Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette community is deeply saddened by the loss of Jillian Johnson, 33, and Mayci Breaux, 21, who died in a tragic shooting at the Grand Theatre on Johnston Street last night. Jillian graduated from UL Lafayette in 2004. Nine others were injured, with one in critical condition.

The entire campus mourns the loss of lives in our Lafayette community. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

The release of the governor’s executive budget today provides a starting point for the University’s budget planning for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

It’s early in the budget adoption process. There is still a way to go before we will know the final amount of financial support that we will have from the state for our University as the legislature considers the governor’s budget proposal and ideas for adopting a statewide budget.

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am pleased to announce that John Blohm (pronounced bloom) is our new Vice President for University Advancement.

John is interim Vice President for Advancement at the University of New Haven. He will join us in January, and his official appointment is subject to approval by the UL System Board of Supervisors.

Dear Students,

With finals over, I'd like to share my gratitude with you for another great year. Across the University, you've made us proud.

Really, we are a happy bunch. And that sentiment is portrayed in this video of with you, and our faculty and staff members: http://youtu.be/6mt3EMiDM_k

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

Our search for a Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is complete, thanks to input from so many of you.

Our search process was thorough. It yielded two outstanding finalists, Dr. Paula Carson and Dr. James Henderson, from a pool of 72 candidates for this critical position.