Chancellor David P. Manuel
Message from the Chancellor (March 5, 2010)
Everyday we are alerted to the increasing connectivity in our world. Indeed, technology has not only been the ‘great equalizer of resource scarcity’ in the world, but it has connected people and communities more rapidly than ever before. This connectivity via a variety of technology-mediated vehicles has improved communication, shortened the lag in emergency notifications and enabled people to connect via ‘social networking’ mechanisms. A related benefit of this technology infusion has been the enhancement of international and multicultural endeavors on the university campus. I deliberately use the word “enhancement” to describe the role of technology; fundamentally, internationalization and improved multicultural dimensions at the university are people-centered. This personal interaction of students, faculty, staff and community leaders of varying cultural and professional backgrounds is fundamental to achieving the goals of a diverse university campus.
At LSU Alexandria, our commitment and goals of diversity, a multicultural environment and an international university, are articulated in the LSUA Strategic Plan as:
- Internationalization of the curricula and the University will be pursued via a variety of vehicles; e. g. exchange agreements, curriculum infusion, travel-study courses, and collaborations with partner universities.
- A modern university must prepare students to participate in a diverse world; LSUA will improve the diversity of its students, faculty, staff and curricula to reflect such a world.
Our commitment to a multicultural university environment is evidenced in an array of initiatives and activities that celebrate the diversity of Central Louisiana. At the annual community-wide Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon we host scores of community leaders to campus to celebrate regional diversity and the life of Dr. King. A regional compliment to this event is the regular campus appearances by members of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Nation who are native to Central Louisiana. These events are important linkages to the region’s diversity and enable LSU Alexandria to widen our students’ perspectives on the significance of diversity as a complement to their undergraduate education. Fortunately faculty and students embrace this diversity as an important teaching opportunity, as evidenced by the Geo-Awareness Multicultural Fair in which regional elementary school students are invited to campus to participate in a series of educational projects that widen their understanding of the world in which we live.
The LSU Alexandria commitment to internationalization is a growing endeavor best evidenced by the students who choose to attend LSUA from countries other than the United States. Currently students from sixteen countries have joined us to pursue their undergraduate careers, and we have taken several opportunities to welcome them and highlight the heritage of their respective homelands. They contribute to the quality of university life and provide us with a breadth of perspectives that we otherwise would not have. Furthermore, during the fall 2009 semester LSUA was pleased to host Visiting Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Marija Knezevic, from the University of Montenegro.
All of these endeavors enrich the LSU Alexandria learning environment and enhance the quality of our student body. There is much more that we can pursue and we will continue to expand these multicultural and international initiatives in order to enliven our curricula, to prepare our students for their role in a global marketplace and to serve as an example of diversity in action. To view a few memorable moments celebrating our diverse, multicultural and international environment, please view:
Thank you.
Revised: 3/5/2010