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Nine Universities to Showcase Art, Service-Learning, and Undergraduate Research

LAFAYETTE, LA. – Faculty, staff and students from the University of Çàɬֱ²¥ System’s nine universities will come together Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, on the University of Çàɬֱ²¥ at Lafayette campus for the system’s third annual Academic Summit.   The two-day event will include service-learning and undergraduate research presentations, a performance art showcase, and a visual art exhibition and reception

“This is the premier event for our nine-university system that showcases the best of academic learning across multiple disciplines.  These co-curricular activities exemplify the core of our mission: excellence in teaching and student knowledge,” said Çàɬֱ²¥System President Sandra Woodley.  

SERVICE-LEARNING

Forty-four service-learning presenters will showcase community impact projects in diverse areas such as sociology, music, literacy, marketing, radiology, disaster preparedness, teacher education, bio-diversity, and filmmaking.  Friday’s service-learning keynote presentation moderated by Çàɬֱ²¥Lafayette Dean of Community Service David Yarbrough is titled “Campus Service from Stem to Stern: Making the Most of our Campus-Community Partnerships.”

PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE AND ART EXHIBITION

Art will be the focus of Friday evening activities starting with a performance art showcase.  This exciting hour will feature 24 undergraduate student musicians and thespians with one performance from each university.  Following will be a reception and a visual art exhibition with 45 pieces of student artwork selected by each of the nine campuses.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

This year, 105 students will present their undergraduate research during the two-day conference in both oral presentation and poster formats.  Saturday’s undergraduate keynote presentation, “Discovering Engineering,” will be given by Çàɬֱ²¥Lafayette Assistant Professor Chris Carroll.  There will also be a “How to Stimulate Undergraduate Research” faculty development session on Saturday featuring the following faculty members:

• Grambling State University Associate Director of the College of Arts and Sciences Danny Hubbard;
• Nicholls State University Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Allyse Ferrara;
• McNeese State University Assistant Professor of Biological Science Juliana Hinton;
• Northwestern State University Assistant Professor of Art and Gallery Director Leslie Gruesbeck; and
• University of Çàɬֱ²¥ at Lafayette University Honors Program Director Julia Frederick.

The last event of the summit will be a wrap up and recognition, where student presenters will get their Academic Summit medals, which they can wear when they graduate.

“It’s a pleasure to host the Academic Summit this year.  This two-day event is a chance for the Çàɬֱ²¥System’s nine universities to share what we’re learning, to network with colleagues and fellow students, and to challenge each other intellectually,” said Çàɬֱ²¥Lafayette President E. Joseph Savoie.

Included below is the schedule at-a-glance for the two-day event.  Click on the cover art to download the full Academic Summit program with the list of presenters  Attendees must register online and pay a registration fee.   However, the faculty development panel discussion on Saturday is free and open to all interested faculty members.

For more information, visit . 

ACADEMIC SUMMIT SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

April 11-12, 2014

University of Çàɬֱ²¥ at Lafayette

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ABOUT THE Çàɬֱ²¥SYSTEM: The University of Çàɬֱ²¥ System is the largest higher education system in Çàɬֱ²¥ enrolling about 90,000 students at Grambling State University, Çàɬֱ²¥ Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Çàɬֱ²¥ University, the University of Çàɬֱ²¥ at Lafayette, the University of Çàɬֱ²¥ at Monroe, and the University of New Orleans.