Technically ULS has no "Flagship" (+USN&WR)

[Cajunrunner]

Loved UL sports so much, he actively tried to strangle private donations and he hired a head football coach merely for political reasons. A head coach who won six games in three years, then sued the university costing loads of legal fees.

Yep. I feel the love.

[Boomer]

If you don't see the growth under his watch, I can't help you. Wasn't he the one who pushed through the name change? He was the one who realized endowments were severely lacking and pursued outside funding sources. He also used his relationship with John Breaux and Bennett Johnson to get our research park off the ground. UL aggressively fought for Federal dollars and did quite well. He also aggressively solicited professor endowments which had a 40% state match. We are way ahead of all the other ULS schools in this regard. Was he a tight wad? Absolutely, and he ____ed off many a professor with his micro management, but he is the main reason we are not looked at like Southeastern and the rest. Want to see what gross mismanagement looks like? Look no further than UNO. That school had been decimated by poor leadership and is a shell of its former self.
AS for athletics, his micro management style clashed with the inherent corruption that pervades college sports. He should have let Terry Don run the program as he saw fit and trust him that he would not get UL on probation again. He did not and we languished as he looked for people who would answer to him. But make no mistake, the guy loved UL sports and was a vocal fan at the games I saw him at.

.........I guess the biggest compliment is that he did get UL to a top standing of Louisiana system schools in spite of the _____ing from the other schools in the system and the complaints of the LSU and Southern boards......and the political connect from certain administrators that changed the whole ball game with research facilities......also local political ties (Sonny Mouton) to get things done that really upset the others.......this Fed/state combo to me was the difference maker!

[CajunVic]

Loved UL sports so much, he actively tried to strangle private donations and he hired a head football coach merely for political reasons. A head coach who won six games in three years, then sued the university costing loads of legal fees.

Yep. I feel the love.

The TOOTH PIK keeps poking the bear, even when he is finally gone.

[MetryCajun]

Loved UL sports so much, he actively tried to strangle private donations and he hired a head football coach merely for political reasons. A head coach who won six games in three years, then sued the university costing loads of legal fees.

Yep. I feel the love.

He foolishly listened to Blanco and others that an African American coach would be beneficial to the program. The Baldwin fiasco is easily his biggest failure and he should rightfully be blamed.

[basinbear]

Oh the stories I could tell......I have very few, if any problems with the way Doc A handled Academics.....athletics on the other hand.....

[Turbine]

If you don't see the growth under his watch, I can't help you. Wasn't he the one who pushed through the name change? He was the one who realized endowments were severely lacking and pursued outside funding sources. He also used his relationship with John Breaux and Bennett Johnson to get our research park off the ground. UL aggressively fought for Federal dollars and did quite well. He also aggressively solicited professor endowments which had a 40% state match. We are way ahead of all the other ULS schools in this regard. Was he a tight wad? Absolutely, and he ____ed off many a professor with his micro management, but he is the main reason we are not looked at like Southeastern and the rest. Want to see what gross mismanagement looks like? Look no further than UNO. That school had been decimated by poor leadership and is a shell of its former self.
AS for athletics, his micro management style clashed with the inherent corruption that pervades college sports. He should have let Terry Don run the program as he saw fit and trust him that he would not get UL on probation again. He did not and we languished as he looked for people who would answer to him. But make no mistake, the guy loved UL sports and was a vocal fan at the games I saw him at.

I know Dr. Authement loved athletics, I saw him at many a football practice.

He also didn't trust people a lot and tried to make himself Athletic Director.

UL's student body grew for most of his first 10 years and was stagnate for most of his last 20.
I think the plateau was due in part to UL losing it advertising moxie, aka athletics focus.

jmo

[covcaj]

I was in graduate school from 1970-72 and Graduate School rep on the SGA my last year. I was appointed to be the SGA rep on the Athletics Committee, which was made up of administrators, faculty, and the student rep. As far as I can remember, we met only once and did nothing all year. However, in the one meeting, Authemont stated emphatically that, if there was a surplus in the athletic budget, it would be put into the academic side because, "I am an academician." This was when USL was packing them into Blackham for basketball and football was having a good year (played in the Grantland Rice Bowl.) I assure you, Authemont had no use for athletics and his tenure proves it.

[Redgineer]

The net growth by UL in past two years is more than LTURd's best year.....ever. We are now lapping them 3x per year....working on lap #4.

Very Flagshippy

From this day forward, I will use flagshippy to define anything that is great, huge, bigly, etc.

[CharlieK]

And I think another president could have just as easily put us on a similar path as Southeastern or McNeese. Remember, he was hired internally. USL was not conducting national searches to find the best administrators. Could someone have done better? Probably, but most would have done worse.
Anyway, what is important is how we move forward. I am happy to see the organization TJoe has put together. I am not as optimistic as some of you that we will be a major academic/athletic power, But I think Tier 1 research status and a Top 50 athletic program are attainable in the next 5-10 years.

A top 50 athletic program with Tier 1 research status doesn't equate to an athletic/academic power? There are like 350 division 1 schools. Being in the top 50 athletically while also maintaining the highest research level would be the definition of a an Athletic/Academic power I would think.

[Cajun90]

I was in graduate school from 1970-72 and Graduate School rep on the SGA my last year. I was appointed to be the SGA rep on the Athletics Committee, which was made up of administrators, faculty, and the student rep. As far as I can remember, we met only once and did nothing all year. However, in the one meeting, Authemont stated emphatically that, if there was a surplus in the athletic budget, it would be put into the academic side because, "I am an academician." This was when USL was packing them into Blackham for basketball and football was having a good year (played in the Grantland Rice Bowl.) I assure you, Authemont had no use for athletics and his tenure proves it.

I saw him at plenty of athletic events like others have stated but with that said I also have heard first hand stories similar to yours. He just didn't have any vision for us to compete at any level beyond the state. He was also a micro manager when it came to fund raising. I personally was witness to that and it wasn't just athletics. You didn't go around asking for money without his permission.

I think part of the problem was the circumstances he arrived under. Keep in mind that he came to be president only because of the basketball scandal. Basketball was dead and the only thing he was concerned with was how to clean up the mess that got dumped in his lap. One of the ways to do that was to make sure booster influence was limited.

[Policarp]

From this day forward, I will use flagshippy to define anything that is great, huge, bigly, etc.

😎😎😎😎😎

[CharlieK]

I always thought the whole flagship thing was childish and ridiculous. You are what you are. We are far and away the top academic institution in our system, and second in the state only to LSU. Whether or not the rest of this backward ___ state thinks we are or wants to pretend that they are on our level doesn't matter. There is no stopping this train.