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Louisiana Tech Summer Commencement marked a special occasion for Geormar Owens, Tech’s College of Business, Grambling State University, and Deloitte. Owens became the very first graduate to have benefitted from a unique initiative that provides GSU accounting undergraduates with accelerated entry into Tech’s Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program.

Owens first learned about this partnership while enrolled as an accounting major at Grambling. Although he was slightly hesitant at first, he knew this was an opportunity that would set him up for future success.

“I knew that taking graduate level courses at Louisiana Tech while taking my senior undergraduate courses at Grambling would be challenging,” said Owens, who had set a personal goal as a freshman to graduate with honors.

“I did not want to jeopardize that,” he said. “I realized, though, this could be a great chance for me to pursue a graduate degree and open up more networking opportunities, both personally and professionally. I wanted to be the first to complete this program so I could use my experience to encourage others to participate.”

Owens has done just that over the course of his two years at Tech, serving as an ambassador for the program to current Grambling accounting students.

“Once students complete their undergraduate degree, they are well on their way to completing their graduate degree in accounting,” Owens said. “For me, I was optimistic about finishing my master’s degree because by the time the fall quarter started, I was halfway through the concurrent MAcc program.”

Now, Owens is preparing to begin a fulltime role as a tax consultant for Deloitte—the same company that made a large investment in the program’s success. Deloitte’s 2021 investment through scholarship support funds the cost of tuition and graduate assistantships for students in the program.

Owens and other members of his cohort have also had the opportunity to network with Deloitte’s leadership, like Stephen Metoyer, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for Deloitte Tax LLP and a Tech alumnus.

“You hear people say ‘representation matters.’ I felt that phrase as I listened to Mr. Metoyer discuss his journey from Louisiana Tech to entering the corporate world,” said Owens. “His words had a positive impact on me. To see someone who looks like me in the position he’s in, encouraging me to complete my program and stay the path, was inspiring.”

Owens also received encouragement along the way from his professors and Dr. Chris Martin, dean of the College of Business.

“Dr. Andrea Drake and Dr. Martin have been exceptional during my entire academic journey at Louisiana Tech,” said Owens. “During my first meeting with Dr. Martin, he said I would always be able to discuss with him any issues that arose. He was true to his word. There was never a time that I had a question about anything that I was not able to receive sound advice from him.”

As the program continues to grow and impact more students, Owens can rest assured that he has paved the way for others coming after him—graduates who are highly qualified professionals who will diversify the accounting workforce.

“This initiative showcases the quality of students from both universities,” Owens said. “I was prepared by Grambling State University to attend Louisiana Tech University. Louisiana Tech further prepared me for the employment opportunity I have received with Deloitte. The courses I have taken through the MAcc program and the professors I have had will be instrumental in me being able to do my job competently.”

The concurrent MAcc program allows Tech College of Business accounting majors with a 3.2 GPA and less than 30 hours of coursework remaining to begin taking graduate-level courses while still an undergraduate. Through an MOU, Grambling students meeting these same requirements can also begin the Tech program concurrently while maintaining fulltime undergraduate status at GSU.

For more information about this initiative, visit business.latech.edu/grambling-macc.

About the College of BusinessThrough market-responsive academic programs, impactful scholarship, and a student-focused culture, Louisiana Tech University’s College of Business graduates business and academic leaders who are innovative, entrepreneurially minded, and analytically and technologically skilled for a globally competitive marketplace. Building on a vibrant community of life-long learners, our graduates are prepared to positively impact business and society. Accredited by AACSB International, the College offers eight undergraduate degree programs in addition to the master of business administration, master of accountancy, and doctor of business administration. For more information, visit business.latech.edu.

Louisiana Tech University has a new president and Grambling State University has lost its president in a blockbuster University of Louisiana System board meeting Wednesday night.

The board, which oversees nine universities, tapped current University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson for the Tech job, as expected, but it also decided to replace Henderson as system leader with current Grambling President Rick Gallot.

Both moves were made without conducting competitive searches after the board voted to suspend its rules requiring competitive searches.

Most members of the board had been set to name Henderson last month to replace retiring Tech President Les Guice, but postponed the hiring until Wednesday to allow for public input and apparently to tap Gallot for a quick replacement.

Tech and Grambling are Lincoln Parish neighbors located less than 10 miles apart.

"It's hard to contain my excitement," Henderson said during a public interview Wednesday.

“Louisiana Tech is an exceptional institution with global impact," Henderson has said. "My family’s relationship with the university began more than 80 years ago and continues today. Succeeding President Guice and working with faculty, staff, students and alumni to lead Tech into its next era of excellence is an enticing prospect personally and professionally."

Henderson has served as the system president since 2017.

Gallot has served as his alma mater's president since 2016 and has shepherded consistent enrollment increases and a 200% increase in the university's fiscal health score, according to GSU.

Before that Gallot practiced law and served in both the Louisiana Senate and House.

Grambling is one of America's signature Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity and look forward to serving more than 80,000 students across nine universities," Gallot said after the board announced his hiring.

Henderson has a long career in Louisiana higher education leadership.

Before joining the system as its president, Henderson was president of his alma mater Northwestern State University. His first higher education leadership role came as president of Bossier Parish Community College.

Henderson was one of three finalists for the presidency of LSU in 2021 before the LSU Board of Supervisors chose William Tate.

Henderson's late parents, Clem and Martha, were both Tech graduates, with Clem Henderson playing for legendary football Coach Joe Aillet twice in the 1940s, separated by a stint serving in World War II.

Henderson's son Alex Henderson is a sophomore chemical engineering student at Tech.

The University of Louisiana System's nine schools, in addition to Tech and Grambling, include: McNeese State University; Nicholls State University; Northwestern State University; Southeastern Louisiana University; University of Louisiana at Lafayette; University of Louisiana at Monroe; and University of New Orleans.

More:Board delays hiring Jim Henderson for Louisiana Tech president's job to allow public input

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Wednesday to put current system President Jim Henderson in charge of Louisiana Tech University and move Grambling State University’s president into Henderson’s old job.

“I am more excited to get back to the work I love, especially at a university with the history, the legacy and more importantly, constituents of Louisiana Tech, working with faculty and staff at the institution to realize its mission at a scale and a level never before seen,” Henderson said after the vote.

The board appointed Grambling President Rick Gallot, a former Democratic state senator, UL System president without considering other candidates. When Henderson was hired in 2016, the board conducted a national search. While such a search is not required, search committees are standard practice for high level academic administrators.

Gallot said the move had come together “very quickly.”

“It was not on my five-year to-do list, but I’m certainly grateful… for the opportunity,” Gallot said.

UL System board vice-chair Jimmy Clarke said members opted against convening a search committee because of Gallot’s interest and experience.

“There was a very highly qualified member of our existing presidential team who expressed an interest in when we evaluated the options,” Clarke said. “It seemed like the logical thing to do at that point, right man at the right time.”

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The unusual move at Wednesday night’s special meeting in Baton Rouge comes two weeks after the board voted to suspend its rules regarding presidential searches to make Henderson the sole interviewee for the Louisiana Tech job.

Henderson’s candidacy for the position was unusual and put the board in a difficult position.

State law and the board’s own rules ensure the system president is heavily involved in the selection of a university president, serving as the non-voting chair of every search committee. Henderson has served in the role for multiple president searches during his tenure, including two this year.

Search committees are typically used to fill administrative roles in higher education. The committees ensure the appropriate time is taken to deliberate on the choice, as the president of a university plays an integral and powerful role at the campus and state level. Search committees also generally accept faculty, student and community input.

By suspending the rules, the board effectively cut out faculty input, although Henderson traveled to the Ruston campus last week to participate in a public forum organized by the Louisiana Tech University Senate.

The board’s meeting time and venue made it difficult for the community to participate. No one from the Ruston community provided public comment during the meeting. The primary way the community was able to participate was by submitting comments to an online form, although an attorney for the board said a “healthy” number of the submissions may be excluded from the minutes due to their anonymous nature.

Gallot’s hiring was so sudden that the public had no opportunity to submit feedback.

The Illuminator has made repeated requests for the public comments, which are considered public record, and has received just nine comments in response, all of which have had the names redacted.

Of the nine comments, only one was not critical of the search process.

“The abbreviated selection process smacks of typical Louisiana politics of it’s not what you know but who you know,” one commenter said.

Another commenter identified themselves as a member of the University Senate, a deliberative body that represents faculty and staff at Louisiana Tech.

“This is engaging in unfair employment practices and is a disservice to all faculty, staff, and students at Louisiana Tech University,” the senate member said. “You are also removing all credibility of not only Dr. Henderson, but the UL System altogether.”

In an interview after the vote, Henderson said he had already started working on gaining the trust of the university when he visited the campus last week.

“I think people will quickly get to gain an understanding of my approach to leadership,” Henderson said. “It’s very collaborative. It’s very open and copious amounts of communication.

“True shared governance, true engagement,” Henderson added.

As part of his goal to ensure full faculty participation in shared governance, Henderson said he will open a discussion about having separate faculty and staff senates, as is typical at most universities.

Henderson, a former journalist, also said he is planning to initiate conversations about restarting the school’s student newspaper, The Tech Talk, which ceased publication in 2019. When he was a student at Northwestern State University, an institution where he was later the president, Henderson served as the editor of its newspaper .

“I think student journalism, student media, is essential to a healthy university,” Henderson said.

Henderson will take over at Tech on Jan. 1. Current president Les Guice is set to retire at the end of the year. Gallot will take over as UL System at the same time.

Henderson’s salary has not yet been set, although it is anticipated he will take a pay cut. As president of the system, Henderson makes $522,000. The highest paid of the nine system presidents is University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Joseph Savoie at $450,500. UL Lafayette has the top designation for a research university, which is associated with higher salaries, while Louisiana Tech has the second highest. Guice is currently paid $381,500.

Gallot’s salary has also not been set.

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In the mission to research COVID-19 in North Louisiana, it takes a village.

Louisiana Tech University, Grambling State University, LSU Health Shreveport and several health clinics across the region are working together to sequence the COVID-19 virus to learn how it's spreading and if any new variants arise.

Genomic sequencing allows scientists to identify and monitor how the coronavirus changes over time into new variants, understand how these changes affect the characteristics of the virus and use this information to better understand how it might impact health.

Through these partnerships, the institutions are offering greater learning opportunities for their students and building community trust and education in public health. The project is funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

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Previously, there wasn't much research about how COVID was spreading or evolving in the region. Paul Kim, associate professor of biological sciences at Grambling, said before the project began less than 0.5% of positive cases in Lincoln Parish were sequenced, compared to about 2% sequenced across the country.

“COVID-19 models suggest that we need to sequence 5 percent of all positive cases to detect emerging variants early,” Kim said.

This setback was mainly due to lack of resources, said Jamie Newman, associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Applied and Natural Sciences at La. Tech. For a time, LSU Health Shreveport was the only institution in the region with sequencing capabilities. Because of this, other samples from the region would be shipped elsewhere, making them less likely to get sequenced in a timely manner, Newman said. Now that Grambling also has sequencing capabilities, scientists can collect COVID samples and study them in time to actually act upon the information collected.

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"We just weren't in a position where we had easy access to sequencing," Newman said. "But with new technology and resources at each institution coming together, the research is now being made possible."

Folks who come into participating clinics and test positive for COVID are asked if they would like to submit their swab for the sequencing project. Submitted swabs are then taken to a lab at either LSU or Grambling, and results are analyzed by researchers from the three universities and made available for the public online at nla-health.com.

Social workers also play a role in this project. Elise Reed, assistant professor and director for Grambling's School of Social Work, said the school helps by building partnerships in the community, engaging citizens for the project and educating them about crucial public health topics.

Tonya Oaks Smith, executive director of university communications and marketing for La. Tech, said the project's combination of health information dissemination and COVID data collection has helped bring equal access to healthcare and healthcare information for the North Louisiana population.

"We've talked about inequity and imbalance in healthcare and availability for all of our populations, and so I think this partnership really helps to start balancing that out," Smith said.

For example, Reed said they were able to set up food distribution for patients in need at one of the clinics. They've also incorporated educational materials, such as on basic COVID information, when people decide to partake in the project.

"I think it's just awesome that social work is involved," Reed said. "Our profession is based on building relationships. Before we go into any type of helping process, a person has to trust you; there has to be some level of rapport, and I believe that's what we bring to the table."

Dr. Jackie White, medical director for The Health Hut, a partnering clinic, said patients at participating clinics are presented with a one-page consent form to learn about the project and decide if they want to participate. So far, no patients have declined to be part of the research project, said Chelsea Streets, office manager at The Health Hut. This is significant because in the past, patient samples have been largely taken without patient consent, according to Newman.

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"We really want to be transparent about what we're doing and give that information back to the members of the community so that they can see how they're contributing," Newman said.

Findings to date show the delta variant is still prominent in the area, but samples for the project haven't been coming in as often because COVID numbers are down. If that changes, and the number of COVID cases goes back up, the same infrastructure will be in place to collect more swabs. Newman said the project will also look to study other diseases in the future, such as influenza.

"We're definitely looking at the the potential of what we've established here with with COVID for other pathogens, other viruses," Newman said. "We may not learn a tremendous amount by sequencing the flu, but certainly being able to understand the infections that exist in your community and maybe how they change over time can lead to in vaccines, the ways we treat people or the ways we screen people — and the ways we prepare as a community for any type of health outbreak."

Follow Sabrina LeBoeuf on Twitter @_sabrinakaye and on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3B8sgHo.

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Two researchers from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Louisiana campus helped publish a new study last month identifying a key evolution in SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

VCOM Louisiana's Lin Kang and Pawel Michalak worked on the study with researchers from Virginia Tech University to figure out how the virus may have adapted from animals to humans. The study, published in the scientific journal "Cell," discovered that the virus's spike protein — the protrusions from the virus that help it bind to human cells — had replaced the threonine amino acid with alanine, therefore increasing how much the virus was then able to connect with human cells.

"We don't really know exactly which coronavirus was ancestral to SARSCoV-2, so that's why now we're looking at the opposite end of it, to see what happens when the virus switches to new hosts, what new mutations are required in the process," Michalak said.

This change allowed the virus to become 20 times stronger when replicating in human lung cells, according to Kang. The researchers also believe the mutation "contributed to SARS-CoV-2 emergence from animal reservoirs or enabled sustained human-to-human transmission."

“This is a critical scientific study that establishes the likely genetic changes in the SARS CoV-2 virus that allowed it to jump from animals to humans,” said Harold “Skip” Garner, associate vice provost for research development at VCOM Virginia. “This establishes an approach for this and potential future pandemic-causing viruses that could allow us to predict detectable changes that could result in the virus becoming more contagious, and open avenues to potentially detect, intercept and mitigate mutating viruses with these changes."

VCOM Louisiana is housed on the campus of the University of Louisiana Monroe.

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Technology advancements gave researchers an abundance of genomes

The study began roughly one year ago. The researchers screened more than 182,00 genomes for selective sweep signatures, which happens when a mutation starts to reoccur frequently. They found other mutations in the genomes but remained focused on the spike protein adaptation.

"We're not limited to the spike gene or protein itself, we can actually look at it from a whole, general perspective," Kang said. "Like all the vaccines, all the focus is on this spike because it just bonding to the ACE2 (hACE2), to the human side."

Since the beginning of the study, Kang said the number of genomes available has increased tenfold. Michalak said SARSCoV-2 has so many sequenced genomes due to the advancement of technology as well as the abundance of the virus.

"What's so striking is the amount of genomic information available for for the coronavirus, which is quite a unique situation," Michalak said. "I don't think it's comparable to anything else before. The virus itself is being sequenced a lot, so that (there are) more than 2 million genome sequences right now."

Researchers had special clearance to work with the coronavirus

Another highlight of the study was that researchers at Virginia Tech were able to work with the actual coronavirus. Kang and Michalak said that many studies concerning the coronavirus do not involve the virus itself due to safety reasons. However, fellow researcher James Weger-Lucarelli had the clearance and the lab needed to conduct experiments for the study.

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The genomes used in the study came mainly from the first round of COVID-19 cases, and as the researchers worked on the study, more strains of COVID-19 developed, with the most prominent one now being the delta variant.

Now, the researchers are going through the millions of genomes to consider a more complete dataset from various angles, including what month the genomes come from and what locale they originate from.

"Like in India, (the) Indian subcontinent is of special interest because this is where that (delta) variant originated," Michalak said. "Hopefully, we can detect some interesting adaptive changes there just within the set of Indian samples. It would be interesting to see how the virus genome was reshaped by the variant's success."

Follow Sabrina LeBoeuf on Twitter @_sabrinakaye and on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3B8sgHo.

LSU football faces off against Grambling State in its first matchup in Tiger Stadium. The Tigers are coming off of a tough loss against the Florida State Seminoles in Orlando. Kickoff is scheduled to take place at 6:32 p.m. CT. This story will be updated live.

FINAL: LSU 72-10 GRAMBLING STATE

9:20 Fourth Quarter: LSU forces Grambling to punt. Grambling is penalized five yards for delay of game. A false start on offense adds five more yards. LSU scores two points on a safety after the snap passes the Grambling punter's head and out of the back of the end zone.

LSU 72-10 Grambling State

After a 45-24 loss in Week 1, LSU entered its home opener versus Grambling State looking to show improvement.

10:39 Fourth Quarter: LSU scores on a one-yard rushing touchdown (Cain). The PAT attempt from Dibert is good.

LSU 70-10 Grambling State

12:38 Fourth Quarter: Grambling's rush is a four yard loss at Grambling's 20-yard line on a fumble, recovered by LSU's Lee. Freshman Collins is now in at quarterback.

LSU 63-10 Grambling State

13:30 Fourth Quarter: The LSU Tigers tally another with a three-yard rushing touchdown scored by Jackson. The PAT attempt from Ramos is good.

LSU 63-10 Grambling State

End of Third Quarter: LSU 56-10 Grambling State

4:47 Third Quarter: LSU scores on a five-yard rushing touchdown, scored by true freshman, Jackson. The PAT attempt (Ramos) is good.

LSU 56-10 Grambling State

8:08 Third Quarter: LSU forces Grambling to punt. Iles punts 46 yards to LSU's 49-yard line. Clayton Jr. receives and makes a run, returning the ball to Grambling's 28-yard line.

LSU 49-10 Grambling State

9:30 Third Quarter: Nussmeier rushes to score a one-yard touchdown for LSU. The PAT attempt from Ramos is good.

LSU 49-10 Grambling State

12:29 Third Quarter: Penn III intercepts Crawley's pass at LSU's 46-yard line, first down for the LSU Tigers. Nussmeier now takes the field at quarterback.

LSU 42-10 Grambling State

End of Second Quarter: LSU 42-10 Grambling State

0:01 Second Quarter: LSU tallies one more before the half. The Tigers score with a three-yard reception by Lacy. The PAT attempt from Ramos is good.

LSU 42-10 Grambling State

1:16 Second Quarter: LSU forces Grambling to punt once again. The 47-yard punt (Iles) is successfully caught at LSU's 15-yard line by Clayton Jr. The score of 35-10 remains in LSU's favor.

2:00 Second Quarter: The LSU Tigers score on a 10-yard touchdown (Daniels to Thomas Jr.). This is Thomas Jr.'s second touchdown of the game. The PAT attempt (Ramos) is good.

LSU 35-10 Grambling State

5:51 Second Quarter: LSU forces Grambling to punt for the first time. Iles punts 43 yards to LSU's 30-yard line.

LSU 28-10 Grambling State

7:22 Second Quarter: In his LSU debut, Diggs scores a three-yard touchdown. The PAT attempt (Ramos) is good.

LSU 28-10 Grambling State

11:39 Second Quarter: Grambling's 23-yard field goal is no good and the score remains 21-10 in LSU's favor.

14:17 Second Quarter: LSU scores on a seven-yard touchdown (Daniels to Nabers). The PAT attempt from Ramos is good.

LSU 21-10 Grambling State

End of First Quarter: LSU 14-10 Grambling State.

2:21 First Quarter: Grambling's 23-yard field goal attempt (Rinker) is good.

LSU 14-10 Grambling State

8:24 First Quarter: The LSU Tigers add another to the board with a long pass from Daniels. Hilton Jr. scored with a 47-yard touchdown. The PAT attempt (Ramos) is good.

LSU 14-7 Grambling State

9:15 First Quarter: Grambling State responds quickly with a touchdown of its own. Waters scores on a 13-yard touchdown. The PAT attempt (Rinker) is good.

LSU 7-7 Grambling State

12:16 First Quarter: LSU strikes first with a 26-yard touchdown scored by Thomas Jr. The PAT attempt by Ramos is good.

LSU 7-0 Grambling State

Grambling won the toss and deferred to the second half. LSU will receive the opening kick.

The teams are taking the field.