Month: December 2023

Earlier this month, the Southeastern Professional Sales Team traveled to Orlando for the International Collegiate Sales Competition hosted by Florida State University. Competing among 80 universities, the team placed 10th overall, cementing a back-to-back Top 10 performance at the World Cup of Sales.

“These spectacular results are a team effort from the entire group of dedicated faculty and motivated students in our premier sales program. We are so proud of their performance,” said Dean of the College of Business Tará Lopez.

Katelynn Duthu Brady, Victoria Hickey, and Hezekiah Chatelain achieved record results in the Speed Sell Competition, where they each pitched themselves to four companies. Kalynn Granier and Hezekiah Chatelain also achieved a record result in the Sales Management Case Competition, where they presented a consulting solution to a group of top executives.

Alayna Montgomery and Caleb Peppers competed in the Role-Play Competition against the top sales students in the world. Montgomery advanced to the wild card round, and Peppers advanced to the semi-final round and finished 12th out of 160 competitors. These students were coached by sales program co-coordinators April Kemp and Tim Butler, along with Graduate Assistant Coach, Gabriel Pevey.

Southeastern’s team is one of only four universities that has finished in the top 10 over the past two years in the World Cup of Sales.

“We are so pleased how our students are not just competing but thriving against the best students across the world,” Kemp said. “That is what you can expect when you join the Southeastern Professional Sales Team. Lion Up!” 

ABOVE: April Kemp, Gabriel Pevey, Caleb Peppers, Victoria Hickey, Katelynn Duthu Brady, Alayna Montgomery, Kalynn Granier, Hezekiah Chatelain, and Tim Butler.

Southeastern’s undergraduate teacher preparation program has been recognized by the National Council on Teacher Quality. The program received a grade of ‘A’ in NCTQ’s new report “Teacher Prep Review: Strengthening Elementary Reading Instruction” for its rigorous preparation of future teachers in how to teach reading.

Southeastern’s program is among just 23 percent nationwide to earn an ‘A’ for meeting standards set by literacy experts for coverage of the most effective methods of reading instruction – often called the “science of reading.”

To earn an ‘A,” programs needed to meet a standard of adequate coverage, determined in consultation with literacy experts, for all five core components of scientifically based reading instruction – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, and teach fewer than four practices that have been found to inhibit students’ reading progress.

“National data shows that more than one-third of fourth-grade students – over 1.3 million children – cannot read at a basic level. By preparing teachers in the methods that research has shown to work best, we can change these results,” said Dean of the College of Education Paula Summers Calderon.

To evaluate the quality of preparation being provided, a team of experts at NCTQ analyzed syllabi, including lecture schedules and topics, and background reading materials.

Last fall, the NAEP or “Nation’s Report Card” data indicated that student literacy rates have fallen since the pandemic, with 37 percent of fourth-grade students nationwide scoring “below basic” in reading, and even higher, unacceptable rates of reading failure for the most historically marginalized students, said National Council on Teacher Quality President Heather Peske.

“While some small number of children will learn how to read naturally, research has found that most children require explicit, systematic instruction grounded in the science of reading to become successful readers,” Peske explained. “Ultimately, studies suggest that if all students had access to teachers who use scientifically based reading instruction, we could drastically reduce rates of reading failure, achieving literacy rates of 90 percent or higher for our children.”

Southeastern has been declared a Purple Heart School by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Southeastern is the first four-year institution in the state to receive the designation, which honors the service and sacrifice of the nation’s men and women in uniform wounded or killed by the enemy while serving to protect the nation’s freedoms.

Southeastern President William S. Wainwright said the university and surrounding communities have a great admiration and the utmost gratitude and respect for all the men and women who have served in the past and those who are currently serving their country and communities in the Armed Forces.

“Veterans have paid the high price of freedom by leaving their families and communities behind and placing themselves in harm’s way for the good of all,” he said. “The contributions and sacrifices of the men and women who served in the Armed Forces have been vital in maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by our citizens.”

William S. Wainwright was invested as Southeastern Louisiana University’s 15th president Dec. 1 in a ceremony held in the Student Union Grand Ballroom on Southeastern’s campus.

At the ceremony, he was presented with Southeastern’s President’s Chain, a symbol of the authority of the position, by three of the university’s former presidents: Sally Clausen, who served from 1995 – 2001; Randy Moffett, who served from 2001 – 2008; and John L. Crain, who served from 2009 to 2023. Also attending the event were representatives of the UL System Board of Supervisors and the Louisiana Board of Regents.

Gratitude, humility, and responsibility were a few of the words Wainwright used in his remarks to describe the range of emotions he was feeling as he gazed out over the audience.

“I am witnessing in real time the awesome power, value and purpose of higher education,” he said. “I see a dedicated university family; a regional and local community galvanized around our collective missions; mentors and coaches; lawmakers and locally elected officials who share our mission and vision; and my family who have loved, supported, and challenged me to fulfill my purpose in life. For this and so much more, I am truly grateful for this opportunity, and I commit to dedicating my entire being to the success of Southeastern.”

In his remarks, Wainwright also recognized Clausen, Moffett, Crain, and the 11 former presidents “who built what we know and love today as our Southeastern.” He thanked them for their leadership, sacrifice, vision, and unyielding support.

Wainwright acknowledged Governor Edwards, the Greater Northshore Legislative Delegation, the UL Board of Supervisors, President of the UL System Jim Henderson, and Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed “for their tireless dedication to higher education and ensuring that all students, faculty, and staff have equal access and opportunity to prosper and thrive as a result of our mission.”

He credited the Louisiana Community and Technical College System with building him as a higher education leader. He said the system taught him how to succeed and fail with grace and humility, enabled him to lead state and national higher education strategic initiatives, and sent him across the globe to advance education access and professional development for students, faculty, and staff.

When addressing the students, Wainwright told them their success is vital to the strength of our communities, state, and nation.

“Southeastern provides a one-billion-dollar economic impact in our region. That translates to strong communities and economies built by our graduates,” he said. “Most importantly, this means that the success of our Southeastern team results in greater social mobility for our graduates, therefore sustaining generations of families through the value proposition of our mission.”

Wainwright pledged to recruit, retain, and sustain faculty excellence, continued investment in innovation through research and technology, and that facility enhancement and expansion will remain front and center.

“As a university family, we have weathered many storms and our collective resilience will carry us through anything that will try to distract us from accomplishing our mission in the future,” he added. “With a focus on our core values of excellence and caring and commitment to data-driven strategic planning and execution, Southeastern will garner historic endowments and private investment that will build a future-forward culture of excellence. And we will get there, together.”