Recent donors who established endowments at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette were inducted into the Foundation’s Distinguished Donor Hall of Honor Wednesday night. The inductees established 15 new endowments including one endowed chair, 11 endowed professorships and three endowed scholarships at UL Lafayette.
These endowments are represented each with a plaque in the Distinguished Donor Hall of Honor at Martin Hall. This year’s additions bring the total number of plaques in the Hall to 227. Each plaque includes the names of the donors and represents a contribution of $50,000 or more for endowed chairs, professorships, scholarships, athletics and faculty development funds.
“ It’s always a pleasure to recognize our generous donors who place these investments in the UL Lafayette Foundation,”said Julie Falgout, Foundation director. “The Distinguished Donor Hall of Honor represents the giving nature of this community and this state and each year we are grateful to these donors who have given so unselfishly to UL Lafayette.”
The Distinguished Donor Hall of Honor recognizes private gifts given to the university. These gifts, usually in the form of endowed chairs, professorships or scholarships, generate funds in perpetuity.
The principal from the endowment remains in a perpetual fund that continues to increase while earned income is distributed as dedicated for student scholarships, professor salaries or research supplements.
Through the Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund, the state matches funds raised by the university for endowed chairs and professorships. For every $600,000 UL Lafayette receives for an endowed chair, the state matches $400,000, bringing each chair to $1 million. Likewise, for every $60,000 UL Lafayette receives for a professorship, the state provides a $40,000 match, bringing each professorship to $100,000.
“ It’s wonderful when individuals take pride in this university by establishing an endowment which lives on forever,” said Ray Authement, UL Lafayette president. “These donations affect the lives of students and faculty for many years to come whether that support comes in the form of a scholarship or supplemental funds for research.”
Honored Wednesday were the donors who established:
• Acadiana Bottling Endowed Professorship in Marketing
• Elias “Bo” Ackal Jr. Endowed Professorship in Political Science, established through the generosity of the Haynie Family Foundation
• Ken Ardoin and Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Endowed Professorship in Business Administration
• Emily Cyr Bridges Endowed Museum Curator Professorship
• Francis Broussard Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Petroleum Engineering
• E. J. Chatelain Endowed Professorship in Business Administration
• Dr. and Mrs. Sammie W. Cosper Endowed Professorship in Physics
• Dr. G. Louis and Mary B. Coussan Endowed Scholarship
• Dr. Glynn A. Granger Endowed Professorship in Pre-Medicine
• Lafayette General Medical Center Endowed Professorship in Nursing II
• Mr. and Mrs. E.P. “Pat” Nalley Endowed Professorships in Business Administration 2004 and 2005
• Philip and Jean Piccione Endowed Professorship in Statistics I
• Dudley Joseph Plaisance Sr. Memorial Endowed Professorships in Health Care Administration and Nursing
• Stokes and Spiehler -George W. Stokes Endowed Scholarship in Petroleum Engineering
• Moody Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Business Development.