Grambling State University (GSU) President Rick Gallot signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between GSU’s Department of Engineering Technology and Southern University at Shreveport (SUSLA) Tuesday morning inside the Grambling Hall Auditorium.
This MOU will serve as an agreement between both institutions to facilitate the articulation of coursework and provide a seamless transfer of SUSLA’s Associate of Applied Science students into GSU’s Department of Engineering Technology to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering.
Essentially, the agreement will allow SUSLA students to use course credit from their two-year degree at SUSLA program toward a four-year degree program at GSU.
“The MOU is a way to foster an academic collaboration to join both institution’s electronics and electrical programs in providing a quality education to enrich the educational experience of those students who decide to continue to a four-year college,” said Dr. Edwin Thomas, interim head of GSU’s Department of Engineering Technology.
Grambling State President Rick Gallot said he believes this is only the next step in building a strong partnership with not only SUSLA but with Southern University in Baton Rouge and other institutes of higher learning.
“This is indeed a great occasion to show our partnership in this program, and as we continue to develop not only partnerships with Southern-Shreveport. We’re also, thanks to the work of Dean Warren, working to develop partnerships with (Southern University’s) Baton Rouge campus and the (Southern University) Law Center, and other places as well,” Gallot said.
“Look, we do compete, and don’t forget the Battle of the Bands, we do that every year, too. But the other 363 days that we’re not competing in the Battle of the Bands and the Bayou Classic we have the same role, scope, and mission, and that is to provide education for our students that is important both to Grambling State University and Southern University — in this case, Southern University at Shreveport. We look forward to additional partnerships as we move forward.”
As Dr. Thomas had previously stated during the signing ceremony, Southern University at Shreveport Chancellor Dr. Aubra Gantt in her remarks remembered and thanked the late Warner Brown, who was born in Columbia, Louisiana, but became a Grambling native in his early childhood, graduating from Grambling Laboratory High School.
Warner obtained a degree in physics from Grambling State University in 1981 and after doing graduate studies at State University of New York in Buffalo, he returned to Grambling to earn his master’s in teaching Natural Sciences from GSU in 2000. Warner taught at SUSLA for 28 years, including serving as head of the Southern-Shreveport Department of Engineering Technology, before his death in 2011 at the age of 51.
“I too want to echo (the remembrance) of Warner Brown,” Gantt said. “I remember his hard work in the Southern University (at Shreveport) engineering program and the partnerships he worked toward. He wanted to see this happen, so I, too, know that he is smiling down watching this today.”
Specifics of the MOU between GSU and SUSLA are as follows:
In order to articulate approved coursework to GSU, SUSLA students must earn a grade of “C” or better in each course.
Those SUSLA students who earn their Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree following the prescribed coursework shown in the agreement and declare their intent to pursue the Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Arts and Sciences (Department of Engineering Technology) at GSU, will be: Admitted to GSU as a junior upon successful completion of the SUSLA AAS degree with an overall GPA of 2.0 on all work attempted; Admitted to GSU using catalog of record upon entry and assigned a faculty advisor at GSU for assistance in accordance with policies of GSU’s College of Arts and Sciences (Department of Engineering Technology).
Present also at the signing ceremony from Grambling State was Dr. Connie Walton, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Stacey Duhon, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Mr. John Frazier, faculty in the Engineering Technology Department. Representatives from SUSLA included Dr. Brandon Lacey, B-STEM Academic Advisor and Project Manager of PEAT, and Dr. Kenie Moses, Department Head for Engineering & Technology.
