I was glad to get back in the office today after being out all last week. I was invited to visit an institution in South Georgia last week to conduct a professional review of their programs. It is always good to get on another campus and to see how they do things. I also got a fresh perspective on campus plans and construction projects as well as amenities and academic programs. I enjoyed working with several of my academic colleagues from across the country.  

I returned to Shreveport on Thursday for a meeting there and then drove down to Baton Rouge to meet up with my family on Friday. It is not often that we get all of my boys and their families together, so it was a special time for us all. We had all made plans to see the Bulldogs take on the Tigers on Saturday.

We enjoyed seeing a lot of students, alumni and friends at the big game on Saturday.  The Dogs put up a great fight for the game, and while I REALLY hate to lose, I was very pleased with our team and their “never quit” attitude. I was proud of the way they represented our institution. While this game goes as an “L” for the record, I consider it a “W” for Louisiana Tech and a “W” for the State of Louisiana. There was a LOT of red and blue in Tiger Stadium on Saturday evening. And there were a lot of Louisiana people who got to see two excellent Louisiana institutions compete.  Quite a few people in purple and gold came up to me and spoke highly of the education that members of their family or friends have received at Louisiana Tech.  I appreciate the opportunity that our team and our fans had to play in one of college football’s top venues. We’ll be back one day, and that will be another great day for our State!