Authement announces retirement
Heather Miller
University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Ray Authement, Ph.D., announced his retirement Friday after serving for 33 years, longer than any other university president in the country.
“I’ve been here for 33 years as president and I thought maybe it was time for someone else, some younger person, to take over,” said Authement. “There’s a policy in the Board of Supervisors that you’ve got to give six months notice if you intend to vacate a position. I thought since the board was here in Lafayette, it was a good occasion to let them know.”
Although he has given his six months notice, Authement assured the board and the press that he will wait until a replacement is found and will make sure the transition is smooth for the university and the new president. Despite his retirement plans, Authement said he will still play a role in the university by raising money.
“I’m going to do a little traveling, but primarily I’m going to start raising funds for the university,” Authement said. “I’ll start spending my time with people who have the wealth to share with the university.”
Authement, who was named president in 1974 after serving as acting president for one year, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1950, his masters degree in 1952 from Louisiana State University and his doctorate from LSU in 1956. He also served as vice president of the university for six years and taught in the math department.
“We decided early in the game to move the university into a research emphasis, and we’ve accomplished that,” said Authement about his greatest contribution to the university. “We are well-known for our research, and obviously our research has helped the economy of Lafayette. We’ve done this in an attempt to move the university forward, but at the same time, we’ve created jobs in the area.”
In response to his announcement to the board Friday, several friends and coworkers commented and expressed their sorrow for him leaving. Gov. Kathleen Blanco also made a statement regarding his decision.
Dr. Ray Authement has given visionary leadership and service to the University of Louisiana, to the Lafayette community, and to the tens of thousands of graduates who are leaders across Louisiana and around the world,” said Blanco in a press release. “The university has thrived under his direction, growing from a small regional college to one with internationally acclaimed programs.”
Dr. Authement will always be the most beloved member of the Ragin Cajun family, and I am proud to count him and his wife Barbara among my special friends,” she continued. “I thank them both for a lifetime of service to our people.
In his interview, Authement revealed his most memorable moments as president, and also discussed aspects he will miss about the job. He also gave some words of advice for his successor.
“I guess it (his most memorable day) would be the day I went to Baton Rouge and was successful in getting the name change,” he said. “When I got back, there was a crowd in front of Martin Hall waiting for a celebration. It was a very, very special moment. Also, I guess seeing my grandson come through the university and do well with it. That may be my last contribution is to watch my grandson graduate and hand him his diploma.
“(My advice) is to rally the faculty, employees and students behind this presidency,” he continued. “Without their support, you cannot achieve very much. It’s your job to get people to believe in what you’re doing and appreciate their contributions.”
Although Authement admitted that he will not miss certain aspects of the job, like late-night complaining phone calls, he said he will miss “the challenge” involved with running the university.
“There’s always a challenge, either financially or managerially,” he said. “Financially, we’ve always had to struggle to get the number of dollars that we need for the university, and that’s a major effort. We’ve had faculty salary increases for the last 14 consecutive years. We’re not where we want to be, but if we get this money that the government is proposing, then we’ll finally get salaries to where they should be.”
Beginning in the mid ‘80s, Authement established more than a dozen research centers, including the Louisiana Productivity Center and Institute of Cognitive Science. Despite the plethora of achievements he has in association with the university, he concluded his interview by commenting on the students of UL Lafayette.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with the students,” he said. “For a long period of time, we’d meet every Monday with the student leadership. Now we’re still meeting, but only at the request of the student body president. We have a really good rapport with Claire Petit and the other members of SGA.”
Last update: 2007-05-06