The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activities for me and Kathy. One of our first adventures was a trip to Monroe to watch our Tech aviation student Mason Andrews take off on his bold mission to circumnavigate the globe in his single engine airplane, planning to set a new age record in the process. He is a special young man, and we have enjoyed following him on his trailblazing adventure over the past few days. We wish him the best as he continues his journey for the benefit of MedCamps.

Following a few busy days in the office, Kathy and I enjoyed attending the final Orientation program of “Presents” for this summer where we able to visit with prospective students and watch the outstanding performance of our Orientation Student Leaders. The work of our OSLs is something for which I have gained a great appreciation since I have been president. These students work hard for months to make the experience of future Tech students special and impactful during orientation. It is awesome to see all of these students grow and develop in the process.

Kathy and I got up very early Friday morning for a long week-end trip to New York City. That is one of our favorite places to visit, but we haven’t had the chance to make it there over the past decade. We were able to work this trip in as part of my participation in a Department of Homeland Security National Cybersecurity Summit at the Alexander Hamilton Custom House near Battery Park in south Manhattan. That Summit was a special opportunity for Louisiana Tech in that we were the only University to be highlighted in any of the panels. The audience was full of major corporate executives and government officials who were there to hear from the President’s Cabinet Secretaries, Agency Heads, other corporate executives, and VP Mike Pence about major activities and announcements related to national cyber security. The Summit provided an excellent venue for Louisiana Tech to showcase our partnership with the Cyber Innovation Center that has led to a cybersecurity workforce and economic opportunities for North Louisiana. 

While we were not tied up in meetings, Kathy and I enjoyed hitting some of the great Broadway plays and NYC restaurants.  We also participated in a great tour of the 911 Memorial park and museum and Freedom Tower.  That is something that I would highly encourage you to do if you haven’t done so.

After the Summit, Kathy and I headed to LaGuardia Airport with some optimism that we could get to Baton Rouge later that evening. We did make it to Baton Rouge, but it was early the next morning – and without luggage. Nevertheless, we got up early and enjoyed interacting with our University of Louisiana System presidents, spouses and staff in a 2-day retreat. We made considerable progress in laying out plans for our system for the coming year.

Hope you enjoy a few of the pics that tell some of the rest of our story over the past two weeks.