Newsroom

On Wednesday, the Louisiana Board of Regents appointed Kimberly Hunter Reed as the state’s ninth commissioner of higher education. Reed, a Southern University graduate, will provide collaborative leadership with the presidents of Louisiana's four systems of public postsecondary education — Southern, Louisiana State University, University of Louisiana, and Louisiana Community and Technical College System. She will lead Regents' efforts of statewide academic planning and review, budgeting and performance funding, research, and accountability.

 Today, officials from Southern University and A&M College (SUBR) and Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding signifying the agreement between the schools to facilitate the articulation of coursework and to provide a seamless transfer of BRCC Associate of Science (AS) students into the SUBR College of Sciences and Engineering to earn a Bachelor of Science (BS).

On Tuesday, Southern University officials, alumni, and supporters gathered at the A.W. Mumford Fieldhouse to break ground on the Tony Clayton Championship Plaza. “I hear everyone say to us, ‘thank you’ for what we’ve done. However, our gift is to say thank you to Southern University,” said Paula Clayton, who was surrounded by immediate family. “By giving back, it says ‘thank you’ to shaping us into who we are today.”

Southern University Career Services director, Tamara Foster-Montgomery, discusses the importance of attending career fairs and how the university has forged relationships with top companies, such as Exxon, Microsoft, and Procter & Gamble that continuously hire Southern University graduates. “Ninety to 100 companies come to the fall fair, and 60 to 75 in the spring,” Montgomery continued. “About 85% of the companies that consistently attend the career fairs have hired Southern students and graduates over the past five years.”

The Southern University System received a resolution for being a trailblazer in the HBCU community from both the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives during SU Day at the Capitol, held March 28. The resolution stated that the System provides “models of excellence in diversity, education, research, workforce solutions, and universal engagement by embracing its land-grant principle and thereby affecting change in and around the Southern University community.”

Southern University System President Ray L. Belton today praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the 2018 budget, which includes increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. "As president of an HBCU system that serves a vast, diverse student population, I can particularly appreciate this financial package," Belton said. "I commend the members of Congress, including those who serve in the HBCU Caucus and our Louisiana delegation, for their bipartisan work to ensure that our institutions and programs are beneficial to our students and communities."

We want to thank Southern University Alumni Federation Alumni President Cleo Brooks and the Seattle – Puget Sound Alumni chapter for making this transforming program a reality.

Southern University is vying to win a $50,000 campus improvement grant from the Home Depot Retool Your School program. Vote for the university online and by using the hashtag #SouthernU_RYS18 in Twitter and Instagram posts.

On Friday, Southern University officials, alumni and supporters, along with community leaders, convened to celebrate the establishment of the university’s Valdry Center for Philanthropy. Despite sporadic rain, the groundbreaking ceremony commenced on campus. “The sun is clearly shining on Southern University today,” said Ray L. Belton, Southern University System president and Baton Rouge campus chancellor.

The Southern University System will honor its founders on Wednesday, March 7 on the Baton Rouge campus. The 138th Annual Founders’ Day is themed, “Southern University: A Global Trailblazer Celebrating the Value and Power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.” Speakers and honorees will include attorneys who participated in the out-of-court settlement resulting from the 1980’s era case, The U.S. Department of Justice v. The State of Louisiana, also known as the “Consent Decree.”