LSU’s home opener against Clemson Saturday is one of the most anticipated games in school history. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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Northwestern State President James Genovese believes the school has made great strides in two years he’s been leading the school. Jeff Palermo has the story.
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LSU’s game against Clemson Saturday evening is one of the most anticipated games in school history. Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette says the game is so huge, they ended up issuing more than 900 credentials – the most credentials they have ever issued for a single football game in school history.
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Bonnette says it’s not just the scores of media who will descend on the REAL Death Valley – there will be royalty among the more than 100-thousand fans who will pack the stadium.
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And ESPN has announced that Franklin Parish’s own country music superstar Lainey Wilson will be the guest picker Saturday morning. Bonnette says this will be quite the Baton Rouge initiation for Lane Kiffin, who was undoubtedly impressed with the turnout last Saturday during the team’s gameday dress rehearsal.
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Construction of the Hyundai Steel plant near Donaldsonville will get underway in earnest tomorrow with the groundbreaking ceremony. Ascension Parish Chamber President and CEO Donnie Miller says this is a project that will provide generational opportunities and potentially generational wealth for the people of Ascension Parish.
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Miller says the new Hyundai Steel plant will mean thousands of new jobs for the region.
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Miller says the arrival of the Hyundai Steel plant will undoubtedly lead to other economic development in Ascension Parish for years to come.
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Northwestern State alum James Genovese has completed two years as the university’s president and says the school is reporting gains in retention, academic outcomes, workforce-focused programs and private support.
Genovese says the university has welcomed the largest freshman class in several years, and it has one of the strongest academic profiles in recent years.
Northwestern’s first to third semester retention rate reached 70-percent, which is higher than the Louisiana average. He says another positive sign is that student involvement has increased, with membership in student organizations growing from 800 to 12-hundred.
Genovese helping to address the state’s workforce needs is a big priority for the university. He says they’ve partnered with more than 100 businesses to produce well educated future workers.
Across the university, 78-percent of academic programs have been created or updated within the past five years.
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A hearing is taking place in the Louisiana 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge to determine whether 42 former college athletes can return for a fifth season. The lawsuit was amended to also target the SEC after the conference passed rules trying to deter the return of former NFL players in the case. Attorney General Liz Murrill filed an amicus brief supporting the players last night.
As this hearing is underway, the SEC has filed a federal suit in the state of Alabama against LSU, alleging president Wade Rousse, athletics director Verge Ausberry and football coach Lane Kiffin waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit pro players.
Murrill believes that the conference should not be allowed to circumvent a ruling against the NCAA with its own rules.
SEC university presidents have reportedly considered suspending or expelling LSU from the conference if the school rosters former NFL players in defiance of the conference bylaw. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr supported that sentiment, but Murrill believes he is on the wrong side of the case.