NEWS

It’s no wonder Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal highlighted Louisiana Tech on his visit to the university recently, stating that Tech is doing a great job of taking ideas out of the classroom and the laboratory and turning them into new jobs, new companies and new opportunities. The proof has been documented throughout the year, and the university’s News Bureau has compiled a list of the Top 10 stories.

Louisiana Tech’s Enterprise Campus dedicated

More than 150 people gathered to see Louisiana Tech’s research park, Enterprise Campus, dedicated.

Elected officials, faculty, staff, students and members of the community gathered for the dedication and groundbreaking for the first building of Enterprise Campus, Tech Pointe. Members of the University of Louisiana board also attended.

Enterprise Campus will serve as a home for high-tech companies looking to commercialize the intellectual and research strengths of Tech faculty and students. It will also house government entities that wish to partner with the university in research, education and training, and other business development activities.

Tech elevated to Tier 3 in U.S. News & World Report rankings

Louisiana Tech University has again been ranked among the nation’s best colleges and universities and has received a Tier 3 ranking by U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 Best Colleges report.

Nearly 1,500 colleges and universities from around the country were surveyed for the 2010 Best Colleges rankings. Survey criteria included peer assessment, retention, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rates and alumni giving.

Other Tier 3 universities in the region include Texas Tech University, University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, Oklahoma State University, and University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Louisiana Tech also ranked in the Top 10 in the nation for graduating students with the least amount of debt.

Tech ranked best among state’s public universities by Washington Monthly

Louisiana Tech achieved the state’s highest ranking among public colleges and universities, according to Washington Monthly’s 2009 National College Rankings.

Washington Monthly’s rankings are based on a school’s contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).

Tech categorized as a national leader in nanotechnology commercialization

For the third consecutive year, Louisiana Tech was recognized by Small Times magazine as an industry leader in micro and nanotechnology. The recently released 2009 university rankings place Tech at No. 7 in the nation for nanotechnology commercialization.

Small Times, one of the nation’s premier micro and nanotechnology industry publication, ranked Tech No. 3 in 2006 for nanotechnology education and in the Top 10 in 2007 for nanotechnology commercialization. Small Times also named Louisiana Tech’s Dr. Yuri Lvov its 2007 Innovator of the Year.

Louisiana Tech Eco Car makes Top 10 at Shell Eco Challenge

Louisiana Tech’s eco car, developed by a student and faculty team from the College of Engineering and Science, placed in the Top 10 of the Shell Eco Challenge and increased their mileage from last year by 50 percent with their prototype car earning 696.7 miles per gallon.

The team also built a second car that was designed to travel long distances on small amounts of fuel in an urban or “stop and go” city environment. The Tech team was only one of three teams to design a car for this “urban” competition.

University’s impact reaches throughout the state, study reveals

For every dollar the state spends at Louisiana Tech, there is a $7.73 state-wide rate of return for Louisiana, according to the results of a recent economic and community impact study.

The study, which started in October 2008, was conducted by the Applied Research Technology Corporation at Baton Rouge to determine Tech’s impact locally and statewide. According to the study, annual university spending accounts for $462.5 million spent in Louisiana and employs 4,745 individuals throughout the state with full-time non-university related jobs.

Tech enrollment up 3.1 percent from last year

Louisiana Tech’s total enrollment stands at 11,289 students for the fall 2009 which represents an addition of 339 students, an increase of 3.1 percent.

Also, Tech achieved a record graduate enrollment of 2,530, an increase of 9.3 percent.

Racing Form goes ‘Green,’ exclusively online

As part of Louisiana Tech’s ongoing efforts to conserve campus resources, the Office of the Registrar discontinued printing of the quarterly schedule of classes, named the “Racing Form.”

“The cost-cutting measure will save the University about $7,000 each year and will eliminate the 20,000 leftover Racing Forms that would need to be recycled,” University Registrar Bob Vento said.

Tech displays Dickens letters

The Kardatzke family loaned Louisiana Tech several valuable collectable items written by some of the world’s most famous authors, including two letters written by Charles Dickens and a 17th century biography of Queen Elizabeth with a copper plate engraving of the queen.

Lorna Kardatzke’s father, Frellsen Smith, taught English at Tech from 1938 to 1972. Kardatzke and her husband Jon visited Tech’s archives, located on the fourth floor of Prescott Memorial Library to see the Dickens letters displayed, along with other items they have loaned the university, including several other framed and matted letters written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Wordsworth and others.

Shaping the 21st Century series focuses on Latin America

Louisiana Tech’s spring Shaping the 21st Century: Focus on Latin America series spanned from March 19 to May 12. This was the university’s fourth Shaping the 21st Century installment, with previous series focusing on India, China and Russia.

“Latin America was chosen because we wanted to round out the BRIC countries,” said Bill Willoughby, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, speaking of Brazil, Russia, India and China, which are fast-growing, economically developing countries. “We felt in some ways we don’t know our neighbors to the south as much as we should.”

Written by Judith Roberts