As we close out the 2022 calendar year, I always take time to reflect on Louisiana Tech University’s accomplishments as well as prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the coming year. We also have the chance to remember all the hard work that our students, faculty, and staff have put into making this year successful.
Many of you see my Morning Walks photos on social media. Each morning, I walk around our beautiful campus – exploring the new and remembering the old – and I aim to share that experience through images. In the past year, Louisiana Tech has completed work on a new residence hall and the courtyard that ties together living and learning experiences for our students. We’ve finished intramural grounds to give the Tech Family the chance to relax and play – integral parts of the unparalleled educational experience Louisiana Tech offers.
We have also completed renovations in the Tech Table area of our Student Center and in the historic Tolliver Hall. Our dining services have grown to provide more options for our students, faculty, and staff, as well as the greater campus community. We’ve also opened a new state-of-the-art convenience store named Quick Eats right in Richardson Hall. This is the first of its kind on a college campus – a place where students can shop for essentials and pay for their purchases digitally without even opening their wallets.
The shopping innovation is only one way Louisiana Tech is testing new advances for college campuses. In the past year, we’ve installed new crosswalks over Tech Drive that are designed to improve safety for our students with elevation changes, flashing lights, and sound cues for local drivers. We’re also partnering with the City of Ruston on beginning work in our Enterprise Campus as a smart cities test bed.
Eventually, we will offer autonomous vehicles for our students’ transportation needs. The Enterprise Campus is also home for our newest building, Tech Pointe 2, that will be the home for more companies that will partner with us in research and workforce development. In Bossier City, we will soon be opening the new Louisiana Tech Research Institute facility that will support our expanding partnerships in the National Cyber Research Park.
This year, our campus has marked the 50th anniversaries of our programs in Nursing, Health Informatics and Information Management, Industrial Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering. We also renamed our Biomedical Engineering Building for Dr. Daniel D. Reneau to honor the former president who brought the vision of a groundbreaking academic program to Louisiana Tech.
Reflecting on the past year allows us to remember our supporters who engage with us in imagining the future of Louisiana Tech. With the support of our benefactors and assistance from our legislators, we have been able to begin the planning and design process for the Forest Products Innovation Center, the Student-Athlete Academic Center, and the George T. Madison Hall renovation. We look forward to the opportunities these facilities will offer for collaboration, innovation, and achievement.
To each of you, I’d like to express my thanks. Without the support and encouragement of members of our Tech Family, we would not be able to move Louisiana Tech forward and show so many students the transformational power of higher education.
Kathy and I wish you the best of holiday seasons and blessings in the New Year!
Dr. Les Guice | Louisiana Tech President