NEW ORLEANS -- Construction continues on Tulane University's 30,000 capacity football stadium in the heart of Uptown New Orleans. Officials expect completion in time for the Green Wave's opening 2014 football game.   

The construction of what will be called Yulman Stadium, as well as improvements to other university facilities, are made possible, in part, through a bond sale approved by the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (LPFA) Board of Trustees. 

LPFA VP of Student Loans and Administration Tricia Dubroc provides tips for paying for college on WWL-TV in New Orleans.

This spring, Louisiana Education Loan Authority (Lela), LPFA's education outreach division, used Financial Aid Awareness Month (FAAM) in February to share a simple message with college-bound students, their parents and guidance counselors: Financial aid was available, but they needed to act quickly to secure it.

Lela, Louisiana's non-profit resource for college planning, offered free workshops, resources and numerous chances to win several scholarships - worth $10,000 in all. 

Lela joined forces with the Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus to sponsor a free statewide webinar on March 12 to address questions about college financial aid and scholarships.

High school seniors, guidance counselors and parents were the primary focus of the webinar, which included speakers from Louisiana Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (LASFAA) and Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA).

Awards part of $10,000 scholarship fund for high school seniors; holiday contest coming up  

The awards were among $10,000 in college scholarships the Authority provided to students this spring through a financial aid awareness campaign as part of Financial Aid Awareness Month (FAAM).

Macey Beauboeuf, of Pineville High School, won first place for her video describing her plan for college, and Caitlin Sellers, of Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts in Opelousas, won first place in the essay contest. Each received a $1,500 scholarship. 

BURNSIDE, La. --A bulk terminal on the Mississippi River is undergoing a renovation and expansion that will transform it

The terminal, which is owned and operated by Impala Warehousing (US) LLC, a subsidiary of Trafigura AG, will be one of the only facilities on the river with both barge-to-vessel and rail-to-vessel capabilities. 

LPFA Board member Eric Liew

Eric Liew, a native of Malaysia, who built his Monroe medical supply business into a multi-million dollar enterprise, is the latest appointment by Gov. Bobby Jindal to the Board of Trustees of the LPFA.

Local government leaders turn to the LPFA for assistance from the Bond Bank Program to contribute zero interest financing to projects that can make a critical difference in their communities.

Village of Folsom borrowed $150,000 for the purpose of providing funds to purchase and equip a building to be used for municipal purposes. The LPFA funded $22,000 of the total borrowing, which will save the Village $1,632 in future interest payments. 

Town of Olla borrowed $115,000 to construct and acquire improvements, extensions and replacements to its water system. The LPFA funded $17,250 of the total borrowing, saving the Town $2,260 in future interest payments.

Beauregard Parish Waterworks District No. 5 borrowed $614,000 for the purpose of acquiring and constructing improvements and extensions to the District's waterworks system. The LPFA funded $122,000 of the total borrowing at zero percent interest.

Sabine Parish Waterworks District No. 1 borrowed $3,596,000 for the purpose of providing interim financing for constructing and acquiring improvements and replacements to the District's waterworks system. The LPFA funded $719,000 of the total borrowing at zero percent interest. 

St. Helena Parish Waterworks District No. 2 borrowed $2.66 million for the purpose of providing interim financing for constructing improvements, extensions and replacements to the parish waterworks system. The LPFA funded $531,000 of the total borrowing at zero percent interest. 

Town of Leonville borrowed $4,644,000 for improvements, extensions and replacements to the Town's waterwork's system. The LPFA provided $928,000 of the total borrowing at zero percent interest. 

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Jessica Vasterling

Prior to assuming her position at LPFA, Vasterling worked as a leasing agent for a Baton Rouge apartment complex, where she was responsible for a variety of property management functions. She has extensive experience in customer service and computer software, skills that figure prominently in her work at the LPFA. We're pleased to have her aboard. 

The LPFA bond sale of up to $128 million included financing for a new student dormitory. It also included financing for renovations to the social work building and the Howard Tilton Memorial Library on the university's main campus, as well as research space and a parking garage on Tulane's medical campus downtown.

"Tulane University leaders, faculty, alumni and students have played a central role in New Orleans' recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We are pleased to help them take this next major step toward the long-term recovery of the city and their campus," said Guy Campbell III, Chairman of the LPFA Board of Trustees.

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The "AskLela" team also hit the road, appearing in television, radio and newspaper reports and utilized social media to spread the word that, with over $150 billion in federal aid available, no student should avoid college for financial reasons.

Here are some of the broadcast outlets that interviewed Lela for the story. The links in gold were still live at time of publication. 

• 2/25: WVLA, Ch. 33, Baton Rouge
• 2/27: WWL-TV, New Orleans  
• 3/5:   Red River Radio, Shreveport 
• 3/11: WBRZ, Baton Rouge 
• 3/12: NBC10, Monroe
• 3/12: WAFB, Baton Rouge
• 3/25: KATC-TV, Lafayette 
• 3/26: "The Jim Engster Show," WRKF, Baton Rouge 

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The panel discussed: types of financial aid available, applying for financial aid, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), TOPS Scholarship & Louisiana Connect Portal, Lela services and scholarship opportunities. The presentation and related materials are available on Lela's website at http://asklela.org.

"There was such great demand for the information, and the webinar was such a success that we plan to repeat it next year," said Joni Leggio, Lela Assistant Vice President.

To find out more information about this or other Lela programs, contact Lela at info@lela.org or (800) 228-4755 (toll free).

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Caitlin Sellers

Lela received a record 13 videos and 125 essays during the 60-day campaign. Staff members reviewed each of the 13 videos and tabulated the scores to determine the winners. 

To judge the large number of essay entries, the staff relied on the expertise of local writers. After reading each of the 125 essays twice and selecting the top 15, based on originality, creativity, artistic ability and adherence to the rules. Lela staff turned to the Bayou Writers Group of Lake Charles, whose experienced members, some of which are published authors, reviewed each essay and tabulated the scores to determine the winners. 

Second-place videos and essays each received $1,000 scholarships, and third-place winners

received $500 scholarships to help defray the cost of college. Runners up in the video and essay contest included:

Macey Beauboeuf

 Video contest

• 2^nd Place: Jalon Hall, Louisiana School for the Deaf. Jalon is from Denham Springs in Livingston Parish.
• 3^rd Place: Haley Harrington, Silliman Institute in St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish

Essay Contest

• 2^nd Place: Nick Ringuette, Riverside Academy in Laplace in St. John the Baptist Parish
• 3^rd Place: Imara Vaughn, Lakeview High School, in Campti in Natchitoches Parish

Lela also awarded $500 scholarships in random drawings to students who registered online or at one of the many financial aid workshops in which the Lela staff participated over the past few months as part of FAAM. Those who received $500 scholarships included:

GoFAAM.com Online Drawing:

• Kate Nugent of LaSalle High School in Olla (La Salle Parish)
• Kristen Huntsberry of Georgetown High School in Georgetown (Grant Parish)
• Olivia Perego of The Dunham School in Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge Parish)
• Victoria Laboyteaux of Springfield High School in Springfield (Livingston Parish)

FAAM Workshop Scholarship Winners:

• Katelyn Jones of Bogalusa High School in Bogalusa (Washington Parish)
• Elaina Smith of Booker T. Washington High School in Shreveport (Caddo Parish)
• Caitlin Miller of Ponchatoula High School in Ponchatoula (Tangipahoa Parish)
• Daniel Nguyen of Eleanor McMain High School in New Orleans (Orleans Parish)
   

It was all hands on deck at LPFA/Lela offices as staff prepared college planning and financial aid materials for mailing to Louisiana high schools to launch FAAM and Lela's scholarship contests. The number of essays submitted this year nearly doubled -- from 65 in 2012 to 128 in 2013. This was the first year Lela called for video submissions.

"Congratulations to all the winners. We couldn't be more pleased with the participation in the contest, as well as with the attendance at all of our workshops and online webinar," said Joni Leggio, Lela Assistant Vice President for Marketing.

"Helping students and parents pay for college is what Lela is all about. Our efforts can open doors and change people's lives for the better. I'm glad we can be a part of it," Leggio said.

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Impala Warehousing (US) LLC acquired $130 million in bond financing through the LPFA to help support the improvements.

Learn more at BurnsTerminal.com. 

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As chief executive officer of AOSS, Liew was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 by the accounting firm, Ernst and Young. Liew has a diverse, multi-linguistic background that has led to commercial partnerships throughout Asia.

"Eric's experience in national and international business gives him a unique perspective and makes him a great asset to our board. His knowledge of the medical supply industry and partnerships with businesses in Asia is a valuable resource for board members, staff and governmental agencies right here in Louisiana," said LPFA Board Chairman Guy Campbell III, also of Monroe.

The LPFA board consists of seven professional, business and community leaders from throughout the state of Louisiana. 

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Town of Lake Arthur borrowed $305,000 for the purpose of acquiring a fire truck and acquiring and constructing improvements to its sewerage system. The LPFA funded $45,000 of the total borrowing, which will save the Town $928 in future interest payments.

Town of Welsh borrowed $262,000 for the purpose of providing funds for a fire truck and related equipment for the Town. The LPFA funded $39,000 of the total, which will save the Town $2,630 in future interest payments.

The Town of Olla borrowed $400,000 to pay the cost of repairs, renovations and improvements to a public building and adjacent parking lot. The LPFA funded $60,000 of the total borrowing, saving the Town $6,663 in future interest payments.

Evangeline Parish Ward 4 Fire Protection District borrowed $450,000 for the purchase of a fire engine and related firefighting equipment. The LPFA funded $67,500 of the total borrowing, which will save the District $3,322 in future interest payments.

Catahoula Parish borrowed $75,000 for the purchase of equipment for maintaining and improving public roads. The LPFA provided $11,000 of the total borrowing, which will save the Parish $839 in future interest payments.

Webster Parish Fire Protection District No. 10 borrowed $190,000 to acquire fire equipment. The LPFA provided $28,000 of the total borrowing, which will save the District $2,745 in future interest payments.

Town of Waterproof borrowed $65,000 for the purchase of a backhoe for the Town. The LPFA provided $9,000 of the total borrowing, which will save the Town $774 in future interest payments. 

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In other staff news:

LPFA Vice President of Student Loans and Administration Tricia Dubroc has been appointed for a sixth year to the board of the Southwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SWASFAA).  Tricia is serving on the site committee that coordinates contractual agreements with venues for upcoming conferences.

Lela Assistant VP of Marketing Joni Leggio has been appointed for a second year as Vice Chair for Education Finance Council's (EFC's) College Success Committee.

Lela College Planning and Client Services Representatives Ann Carmichael and Christie Smith are both serving on Louisiana Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (LASFAA) committees. Carmichael is on the Financial Aid Awareness Committee, and Smith is on the Fall Conference Program Committee.

Lela partnered with the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts to conduct the Louisiana A+ Schools Summer Institute, which prepared 200 teachers from seven schools to implement the foundation's A+ methods in their classrooms. The results will improve the learning of thousands of students. Lela staff members Tricia Dubroc, Brinda White, Joni Leggio, Ann Carmichael and Jessica Vasterling participated in the event.

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