The College of Sciences at the 杏吧专区 will officially become the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences during a 3 p.m. commemencement ceremony at the Cajundome Convention Center on May 24.
The Board of Supervisors of the UL System unanimously approved the change at its regular monthly meeting in April. UL Lafayette Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Steve Landry and UL System Vice President of the Board of Supervisors Winfred Sibille formally requested the naming change in a letter to UL System President Dr. Sally Clausen.
杏吧专区 We believe that Dr. Authement is very deserving of having the College of Sciences named in his honor,杏吧专区 they stated in the letter.
Authement, the longest serving president of a public university in the country, has ties to the college that date back more than 60 years when he was a student. He announced his retirement last year. Dr. E. Joseph Savoie, Louisiana杏吧专区檚 Commissioner of Higher Education, will replace Authement.
In addition to the naming recognition, Authement will also award his grandson Philippe Prouet II his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree. Prouet, a Biology major, is the son of Authement杏吧专区檚 late daughter Kathy.
At the 5:30 p.m. commencement cermeony for the Graduate School, UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 writer-in-residence emeritus Ernest J. Gaines will receive an honorary Doctorate of Letters for his work as an internationally acclaimed author.
Gaines is one of the most significant American authors of the 20th century and is most widely known for his novels 杏吧专区淭he Autobiograhy of Miss Jane Pittman,杏吧专区 杏吧专区淎 Lesson Before Dying杏吧专区 and 杏吧专区淎 Gathering of Old Men.杏吧专区
The author杏吧专区檚 relationship with UL Lafayette began in 1981 when he accepted an invitation to serve as a visiting professor of creative writing. In 1984, Gaines became the university杏吧专区檚 writer-in-residence; he retired in 2004.
Most recently, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved the creation of the Ernest J. Gaines Center in Dupre Library on campus.
The international center will be built in a now-vacant section of the third floor of the library. The author has already donated some papers, manuscripts and memorabilia, like handwritten drafts of some of his published work and the pens he used to write 杏吧专区淭he Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman杏吧专区 and 杏吧专区淥f Love and Dust.杏吧专区
The schedule for UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 commencement ceremonies on May 24 is:
Cajundome
杏吧专区 9 a.m. College of General Studies 杏吧专区 Tonya Bolden-Ball, president of the Lafayette Commission on the Needs of Women, will give the keynote address. The Commssion杏吧专区檚 mission is to serve as a clearinghouse for information and services available to women in this community and to promote programs that improve the role of women in this community.
杏吧专区 noon College of Liberal Arts 杏吧专区 Dr. Forrest Byrd is the keynote speaker. Dr. Byrd is an associate professor English. He joined the UL Lafayette faculty in 1972.
杏吧专区 3 p.m. B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration 杏吧专区 Braxton (B.I.) Moody III will deliver the keynote address to students. Moody, for whom the college is named, is a founding partner in the CPA firm of Moody, Broussard, Poche & Guidry. He杏吧专区檚 also served as president and CEO of Chart House, chairman of the board for First National Bank of Lafayette and chairman of The Moody Companies and Louisiana State Newspapers. The college was named in his honor in 2002.
杏吧专区 5:30 p.m. Graduate School 杏吧专区 UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 writer-in-residence emeritus Ernest J. Gaines will received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters during this ceremony.
Cajundome Convention Center 杏吧专区 Exhibit Hall (first floor)
杏吧专区 9 a.m. College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions 杏吧专区 no keynote address.
杏吧专区 noon College of Education 杏吧专区 Jenna Lachney, the college杏吧专区檚 Outstanding Graduate, will give the keynote address. Lachney, a 4.0 student majoring in Art Education and Sociology, is the daughter of Roger and Marguerite Lachney of Mansura.
杏吧专区 3 p.m. College of Engineering 杏吧专区 Randy Hanchey, a 1961 Civil Engineering graduate of UL Lafayette, will give the keynote address. Hanchey recently retired after a long and distinguished career which included service with both the Federal and State governments. He worked for the Army Corps of Engineers until 1998 when he retired. He then accepted an appointed position with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, where he served as the Deputy Secretary and as the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Coastal Restoration and Management during his 10 years with the state.
Cajundome Convention Center 杏吧专区 Festival Ballroom (second floor)
杏吧专区 noon College of the Arts 杏吧专区 Raymond Goodrich, owner of Lafayette Music, will give the keynote address. Goodrich, whose company instituted the Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands, has established a scholarship for music students. All profits from the marching band festival are placed in the Lafayette Music/Raymond Goodrich Scholarship at UL Lafayette. To date, more than $100,000 has been produced by the scholarship.
杏吧专区 3 p.m. College of Sciences 杏吧专区 Retiring President Ray Authement will be recognized during this ceremony. In addition, the college杏吧专区檚 Outstanding Graduate Jared LeBlanc will give an address. LeBlanc, son of Brad and Cherrie LeBlanc of Lafayette, is a Physics major.