Faculty and staff, As we enter into this season of Thanksgiving, I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for your dedication to our students and for all of your support in moving this institution forward. Each and every day, I am able to see the results of your efforts and the impact you’re having on our campus, in our community, and throughout the state and nation. This fall, we achieved an all-time record student enrollment of 12,414 at Louisiana Tech, representing a remarkable increase of 10% over the fall of 2014. And by any number of measures, the quality of our student body has been enhanced as well. Thanks to your efforts and your support of our students, we have also seen significant increases in retention and graduation rates, which are clear measures of our goals to enhance student success and the reputation of the University. We were pleased to see Louisiana Tech ranked in the top tier of national research universities in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges Report for the fifth consecutive year. And we were also pleased to see them rank Louisiana Tech as the number one public university in the nation for graduating students with the least average amount of debt. More national accolades came when Business Insider named Louisiana Tech as the sixth most underrated university in the nation. These are incredible achievements, but only a small part of the reason why Louisiana Tech is such an excellent institution and is attracting so many outstanding students. Your commitment to provide our students with exceptional learning experiences, both inside and outside the classroom, is the foundation for this success. Over the past couple of weeks, I am certain that you have heard about the shortfall of revenues in the state. We continue to monitor that situation closely and are most pleased that the administration and legislature are working to avoid any cuts to higher education. While significant uncertainties still remain, we will continue to work with our higher education and legislative leaders to ensure that higher education remains the top priority. The growth of our student body has put Tech in a stronger financial position this year than we have been in the past several years, but we will have to remain cautious in our management of our resources as we monitor state revenues over the next few months. Your support in recruiting and retaining a strong student body is making a difference for us financially! I’d also like to thank you for your support and for your patience as we have been working on several construction and improvement projects around campus. We anticipate that the water distribution project should be completed by the end of December or shortly thereafter. There are several other projects in the works including the expansion of the College of Business building, the design & construction of the Integrated Engineering and Science Education building, new student housing and parking, relocation of our Early Childhood Education Center, installation of artificial turf on the softball and baseball fields, the addition of new trees in various parts of campus, and many more. These projects have been possible through the generosity of our alumni and friends, self-generated revenues and support from the capital outlay budget. I am pleased to welcome our new Vice President for University Advancement, Mr. Brooks Hull, who joined us on November 16 and has already hit the ground running in developing plans to expand our private fundraising efforts. Brooks is an excellent addition to my leadership team and I hope you will take the opportunity to meet him and welcome him to the Tech family. Thank you all again for your continued efforts for Louisiana Tech. You are the difference makers for our students and for our campus, and I’m very proud to serve as your president. I hope that you are able to enjoy some quiet time with your family and friends over the Thanksgiving holidays, and I look forward to seeing you at the President’s Gumbo Luncheon on December 3 in the Student Center.