Dear Southernites and Friends:

The first day of the Federation’s 2017 Leadership Summit on the Southern University at Shreveport campus was fantastic.  Alumni from all over the country joined us in the Port City and were given an opportunity to hear first hand about recent developments at the Southern University System.  Alums mingled throughout the day with university administrators and members of the Board of Supervisors, including Chairwoman Ann Smith.  They were able to discuss, face-to-face, their most burning concerns and positive suggestions for the advancement of our alma mater.  There was also a more formal round table discussion with President-Chancellor, Ray Belton, Provost, Luria Young, SUSLA Chancellor, Rodney Ellis, Southern University Law Center Chancellor, John Pierre, and Southern University at New Orleans Chief Administrative Officer, Gloria Moultrie. 

I was pleased to see so many alumni show up, ask pointed questions, and receive more information about both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Southern University.  We also shared this event via live stream video and Facebook live.

We then held a productive business meeting with our Federation leaders, toured SUSLA’s three locations in Shreveport, including its Aerospace Technology Center, and topped the day off with a reception at the SUSLA museum in downtown Shreveport.  The best part of the reception was hearing from our student leaders and the chartering of the first ever SUSLA Alumni Federation Chapter.

The Federation premiered its business report this year in the form of a video produced by our very own Perry White and Garrett Edgerson.  Please enjoy the video which we included here in News & Notes. 

Day 2 begins tomorrow at 8:00am with another great agenda scheduled for our Leadership Summit participants.  If you couldn’t join us this year, you are missing a real treat, and we wish you were here.

Sincerely Serving Southern,
Preston
Preston J. Castille, Jr., Esq.
National President