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Sept. 1, 2004

Board of Regents Presents ULM with Eminent Scholars Money for Four Endowed Professorships

Officials from the University of Louisiana at Monroe accepted matching funds in the amount of $160,000 from Dr. E. Joseph Savoie, Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education. The check presentation was made for ULM's most recent Endowed Professorships funded as part of the Louisiana Board of Regents Eminent Scholar and Endowed Professorship program, which matches private gifts of $60,000 with state funds in the amount of $40,000. The presentation came at an afternoon press conference held at 3 p.m. today in the Media Room on the 6th floor of the ULM Library.

ULM President James Cofer and other ULM administrators welcomed Savoie, University of Louisiana System President, Sally Clausen and other special guests.

This year's matching funds for ULM will complete the establishment of the following four endowed professorships: the Bruce and Liz Boulware Professorship in Business Administration, the Endowed Professorship in Entrepreneurship, the Thurman Potts Endowed Professorship in Construction, and the Lucy Shackleford Endowed Professorship in Kinesiology.

"We are grateful to the businesses and individuals who provide the private funding for these endowed professorships. We are additionally grateful to the citizens of Louisiana who had the foresight to establish the fund that provides a public match for these dollars. The funds received today will now enable the University to proceed in retaining and attracting the highest caliber of faculty to provide an excellent education for our students. ULM is grateful to these donors for making such a useful contribution to our University," ULM President James Cofer said.

The Bruce and Liz Boulware Professorship in Business Administration was made possible by a gift from Bruce Boulware (BA, 1969). Bruce Boulware graduated from the College of Business Administration as the Outstanding Business Graduate of his class. In 2002 Boulware was named the Chief Operating Officer of O'Melveny and Myers, one of the largest law firms in the nation, and soon after that he contacted his alma mater to discuss making a special gift.

"The College of Business is extremely grateful for the continued support of Bruce and Liz Boulware. In addition to their generous financial contribution, Bruce and Liz have become actively involved in supporting the College of Business. We look forward to working with them and learning from their experience and expertise as we continue to improve the College," Dr. Ronald Berry, Interim Dean for the College of Business Administration said.

Dean of the College of Education and Human Development, Dr. Luke Thomas, said that Dr. Lucy D. Shackelford was one of the most beloved teachers in the history of ULM. "She had a gift, teaching physical education for elementary schools, and she shared that gift with generositythat was the key to her popularity. In 1997, Lucy passed away after 24 years of teaching at ULM, but she will never be forgotten," said Thomas.

A gift from her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. John Shackelford, will guarantee that Shackelford's memory will live on at ULM. The Lucy Shackelford Memorial Fund provides money for three scholarships, an endowed professorship, a research foundation, and an annual workshop in physical education sponsored through the Department of Kinesiology.

Lucy Shackelford received her bachelor's degree from Delta State University, her master's from the University of South Alabama, and her doctorate in education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

To establish the Thurman Potts Endowed Professorship, a $40,000 gift was made by the Louisiana Contractor's Educational Trust Fund (CETF). The initial $20,000 needed to create the fund was raised by members of the ULM School of Construction Industry Advisory Council (IAC) and many School of Construction alumni and friends.

Thurman Potts came to ULM, then Northeast Louisiana State College, in fall 1966 to assume the administration of the newly-created Department of Building Construction after practicing architecture for 20 years. Under Potts' leadership, the ULM School of Construction grew to become one of the largest construction programs in the nation, and was the first program to receive national accreditation in 1976. Potts retired in January 1987, but has remained involved with the construction program to this day.

Potts has been active in numerous organizations throughout his career. He was one of the founders and a past president of the Associated Schools of Construction; one of the founders, past trustee and vice-president of the American Council for Construction Education; and was named a fellow of the American Institute of Constructors.

Potts received Professor Emeritus Status in 1988, an honor that recognizes the many years of service and dedication to the university and the invaluable contributions to the school of construction and to the students.

The Endowed Professorship in Entrepreneurship was made possible from the Gannett Foundation. The professorship will allow the ULM Entrepreneurship Studies Center to provide another professor in the center. Funds will be used for professional development in entrepreneurship, for research and travel to professional meetings. Professors, selected from College of Business Administration, use the funds to develop further expertise in entrepreneurship. Professors attend the Price-Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Education held each spring at Babson College. The symposium is an international forum of entrepreneurial educators, made up of entrepreneurs and educators, who meet to share their knowledge with younger faculty.

"Dr. Paul Dunn, as Director of our Entrepreneurship Studies Center, along with several business faculty, has developed an outstanding entrepreneurship program. This professorship, the fourth in Entrepreneurship, will allow us to designate another highly-qualified faculty member to teach in the program. We sincerely appreciate the Gannett Foundation for making this Professorship possible," Dr. Ronald Berry, Interim Dean for the College of Business Administration said.

ULM now has nine $1 million Endowed Chairs, and a total of 49 Endowed Professorships, totaling 19.9 million in assets managed through the ULM foundation.

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