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September 13, 2007

BOR present ULM with Endowed Professorship Awards Sept. 19

Members of the media are encouraged to attend an Endowed Professorship Awards presentation Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. in the Media Room, located on the sixth floor of the University of Louisiana at Monroe Library.

Joseph Savoie, Commissioner of Higher Education for the Louisiana Board of Regents, will present ULM President James Cofer with $40,000 toward each of two new ULM Endowed Professorships: the Louisiana Real Estate Commission Endowed Professorship in Finance and the Capital One Endowed Professorship in Mathematics.

In 1979 the Louisiana Real Estate Commission established a $25,000 endowment through the university's foundation to provide scholarships for students pursuing a major in Real Estate. With recent curriculum changes, students now have coursework in real estate, but obtain their Bachelor degree in Finance.

With this change and the knowledge that their investment, which had grown to $60,000, could be leveraged with the Board of Regents $40,000 match, the Commission unanimously voted to create the Louisiana Real Estate Commission Endowed Professorship in Finance.

Gretchen Ezernack, realtor with Faulk & Foster and the District IV Commissioner for the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, has been supportive in this endeavor, said Don Skelton, vice president of University of Advancement and External Affairs. "She was instrumental in facilitating the Commission's decision to establish the professorship," Skelton said.

The Commission's support is invaluable to future students, he added.

"Through this excellent investment in the College of Business Administration faculty, the Commission will impact generations of future students as beneficiaries of their faculty's enhanced instructional capabilities."

Capital One is also impacting ULM's future. Malcolm Maddox, the bank's regional chairperson, serves on the Executive Committee for the ULM Foundation Board of Trustees and has given much of his time to the university. His leadership influenced the bank’s decision to invest $60,000 to establish the endowed professorship. His support means a great deal to ULM, Skelton said.

"Maddox understands the importance of providing support for the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty," Skelton said. "Since mathematics is a core program of study for every college student, attracting and keeping highly-qualified faculty is critically important.

The Capital One Endowed Professorship in Mathematics will provide additional funds necessary to support the ever-evolving instructional tools and materials required for this area of higher learning."

ULM's Academic Affairs and the recipient Colleges will make selections for the future holders of the endowed professorships.

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