here. With this historic investment, we are already making
great strides in this direction. As a university, we endeavor to enhance our resources and talent base in order to contribute to solutions associated with Louisiana’s health disparity challenges and to lower the cancer mortality rate.
Similarly, our research and development efforts related to energy, Louisiana’s number one industry, resulted in a partnership with Shell supported by its $27.5 million investment seeking to model evidence-based approaches to energy transition so that those jobs remain in our state and our economy remains strong. Our vision for LSU includes setting a standard of excellence in discovery and supporting the development of novel policy recommendations for industry and government.
LSU entered a compact at its inception to support learning and economic mobility. At the flagship alone, we have welcomed record-breaking graduating classes in terms of size and academic rank for five consecutive years. And our graduation numbers continue to accelerate, with our spring 2022 commencement celebrating the largest number of graduates on record for LSU in totality as well as across demographic groups including low-income students, first generation students, and historically underrepresented students. We provide an educational environment that supports students from all backgrounds through graduation. With a degree in hand, we see that our graduates are positioned to grow as professionals and experience positive growth in their income mobility. Many of our students realize an intergenerational change in economic status that impacts their children and future generations.
Looking into the future, my colleagues and I work toward a goal in which every student in our ecosystem experiences three opportunities that grant a true competitive edge in the entry-level job market: (1) undergraduate research, (2) internship in their field of study, and (3) study abroad. Studies indicate that these experiences can add as much as 15% to the salary of a new graduate when compared to a peer who holds the same major without the additional accomplishments. Moreover, students with these experiences recognize the importance of civic engagement.
This is just a taste of what we’re planning for the future of your university. We are setting expectations higher than ever before and building a culture across our eight campuses that accepts nothing less than excellence in everything that we do. We seek to develop a culture of intellectual entrepreneurship and solving challenges so that we can better serve our state. And we do this while reallocating more resources toward the quality education we provide to more than 50,000 students across the state. That’s how we will fulfil our compact with the state and its people.
Our vision for LSU requires support, and I need every one of you behind us as we chase down these goals and turn them into a reality. Together we can secure the future of Louisiana.
A reason to celebrate!
Issue Date: Sept 2022 Ad proof #3
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