Business leaders from the tri-parish area of Evangeline, St. Landry, and Acadia Parishes gathered together for a Business after Hours on the campus of LSUE.
On hand for the networking event was LSU President F. King Alexander. At one point during the evening, he along with Evangeline Chamber of Commerce Director Renee Brown and State Representative Bernard LeBas reviewed documents enumerating LSU’s economic impact on the 38th House District, which LeBas represents.
The documents, which were obtained by the Ville Platte Gazette at the event, show a $35,594,340 impact on the district which encompasses portions of Evangeline and St. Landry Parishes.
Five hundred fifteen students from the district are currently enrolled at LSU. Of those, four are at LSU Health Science in Shreveport, seven are at LSU Health Science in New Orleans, seven are at LSU Shreveport, 233 are at LSU Eunice, 184 are at LSU Alexandria, and 80 are at the LSU main campus in Baton Rouge.
One hundred seventy of those students receive money from the state’s TOPS program; while 284 receive Pell Grant money, and 54 are on the Go Grant.
LSU employs 49 total employees from the 38th district on all campuses. It also treats 905 patients from the district at LSUHSC-NO and 263 patients at LSUHSC-S.
The following is a breakdown of LSU alumni working in the district:
• Agriculture- 90
• Business- 81
• Engineering- 55
• Dentists- 16
• Doctors (MD)- 13
• Law- 19
• Nurses- 11
• Teachers- 52
• Vet Med- 6
• Other Health Professionals- 23
• Other- 359
The document also shows the following notable LSU achievements in the Acadiana region:
• LSU has $70 million in active grants related to the coast, marshes, and aquaculture, all important aspects of Acadiana’s way of life.
• LSU holds over $30 million in grants aiding oil and gas discovery, extraction, processing, and storage and $12 million related to biofuels produced in Louisiana.
• LSU holds more than $8 million in research grants dedicated to protecting Louisiana’s $4.6 billion seafood industry.
• LSU Eunice serves nearly 700 high school students from 11 different parishes through its dual enrollment programs, allowing them to earn both LSU and high school credit at the same time.
• LSU Eunice partners with 18 hospitals in eight parishes to host on-site clinical training for students in healthcare workforce studies.
• Housed at University Hospital and Clinics in Lafayette, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans’ Rural Scholars Track trains doctors to work in rural settings, potentially tuition free.
• For over 100 years, the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station located in Rayne has supported the rice industry, now with an economic value of $372.7 million to Louisiana.
• LSU AgCenter scientists at the Iberia Research Station are studying energy cane, a variety of sugarcane developed to produce fuel for the emerging biofuel market.
Image
TONY MARKS Editor