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On Campus In brief

At its founding in 1921, the College of Liberal Arts was Southwestern Louisiana Institute’s largest college. It was also SLI’s only college.

A century later, that’s no longer the case. UL Lafayette has eight academic colleges. But the College of Liberal Arts has stayed true to its founding principles, wrote Dr. Jordan Kellman, the college’s dean, in a foreword to A Century of Scholarship: 100 Years of Liberal Arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The book chronicles the college’s development against the backdrop of a century of immense social and technological change.

“Engaging in deep discussions of what is most important, creating a culture of reflection and intellectual creativity, preparing students to be outstanding professionals and thoughtful citizens, and good people – the college has never wavered in its dedication to these core values,” Kellman wrote.

Ann B. Dobie and Leslie D. Schilling are the book’s authors. It was published as part of the college’s yearlong centennial celebration and is available from UL Press. To order, visit ulpress.org.

Photo credit: Doug Dugas

UL Lafayette has joined the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, the first member of the global network of French-speaking universities and research institutions in the U.S.

AUF includes members in 122 countries where French is spoken. Its influence is substantial. AUF is the official higher education representative – and voice – for the Sommet de la Francophonie, the international conference of heads of state of Francophone countries.

Dr. Jordan Kellman, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said membership in AUF reflects UL Lafayette’s status “as arguably the only university in the country that has such a deep relationship between the Francophone interests at the University and the surrounding French-speaking community.”

Illustration: Courtney Jeffries

A psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences is addressing the rising national demand for mental care providers.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 7,000 practitioners are needed nationwide to meet communities’ needs for psychiatric mental health care.

“It’s so important that we educate and get trained psych mental health nurse practitioners into the field so that we can see more patients because access just isn’t there the way it should be,” said Dr. Abby McNeil, an assistant professor in the college’s LHC Group • Myers School of Nursing.

The 48-credit-hour psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration prepares licensed registered nurses to take an integrated behavioral health care approach to assess, diagnose and develop treatment plans for patients, from childhood through adulthood.

Psychiatric mental health certified nurse practitioners can provide treatment through telehealth, hospitals or their own clinics.

“When these nurses graduate, they can expect to use everything they learned in getting their education,” McNeil added. “When you’re approaching someone who has psychiatric illness, you have to take a holistic approach.”

The Hilliard Art Museum – University of Louisiana at Lafayette has earned accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. Fewer than 6% of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums have earned the nonprofit alliance’s stamp of approval. The AAM is the only organization that represents the entire museum field.

Director LouAnne Greenwald said “accreditation raises the bar for The Hilliard Art Museum.”

“It signals to potential lenders of artworks that we operate by best practices, that their artworks will be well cared for at our museum. It’s another feather in the cap for our University and demonstrates UL Lafayette’s commitment to art as a part of the academic experience,” she said.

Photo credit: Doug Dugas

As a student, faculty member and assistant dean, Carolyn Dural was a mainstay in H.L. Griffin Hall, home of the College of Liberal Arts. A memorial plaza planned for green space near Griffin will ensure that the beloved figure’s influence on the college isn’t forgotten.

Dural died in 2020. Last year, the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors approved UL Lafayette’s request for the memorial plaza. Plans for the site include a large, aluminum sculpture of interlocking red hearts at its center. Construction is expected to begin soon.

The plaza isn’t the only tribute the college has made to her. It established the Carolyn Dural Memorial Fund to support students participating in the University’s Study Abroad program in France and to create a faculty advising award. The college also produced a book-length tribute to Dural published by UL Press; proceeds will go to the scholarship fund.

Dural earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in French from the University. She later taught French before joining the college’s administration.

UL Lafayette is – smartly – preparing petroleum engineering majors for jobs in an evolving oil and gas industry.

The College of Engineering has launched the nation’s first smart oilfield concentration for petroleum engineering majors. It integrates the current petroleum engineering degree program’s sub-surface expertise with smart drilling, machine learning and data analytics.

“It’s part of our comprehensive plan to address conventional and renewable energy by providing cutting-edge degree programs, minors and concentrations that augment our traditional energy base and meet industry and community needs,” said Dr. Ahmed Khattab, the college’s dean.

The smart oilfield concentration features a blend of courses and labs that focus on coding, statistics, machine learning, automation, predictive capabilities, carbon capture, fluid dynamics, smart drilling and the economic feasibility of exploration in specific locations.

The curriculum was developed with input from professionals who work in an industry that has “undergone a significant transformation in recent years,” said Dr. Rafael Hernandez of the Department of Petroleum Engineering.

“It now relies on a system of sensors, networks and integrated operations that generate and communicate field and data analyses to ensure more environmentally friendly, safe and cost-efficient oil exploration, production and management,” he said.

Photo credit: Doug Dugas

“You are listening to the 88.3 voice on your radio dial – KRVS, the radio voice of the University of Southwestern Louisiana.”

For listeners, the station break was a familiar one. But early in KRVS’ existence, there weren’t that many listeners to hear it. That’s because the station – which marks its 60th year in 2023 – broadcast at just 10 watts, barely strong enough to be heard beyond the campus’ edge.

Times have changed, but some things haven’t. Though it now broadcasts at 88.7 FM, its call letters KRVS still stand for “Radio Voice of Southwestern” – an homage to the University’s name when the station launched in 1963 – and the station remains devoted to the people, culture, language and music of south Louisiana, said Cheryl Devall, its general manager.

“In its first 60 years, KRVS has grown from a low-power student station to a 100,000-watt NPR affiliate, with a broadcast signal that reaches from Lafayette to Lake Charles and a global digital presence,” Devall said.

KRVS Radio Acadie is planning special programs and promotions throughout its anniversary year, so tune your dial to 88.7 FM or listen in at krvs.org to learn more.

These articles first appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of La Louisiane, The Magazine of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.