UL Presidential Selection Process

[Zeebart21]

Of course I'm new but EVER since I started to read and participate on these forums ALL I have ever heard is complaining about Dr. A. I know nothing about the man and have no opinion. It just seems like people are never satisfied. Everyone wants him to retire, I constantly read he is the reason the athletics are behind. Now I read he is the reason they are not? Which is it?

Mrs P. we are on the verge of some major stuff here! We are ravenous fans! Lots of specualtion, inuendo, and bravado....Males = testosterone....its all good.

University of Louisiana Football in approx. 120 days!

It will be amazing!

Z.

[lcitsh]

_ Everything on boards is exaggerated. We only complain about things we don't have instead of appreciation of the things we do have. That is a very common malady of all fans. _

Well, not everything.
I'll go a little further and say that some peoples' lives are not complete without complaining about something.

[MissingMandy]

_ Well, not everything.
I'll go a little further and say that some peoples' lives are not complete without complaining about something. _

Well let's change it!! Then perhaps the masses will follow and want to know what the excitement is about!!! Humbly speaking of course. I AM excited ...can't wait for the next few years. Perhaps the new Pres. will be great...who really knows. Continue venting.....must be a male thing. LOL Great night to all of you!.

[Cajun Express]

_ Well, not everything.
I'll go a little further and say that some peoples' lives are not complete without complaining about something. _

I know words like everything,all, everyone, always, etc are hyperbole in this context. I think you get my meaning. Don't tell me you have never complained about what you don't have instead of being thankful for the things that you do have. That would IMO not be a normal person. Everyone I have known on an intimate long term basis has engaged in such behavior at least on some occasions.

_ John T. Landry _

My ideal candidate would be in their late thirties, or early forties with a background of loyalty to this university. I would not want some person looking to put a notch in their resume on their way to bigger and better things.......

[Duggie35]

_ I am talking WKU, FIU, FAU, UNT as the group that have passed us up. I am not talking about the BCS schools..... _

I think Dr. A. is given way too much blame for the less than ideal budget provided to the UL athletic department as compared to other universities of our stature. I'm also quite sure that Dr. A. would probably do a few things different if he could go back in time and have a second chance. As we all know, hindsite is always 20/20!!!

However, until "WE" the "FANS" step up and donate more money, I don't think there is much of anything that Dr. A. (or whomever the new Pres. ends up being) can do. The money must come from somewhere!!!

The real problem here in Louisiana that has stunted our growth is the limit in funds and student fees that can be generated in-house and utilized for athletics. That (in my opinion) is the biggest reason UL has been left behind by other schools in our situation. In my opiniomn, our Legislator's are as much to blame for our funding problems as is our President.

Although I don't have a lot of extra income, I plan on making an effort to give a little more than I have in the past. Hopefully, others will do the same. There is no substitute for CASH!!!!!!!!!!!

[USLJim]

_ _

I salute Dr. Authement for his Love and Loyalty for OUR UNIVERSITY. He made the academics at UL better for our kids to stay home and bring in kids from afar. His vision was way beyond sports but saying that, he challenged the community to make this a self supporting athletic program and WE FAILED AS A COMMUNITY TO APPRECIATE ALL THE TALENT THAT HAS PASSED THROUGH OUR HALLOWED HALLS. We do have some great moments in college athletics, but too many people give up and trade in their loyalties for greener pastures instead of help in buidling UL's program. Too many jump ship for the so called big time programs to make themselves fell good about themselves and to brag how they are so and so supporters instead of being loyal to their alma mater.
I get frustrated but I will never give in and be loyal to another university.

Dr. A did not give up on the NAME CHANGE, something that has already benefitted our undergraduates with much needed research monies, look at the new construction on campus, something a lot of out of town alums don't even know about or seem to care about learning. I have many buddies who don't follow the progress of UL and that is a shame. I owe so much to this University and to the people who helped me graduate. I have friends that will last til the day I die. My home is Lafayette, the city I have learned to love despite the politics and traffic problems and HIGH COST of owning real estate. Had to throw that in. LOL
Until you have met with Dr. A and talked to him about his goals, then you do not really know this man's love and responsibilities to the students who attend UL. Knowing him has been a honor, visiting with him has been a learned lesson in LA. Politics. What he has had to put up with with LA.Politics is short of miraculous. God and Dr. A only knows the minds of those fools.
I am honored he gave me the time to talk with him and let me ask him questions. He is truly a Cajun Gentleman and #1 Cajun in my book always.

Thank you Dr. Authement.

Geaux Cajuns

[rhineaux]

_ All true. The day is finally here. Now what do we do? Many don't want an insider, but haven't clearly weighed the risks of an outsider. Just because you are tired of the brunette you are with, doesn't mean all blondes are better.

I wonder if there is an alum that has built up the necessary credentials outside of the Louisiana system, that might both have his heart in the right place, and his head? _

that all being said, the more i think about it, the more i think we should not even include anyone already working for UL. Its not that i think that a Steve Landry or someone equal to him, can't do a good job. But, there has been the same administration in Martin Hall for mroe than 30 years. To have RA's successor be someone who has been there for 15-20 years would mean that not a whole lot would change. I know that just because an outsider is brought in doesn't mean that they'll automatically do a good job or be successful. but, just as i said earlier, UL under RA is the only UL I know, and its the only UL that a lot of people know, including Steve Landry, etal. therefore i think its important to for someone to come in here and lead UL, not someone who is gonna take over RA's job. It is important that we take advatage of being able to work in some new views, thoughts, and ideas. not the same old "brother-in-law" practices that have ruled this state for many years. and, if we were replacing a Pres who had only been here for 10 years or so, then i may feel different. but the stagnant feeling around campus needs to change, and i thik bringing in someone new will help shake things up.

[Kal]

_ that all being said, the more i think about it, the more i think we should not even include anyone already working for UL. Its not that i think that a Steve Landry or someone equal to him, can't do a good job. But, there has been the same administration in Martin Hall for mroe than 30 years. To have RA's successor be someone who has been there for 15-20 years would mean that not a whole lot would change. I know that just because an outsider is brought in doesn't mean that they'll automatically do a good job or be successful. but, just as i said earlier, UL under RA is the only UL I know, and its the only UL that a lot of people know, including Steve Landry, etal. therefore i think its important to for someone to come in here and lead UL, not someone who is gonna take over RA's job. It is important that we take advatage of being able to work in some new views, thoughts, and ideas. not the same old "brother-in-law" practices that have ruled this state for many years. and, if we were replacing a Pres who had only been here for 10 years or so, then i may feel different. but the stagnant feeling around campus needs to change, and i thik bringing in someone new will help shake things up. _

I agree. I thank Dr. A (as much as I've griped about him) for his contributions to this university. One thing about Dr. A was that he always made sure this university was never in debt. Every project had all or close to all of its funding prior to construction. I would like to see our academic improvements continue to grow. However, I would like someone who is young and has great aspirations to push this university to places it hasn't ever been. A large part of that falls on athletics, and while I am eager to see what a new president will do for our athletics program, I don't want to see UL take a step back in academics to get it. My main concern is to have a president that much like gerald hebert, is primed and ready to bring this university to the masses. I want to see the biggest advertising campaign ever to help attract the surrounding parishes into supporting the university. There's alot of fans outside of Lafayette and we need to capitalize on them before some other school does. One of the things that I want to see is a totally redesigned approach to recruiting high school kids (students not athletes). Many local students see UL as the home town school (which it is), but not as the great academic institution that has become world renown. Some of these kids, like my sister, just don't believe that UL is far enough away from home to enjoy the college experience. We have to promote UL as a community within itself and an college experience that will rival that of any other school. It's going to take a special person to fill this role. Good luck with the search.

[AstroCajun]

I think Dr. A. is given way too much blame for the less than ideal budget provided to the UL athletic department as compared to other universities of our stature. I'm also quite sure that Dr. A. would probably do a few things different if he could go back in time and have a second chance. As we all know, hindsite is always 20/20!!!

However, until "WE" the "FANS" step up and donate more money, I don't think there is much of anything that Dr. A. (or whomever the new Pres. ends up being) can do. The money must come from somewhere!!!

The real problem here in Louisiana that has stunted our growth is the limit in funds and student fees that can be generated in-house and utilized for athletics. That (in my opinion) is the biggest reason UL has been left behind by other schools in our situation. In my opiniomn, our Legislator's are as much to blame for our funding problems as is our President.

Although I don't have a lot of extra income, I plan on making an effort to give a little more than I have in the past. Hopefully, others will do the same. There is no substitute for CASH!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd say you nailed it.

The problem is us. The sooner we stop looking for the bogey man in Martin Hall or Baton Rouge the better.

[NewsCopy]

Everyone involved in the UL athletic program owes school president Ray Authement a huge debt of gratitude. So do most of the teams in the Sun Belt Conference. Without him, it's very possible that a lot of current league members might still be floating around looking for a home. At the very least, they'd be mired in a conference that's not on the level that the Sun Belt currently enjoys. Authement was part of the delegation from the old American South Conference that made trips to places like South Alabama and Western Kentucky nearly two decades ago. It was his task to persuade those and other schools - schools left behind when original Sun Belt members UAB, Charlotte, South Florida and others bolted for Conference USA - to join with the American South programs. It took some convincing. But now, the Sun Belt is playing Division I-A football, is part of the NCAA's management hierarchy and the BCS, and is established as a league respected nationally in several sports. Authement should be proud of his role in league history. But, like his many other accomplishments in almost 34 years as UL's top man, they're rarely celebrated. He's not the type to brag about what he's done, preferring instead to play up the accolades of the university as a whole. The rest of the story Dan McDonald

[NewsCopy]

Days after his unexpected retirement announcement, UL President Ray Authement said his future plans involve the university that has been a part of his life for the past 50 years. "I will raise money for the university," he said Monday. "The Foundation has grown from $400,000 to $140 million. I'm somewhat enchanted with raising big money and hope to continue to do that." Authement announced his retirement Friday after serving as president for nearly 34 years during the UL System Board meeting held on his campus. He didn't grant interview requests from reporters after the announcement. He sat down for an interview Monday afternoon after an event at Dupré Library that heralded the university's millionth volume and the contributions of Edith Garland Dupré, the library's namesake. "I was not going to leave until this one millionth volume," Authement said, joking with the crowd. "It took a volume a day to make it." Authement also has humor for the speculations he imagined are circulating about the timing of his retirement. The rest of the story Marsha Sills msills@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

LAFAYETTE — In 1957, a young Ray Authement taught calculus at Southwestern Louisiana Institute in a metal lab building with no air-conditioning. “We taught in really substandard conditions,” Authement said. “I’d walk out of that calculus class with water in my shoes, because it was so warm. But there were some outstanding, outstanding students that I worked with.” Fifty years later, that small, rural campus — with no computer — has blossomed into a large, urban research university. And it now boasts one of the world’s most powerful graphics supercomputers in its recently opened Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise. For 34 years, Authement has been at the helm of what is now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He announced his retirement Friday, then spent Tuesday morning conducting his first media interviews since. While the university has made great strides in the past six decades, it still maintains some of the original “family” atmosphere that lets students know they are important, Authement said. Perhaps the most important move made by ULL in those years was during the oil bust of the 1980s, Authement said. As companies that had played such a large role in the region’s economy began shutting down, the university realized it could play a role, Authement said. “We decided we were going to help create jobs and opportunities,” he said. The rest of the story KEVIN BLANCHARD Advocate Acadiana bureau