We closed out the Bulldog basketball season on Wednesday with a heart-breaking loss to Florida State in the quarterfinals of the NIT.  But we have never been more proud of our Bulldogs.  They gave everything they had in that game (and all season) and almost tied the game with a 3-point shot at the buzzer.  The Bulldogs clearly showed that they are an exceptional team that can win any time that they step out on the court.  I have said all season that the character and commitment of this team is special and is inspired by its leader. Special thanks to our seniors and to Coach Mike White for the wonderful season. I made an early morning trip to Bossier City on Monday to meet with the Cyber Innovation Center’s leader, Craig Spohn, and a Shreveport businessman with interests in our entrepreneurship and business development activities.  We were able to map out some strategies for some of the future plans that we have with the CIC. I made it back in time to have lunch with some local realtors to discuss our plans for growth on the campus and what that might mean for the community. The remainder of Monday and Tuesday were spent in meetings with my administrative team on budget and facilities issues, a prospective candidate for the Dean of Engineering and Science, an interview with KTBS about our activities to recruit and support the new company CSC, and our Student Technology Fee Board.  The STFB is responsible for making decisions about how to spend the student technology fees collected each year.  The students on this board do an outstanding job of reviewing and discussing proposals that are received from all across campus.  I have been most impressed with their professionalism and thoughtfulness in making decisions for funding. I decided to work from home on Wednesday as I needed some uninterrupted time to prepare for the investiture and numerous other events that are coming up over the next several weeks.  Thursday morning, I headed to Baton Rouge to attend University of Louisiana System Board meetings.  We had three academic affair requests that were approved by the Board, the most notable being the merger of the Schools of Art and Architecture into the School of Design. We know that this will lead to stronger art and architecture programs, possibly stimulate new programs, and enable greater efficiencies in use of our resources. In addition to the ULS meetings Thursday and Friday, I had a Thursday evening meeting set between university researchers (Tech, LSU, Tulane) and some others from business and industry.  The goal was to enhance transfer of research and technologies between our universities and the private sector.  My involvement is part of my responsibility as Chair of both the Louisiana EPSCoR Committee under the Board of Regents and the Louisiana Innovation Council.