Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           www.selu.edu/NewsEvents
    Date: 8/22/97
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple 1


 ** FOR RELEASE         11:30 A.M., AUGUST 22 **
SCHLIEDER FOUNDATION ESTABLISHES SLU'S FIRST ENDOWED CHAIR
     HAMMOND -- Southeastern Louisiana University has been awarded a $600,000
donation from the Edward G. Schlieder Foundation and a $400,000 match from the Louisiana
Board of Regents Support Fund to establish the university's first $1 million endowed chair for
eminent scholars.
     Commissioner of Higher Education E. Joseph Savoie and Donald J. Nalty, president of
the Schlieder Foundation, joined Southeastern President Sally Clausen to announce the creation
of the Edward G. Schlieder Endowed Chair of Environmental Studies at Southeastern. The
announcement came at the university's annual faculty convocation at 10:30 a.m. today (August
22) in the Cate Teacher Education Center Kiva.
     Clausen said, "Southeastern will conduct a national search to fill the new endowed chair,
seeking an outstanding teacher and researcher of national stature who will enhance the
university's environmental studies education program. The person holding the endowed chair
will also help promote faculty and student research projects at Southeastern's Turtle Cove
Environmental Research Station at Pass Manchac." 
     Nalty said the Schlieder Foundation,  is pleased to have a part in the establishment of the
first Eminent Scholars Chair at Southeastern particularly, so as its activities will involve an area
of the state that Mr. Schlieder treasured and enjoyed. We know he would be very pleased with
this decision in carrying out his objectives for the advancement of education in Louisiana
                                 (MORE) 
NEW SLU ENDOWED CHAIR -- Add One
coupled with a role in protecting the environment. 
     Southeastern's endowed chair is among 19 new Endowed Chairs for Eminent Scholars
throughout the state, Savoie said. The Louisiana Legislature this year appropriated more than $14
million for Board of Regents' endowed chairs and endowed professorships at state public and
private universities and colleges. Private sources, such as the Edward G. Schlieder Educational
Foundation, have contributed $22 million to the 171 new chairs and professorships.
     Also at convocation, Herschell Abbott, president of BellSouth for Louisiana, presented
Clausen with a $10,000 check, the first installment in a scholarship challenge grant. The ultimate
goal is to raise $300,000 over three years, $150,000 from BellSouth and $150,000 from faculty
and staff contributions. "We'll match dollar-for-dollar this year every contribution to the
Development Foundation made by Southeastern faculty and staff," Abbott said. "If this goes
well, we'll be back offering the same deal next year for another $50,000...and then the year after
that also." 
     "BellSouth has a long association with Southeastern," Abbott said. "We have thousands
of employees, family members and even retirees who live in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany,
Washington, and Livingston Parishes who are directly impacted by the University. We have tried
to do everything we could to support SLU over the years. We want to keep that kind of win-win
relationship going."
     ___________________________________________________________________
     NOTE TO THE NEWS MEDIA: Background on Turtle Cove Environmental Research
Station can be found on page 28 of Southeastern's 1996-97 Annual Report. Copies of the Annual
Report are available at the convocation and the post-convocation picnic or can be obtained from
the Southeastern Public Information Office located in East Stadium, 504-549-2341,
publicinfo@selu.edu.

          - SLU -
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