2017 Second Extraordinary Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 8
BY SENATORS JOHNS, MORRISH AND JOHN SMITH
A RESOLUTION
To commend and congratulate Dr. Philip C. Williams, president of McNeese State
University, on the occasion of his retirement.
WHEREAS, Dr. Philip C. Williams, who took office as president of McNeese State
University on July 1, 2010, as the sixth president in the university's seventy-eight year
history, will retire on June 30, 2017; and
WHEREAS, prior to his appointment at McNeese, the North Carolina native served
as president of the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams earned his B.A., M.P.H., and PhD from the University of
North Carolina - Chapel Hill and JD from Columbia University; and
WHEREAS, he has served in leadership positions across the community, including
the board of directors of the Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL), the Iberia Bank
Community Advisory Board, the Southwest Louisiana Alliance Foundation (regional
Chamber of Commerce) Board of Directors, and chair of the Southland Conference (NCAA
Division 1) Board of Directors, and as a member of the finance committee of the Church of
the Good Shepherd, and the CABL Leadership Louisiana Class of 2011; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams received both the 2017 Chairman's Cup Award for
McNeese's contributions to the Southwest Louisiana tourism industry and the 2013
Community Service Award from the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention &
Visitors Bureau; and
WHEREAS, McNeese was recognized as the 2014 Louisiana Outstanding Arts
Organization by Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development
for providing the Southwest Louisiana community with easy access to exceptional arts and
humanities events that are unique to this area; and
WHEREAS, over $124 million was invested in campus facilities through state capital
outlay funds, local and federal grants, FEMA and insurance settlements, students'
self-generated assessments, and private donors that were either started or completed under
Dr. Williams' tenure; and
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WHEREAS, Dr. Williams presided over the development of a new strategic plan,
which featured the promotion of innovative teaching and learning, regional partnerships,
service-learning opportunities, applied research, cultural engagement, athletic excellence,
and led the celebration of McNeese's 75th anniversary in 2014; and
WHEREAS, under Dr. Williams' leadership, McNeese continues to play a pivotal
role in providing well-prepared, innovative leaders by offering outstanding academic
programs and focusing on student success and affordability as U.S. News & World Report
named McNeese one of the best regional universities in the South for the sixth consecutive
year; and
WHEREAS, McNeese has been selected as a "Top School" in the 2017 Military
Advanced Education and Transition Guide to Colleges and Universities, and in 2016,
McNeese was also designated as a Military Friendly School by Victory Media and named
a "Governor's Military and Veteran Friendly Campus"; and
WHEREAS, McNeese signed a formal agreement with the U.S. Army to offer classes
and academic support services to soldiers, new and previously enrolled military students,
family members, and civilians at Fort Polk; and
WHEREAS, McNeese and Sowela Technical Community College have signed
agreements for shared services and residential housing between the two institutions; and
WHEREAS, McNeese hosted the first academic summit sponsored by the University
of Louisiana System that focused on service-learning, the arts, and undergraduate research;
and
WHEREAS, McNeese's commercial free radio station, KBYS 88.3 FM, opened and
is Louisiana's first university-community radio station; and
WHEREAS, McNeese opened the Center for Advancement of Meat Production and
Processing (CAMPP), in Lacassine, as a satellite campus under the administration of the
Harold and Pearl Dripps Agricultural Sciences Department to conduct applied research
related to agricultural sciences and to support workforce development in the area; and
WHEREAS, with the opening of the Student Innovation Center in the SEED Center,
McNeese has positioned itself to be a university of innovation - one where new ideas and
emerging technologies are embraced to cultivate business creativity, innovation, and
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invention for the future as McNeese was the second university in the country to offer a
unique innovation curriculum, which is open to all students; and
WHEREAS, McNeese's College of Engineering and Computer ranks third nationally
among all public and private engineering schools in terms of career return on investment for
its engineering majors by the 2017 College ROI Report by PayScale Inc., which tops all
engineering programs in the state of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, McNeese won the 2015-2016 Southland Strong Community Service
Award that is presented to the SLC school whose student-athletes completed the most
service hours during the academic year; and
WHEREAS, McNeese won the 2014-2015 Southland Conference Academic
Performance Award for posting the best results among all schools on the NCAA Academic
Progress Rate covering all sports over a four-year period; and
WHEREAS, McNeese athletic teams won 11 regular Southland Conference season
championships and four Southland Conference tournament championships and McNeese
rodeo team members won three national individual rodeo championships; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams merits highest commendation for the indelible mark he
has left on McNeese State University and its students, faculty, and staff as a truly exemplary
educator and public servant.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate does hereby commend Dr. Philip
C. Williams upon his retirement as president of McNeese State University and recognize and
record his notable achievements and manifold contributions to the education community, his
students, the citizens of Lake Charles, and the state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate does hereby wish Dr. Williams, his
wife, Sandra, and son, Grant, who has received both his bachelor's and master's from
McNeese, well on this next chapter of their lives.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Dr.
Philip C. Williams.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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