LSU Scholarship First bus tour stops at Pineville site where LSU began
The LSU Scholarship First bus tour with President William Tate made a scheduled stop Monday at the site in Pineville where the state’s flagship university had its beginnings in 1860 as Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy.
LSU wouldn’t exist today without the people of Central Louisiana, Tate told an assembled crowd. LSU had its humble beginnings in Central Louisiana to become a statewide economic jargon juggernaut with an impact of $6.1 billion this year, he said.
LSU Alexandria, part of the LSU system, has a $109 million economic impact in the region as well as the state.
Tate wants people to understand that when the state legislature invested in LSU and their Scholarship First agenda, every dime manifested into a tremendous impact for the state.
“It is never just frivolously wasted. It is actually creating jobs. People with different skill sets. People who are saving lives. People who are growing things. People who are making a difference in our coasts. People who are making a difference in terms of the energy sector,” he said.
The Scholarship First agenda for LSU is about agriculture, biomedical sciences, coastal sciences defense including ROTC and cyber and energy, said Tate.
The physical structure of the original university does not exist anymore at the site located on U.S. 71 across from the Alexandria VA Medical Center.
“Our physical structures sometimes are fleeting, but our pursuit of knowledge and the truth is lasting, and that impact is what makes LSU so special,” said Tate.
Tate is traveling across the state to learn about some of the state’s key industries, listen to the people and visit alumni and elected officials.
A big part of a university is being a teaching and learning environment, he said.
“But we're not just delivering the teaching and learning. A big part of what we should be doing is learning from people and then applying what we know and making the university better,” said Tate.
They know that healthcare, agriculture, biomedical sciences, coastal research, defense such as cyber and ROTC, and energy are important, but they want to see what other areas they should be looking into.
"The only way we're going to find that out is to come out, talk to people, let them know we're listening and we care,” he said. “We want to make a difference in their lives and what are you most excited about learning on this tour.”
The initial cost to build the original campus in Pineville and employ faculty was $105,000, said Tate. The $105,000 investment is worth about $3 million adjusted for inflation today, said Tate.
That initial investment is now worth $6.1 billion.
“That's equivalent to about $14 for every dollar the state invests into LSU,” he said, adding that it’s an extremely powerful investment.
But it’s more than about money, he said. “It's about people. It's literally transforming the lives of people."
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: LSU Scholarship First bus tour stops at Pineville site where LSU began
