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July 1, 2002

ULM VP Baxter Returning To Classroom

Dr. Richard L. Baxter, Vice President for University Advancement and External Affairs at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, has requested reassignment to his tenured, full-professorship in the Department of Mass Communications. Dr. Baxter will be on personal leave until August 20 at which time he will resume his teaching duties.

Baxter was appointed VP of Advancement in September 1998. Prior to that, he served ULM as Associate Vice President for Advancement for two years, and was Executive Assistant to the President from 1991 to 1996. Baxter's faculty experience includes 15 years on the ULM Journalism faculty where he served as coordinator of that program from 1977-1984.

When requesting reassignment, Baxter thanked ULM President James Cofer for allowing him the opportunity to serve as vice president during the transition and offered his full assistance to his successor, once that person has been named.

During Baxter's tenure as vice president, the Advancement Division amassed a remarkable record of accomplishments including the following:

*Growth of the ULM Foundation assets by $8.1 million in five years

* Average annual income of the Foundation averaging more than $5 million annually as compared to less than $2 million per year in any comparable period prior to 1998

* University's first annual fund to reach $1.2 million raised for academic programs

* Established two $1 million endowed chairs and thirteen $100,000 endowed professorships.

* Established $1 million charitable remainder trust to fund endowed chair and estate plan to establish $100,000 endowed professorship

* Raised $1 million to build university plaza and bayou walk, and $250,000 to endow conference center

* Established $500,000 gift annuity

* Distributed an average of $4 million per year in private funds to support ULM academic programs, including $585,000 in faculty grants

* Managed dissolution of Northeast Land Corporation and transferred its function to the ULM Foundation resulting in $1.2 million in strategic land acquisition for university expansion

* Created ULM Foundation's first policies and procedures manual

* Established Foundation's investment and spending policies and employed funds management consultant for the first time in Foundation's forty-year history

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