Published November 30, 2016
MONROE, La. — The University of Louisiana Monroe Foundation (ULM Foundation) announced
that is has established new endowments for faculty and students.
The endowments created will amount to $4.4 million, with $2.64 million coming from
private donations (60%) and a $1.76 million match (40%) from the Louisiana Board of
Regents Support Fund, pending approval.
“Support for research becomes increasingly important as ULM matures further as a doctoral
university,” said Susan Chappell, Executive Director of the ULM Foundation and Alumni
Relations. “With state funding for higher education decreasing, the ULM Foundation
has been contributing to this support by seeking private donations that establish
endowments for faculty chairs, faculty professorships, and graduate student scholarships. We
have also been working to make sure that higher education remains broadly accessible
by seeking private donations for endowed first-generation undergraduate scholarships.”
The Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund (BoRSF) has several programs whose purpose
is to “improve the quality of education…[and] enhance economic development.” These
programs add state funds to private donations, creating greater endowments. This year’s
submissions of requests and proposals to these programs consists of two endowed chairs,
five endowed professorships (added to eight others submitted in prior years and pending
matches), seven first-generation scholarships, and eight superior graduate student
scholarships.
Dr. Eric Pani, Vice President of Academic Affairs, credits Chappell, Joe Jacobs, President
of the ULM Foundation Board of Trustees, and ULM President Dr. Nick J. Bruno for establishing
and maintaining effective communications so that the fund-raising efforts of the ULM
Foundation are coordinated with the needs of the University.
“We are very grateful for the ULM Foundation development officers and Trustees who
made the requests that resulted in these donations and the Foundation staff who supported
those efforts,” said Pani. “We also thank the generous donors who make possible greater
endowments supporting faculty and students at ULM.”
Deans Sandra Lemoine (Arts, Education and Sciences), Ron Berry (Business and Social
Sciences), and Benny Blaylock (Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences) were instrumental
in identifying the programs supported by the endowments and many faculty members wrote
proposals for the chairs and graduate student scholarships.
ULM thanks the following donors–most of them alumni–whose generosity has underwritten
these funds:
Doll and Henry Biedenharn Family
Linda and Nick Bruno
Ernest and Sophia Holloway
Regions Bank
Linda and Joe Holyfield
T. and Dollie John
Iberia Bank
Jan and Gary Luffey
Anna Meyer
David and Sharon Turrentine
Toby Bancroft
Paul and Mary Fink
Progressive Bank
Carol Christopher
Kitty DeGree Foundation
Clark G. Boyce
Milton and Bertha Gorn
R. D. Castles
Oscar Cahn & Kurt & Irmgard Fisher
Elsie Webb
Ted D. Price
James Thom, IV
Ken and Mary Renwick
Sal Scaccia
The ULM Foundation
