Dear Southernites:

The last two weeks have been hectic and exciting. I went from a jury trial to a mediation to a hearing on a motion for summary judgment. In the middle of all of this, I moved into my new office Monday. We are renovating our offices in downtown Baton Rouge. While my firm has about 80 lawyers, I have the great fortune of working with three of my former SULC students. Two are now partners and another is a new associate who joined the firm a few months ago. A fella starts to feel a little older when his students start making partner.

  

In the meantime, the Search Committee for the new Executive Vice President and Provost met Tuesday. We are getting closer to deciding on a slate of three candidates to recommend to President-Chancellor Belton. Today, the Lab School Expansion Committee will present to the Board of Supervisors its strategy for creating elementary, middle, and high schools on our Shreveport and New Orleans campuses similar to Southern Lab. The plan also includes a boarding school on our Baton Rouge campus for middle and high school students. The plan projects that in the next five years, Southern will be involved in the education of about 2,000 more elementary and secondary students to add to the current 1,000-plus students at the Lab School and Virtual School in Baton Rouge.