Visit Kicks Off Semester

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students:

Last week we welcomed a special guest to our University, Dr. Sandra Woodley, who became president of the University of Louisiana System earlier this month.  Dr. Woodley has a background to which many hard-working students can relate.  She married at 18 and had two small children in her early 20s.  Her path to a college degree included concurrently juggling work, changing diapers, and trying to study.  And, she admits, it was a struggle.

Her ability to overcome barriers has served her well throughout her college and professional career.  Dr. Woodley earned her master’s degree in business administration from Auburn University. She earned her doctorate from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.  She’s held a number of high-ranking positions across higher education.  Her most recent position was vice chancellor for strategic initiatives at the University of Texas System.

We were honored to host her first official visit to our campus as the newly appointed University of Louisiana System president.  In addition to being an advocate for non-traditional students, she is committed to improving access to higher education for all.

She has a measured approach to finances and strategy.  We share a respect for data-driven inquiry, and I welcome her plans to develop analytics systems for all UL campuses to be more productive and effective.

Dr. Woodley met with several of our students and faculty to hear directly your hopes and concerns for the future of higher education in Louisiana and especially at our campus.  She shared with me that she was very impressed with the caliber of our students and the passion held by our faculty to help students succeed.   She appreciates that passion as she admits she would not have made it through college without encouragement by supportive professors.

She toured our campus.  We showed her the incredible progress we’ve made despite limited resources, as well as explained our needs and challenges that lie ahead.  Several staff members briefed her on academic, economic and research aspects of the University.  She heard from local legislators, community leaders, education partners, Board of Regents and UL System board members, and University administrators.  As a usual highlight for many first-time visitors to our University, she was delighted to take a photo in front of Cypress Lake with an alligator in the background.

In my conversations with Dr. Woodley, I shared with her our plans for making our great University better, our concerns over the negative effects of continuing budget pressures on faculty, staff and students, and our commitment to making progress despite those challenges.

Dr. Woodley is thoughtful, seasoned and engaging.  She will do a great job leading our system.

To our students, I hope that you will take some time today to explore Student Organization Week.  By getting involved, you not only improve our campus, you also enhance your academic learning, grow your personal network and widen your career opportunities.

I wish each of you a great semester ahead.

Sincerely,

Joe Savoie
President
president@louisiana.edu