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������ο��Ƶ System President and CEO Jim Henderson presented three awards at the Universities of Louisiana For Our Future Conference closing keynote. The awards—Outstanding Staff Member, Outstanding Faculty Member and Champion of Diversity and Inclusion—are presented annually to three standouts among the System’s nearly 10,000 faculty and staff. Click below to watch the presentation. 

“Presenting the System’s annual awards holds special meaning at the culmination of a year filled with tumult for faculty and staff,” ������ο��Ƶ System President and CEO Jim Henderson said. “These three recipients have gone above and beyond to create continued success and growth at their respective universities and are models to emulate for all within the Universities of Louisiana.”  

William Scheufens, chief of police for the McNeese Police Department, is this year’s Outstanding Staff Member. His commitment to safety before, during, and after Hurricanes Laura and Delta as well as his dedication to the rebuilding efforts that continue today will have a lasting impact on the McNeese community. 

Rudolph Ellis, associate dean of students for Grambling State University, is this year’s Champion of Diversity and Inclusion awardee. He works tirelessly to create a culture of inclusion at Grambling, particularly through the Everybody Project working to enrich the lives of every student without regard to religion, gender identity, race or sexual orientation.  

Jamie Newman, associate professor of biology and at Louisiana Tech University, is this year’s Outstanding Faculty Member. The extraordinary amount of targeted research she conducts coupled with her ability to communicate those complex concepts to wider audiences from different backgrounds exemplify the qualities of the Outstanding Faculty Member award.  

For Our Future Conference programming was organized into three tracks: post-pandemic campus, cultural competency and core mission. Nearly 900 ������ο��Ƶ System faculty and staff registered to attend the virtual event, making it the largest in the event’s history. We look forward to an in-person event for next year’s fifth annual conference.