As we all celebrate this special Day of Independence, we are reminded that we have freedoms for which so many have fought and sacrificed over the past 250 years. Those freedoms provide us opportunities to enhance our way of life, to grow and prosper, to pursue those things that are important, to celebrate in successes and to reflect and learn from failure. I am grateful for all of those who have fought to give us these opportunities.

Today provides me an opportunity to reflect on five years as President of this wonderful institution. I am deeply grateful for all of those who have invested their time, energy and resources over that past 124 years to build this institution on this small plot of land in North Louisiana, and to ensure that it fulfills its mission of serving and impacting the lives of those who live here and those who are educated here. I am most grateful for my leadership team and our faculty and staff who have dedicated themselves to serving our students, and to creating incredible programs, facilities and activities that ensure that our students have the best possible opportunities to learn and succeed.  There is a special culture of caring on our campus, and that is perhaps the most important factor in Tech’s success over the years.

As I enter the 6th year of presidency, I am most grateful that we have some budget stability that will enable us to sustain our momentum of growth and national-scale impacts for our region and state. Thanks to the sustainment of TOPS and the recruitment efforts of our faculty, staff and students, I anticipate that we will continue to see growth of our student body in the 2018-19 academic year, both in numbers and quality. We will strengthen our focus on providing education pathways for both traditional and non-traditional students including veterans and those serving our country, as well as those who begin their education in community and technical colleges.

Building and enhancing our academic, residential and athletics facilities will continue to progress this year, as will our plans to beautify the campus through planting more noble trees and creating more pleasant walks.

We will also continue to focus on our partnerships with the private sector, particularly those with high-growth potential and who are highly dependent on having a talented workforce for their success. In my 40+ years of history with this institution, I have never seen a better opportunity for economic growth and prosperity for our region than we have now.  Over the past week, I have had the opportunity to meet with the senior leadership of some our corporate partners in Monroe, Bossier and Ruston to explore new ways that we can work and grow together.

This academic year, we will also celebrate the 125th birthday, the quasquicentennial, of Louisiana Tech. I look forward to all of the activities that will bring together our alumni, community and campus.

Happy Independence Day!