2020 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 23
BY SENATORS BOUDREAUX, ALLAIN, BARROW, BERNARD, BOUIE, CARTER,
CATHEY, CLOUD, CONNICK, CORTEZ, FESI, FIELDS, FOIL,
HARRIS, HENSGENS, HEWITT, JOHNS, LAMBERT, LUNEAU,
MCMATH, MILLIGAN, FRED MILLS, ROBERT MILLS, MIZELL,
MORRIS, PEACOCK, POPE, PRICE, REESE, SMITH, TALBOT,
TARVER, WARD AND WOMACK
A RESOLUTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
death of Dr. Ray P. Authement, former president of the University of Louisiana at
Lafayette.
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the members of the
Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana have learned of the passing of Dr. Ray P. Authement
on April 5, 2020, at the age of ninety-one; and
WHEREAS, Ray Authement was born on November 19, 1928, in Boudreaux Canal
in South Louisiana, and from humble beginnings was raised to place a high value on
education, family, and faith; and
WHEREAS, as a first-generation college student, he was driven by the desire to
ensure that others like him could have the opportunity to experience a first-rate education;
and
WHEREAS, his early love for academics led him to leave home and hitchhike to
Lafayette to attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL), then known as
Southwestern Louisiana Institute, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics with a
minor in mathematics and went on to earn his master's and doctoral degrees in mathematics
from LSU; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Authement spent time as a mathematics instructor at LSU, an
associate professor at McNeese State University, then known as McNeese State College, and
a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and
WHEREAS, he joined the ULL faculty as a professor in mathematics in 1957 and
dedicated the rest of his career to the university; in 1966 he was named academic vice
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president, was promoted to vice president four years later, and in 1973, was a unanimous
choice to become the fifth president in the university's history; and
WHEREAS, between 1974 and 2008, Dr. Authement steered Louisiana's second
largest university deliberately and confidently, advancing it from a solid regional university
to one worthy of national and international attention; and
WHEREAS, although resources were limited, he made smart, bold, and calculated
decisions; he invested resources in biology and computer science long before other
universities; during the downturn of the 1980s, he led efforts to diversify the area's economy;
and, by establishing the 143-acre University Research Park, ULL focused on attracting
research centers, scientists, and grant funds to the region and is still home to several national
and statewide research centers; and
WHEREAS, the highlights of university achievements under his leadership include
changing its name to gain more prestige as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette;
implementing academic admissions standards to support more academically prepared
students, increasing the prestige of the degree, and achieve better academic outcomes;
growing the endowment from $500,000 to $122 million, largely through the "Investing in
Our Future" campaign during the university's Centennial celebration; raising funds to attract
and retain top faculty by establishing twenty $1 million endowed chairs and 217 $100,000
endowed professorships; becoming the first Doctoral II University in Louisiana; competing
in NCAA's Division I, the highest level of collegiate athletic competition; increasing gifted
assets from about $500,000 to more than $150 million; receiving national accolades from
organizations like the National Science Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation; and
earning a strong national reputation in the fields of computer science, environmental and
biological research, and Francophone studies; establishing seventeen centers to help create
companies, grow jobs, and diversify the economy; and constructing more than thirty
buildings and facilities and renovating or expanding more than twenty-five others; and
WHEREAS, among the new buildings, include B.I. Moody Hall (home to the B.I.
Moody College of Business Administration), James R. Oliver Hall (home to Advanced
Computer Technology and Research Center), the Paul and Lulu Hillard University Art
Museum, the Leon Moncla Indoor Practice Facility for Athletics, the Cajundome, and the
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Convention Center; and
WHEREAS, because of Dr. Authement's fiscal responsibility, the university became
debt-free even as the campus was expanding which enabled him to reward faculty members
for their commitment; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Authement retired from the university in 2008 as the longest serving
president of any public university in the nation, having served ULL for thirty-four years with
fierce dedication as the public face of the university; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of his historic contributions, the university renamed the
College of Sciences the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences in 2008, and in 2009, the
University of Louisiana System named Dr. Authement President Emeritus of the University
of Louisiana at Lafayette; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Authement was a faithful member of the Our Lady of Wisdom
Parish; and
WHEREAS, he was preceded in death by his parents Elios and Elphia Authement,
his oldest sister Nell Page (Charlie), and his daughter Kathy Elizabeth Prouet; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Authement is survived by his wife of sixty-nine years Barbara
Braud Authement; a daughter Julie Authement Johnson (Chris); five grandchildren, Jacob
and Benjamin Johnson, Philip Prouet (Emily), Lauren Newbill (Wes) and Michelle Prouet;
great-grandchildren Graham and Parker Prouet; brothers Don Authement (Suzanne), Ronnie
Authement (Jane); and sisters Norma Dill (Gerald, deceased), and Rosalie Tipton (John); and
WHEREAS, he will be remembered as a committed husband, a loving father and
grandfather, a humble servant, a passionate visionary, an aggressive fundraiser, an academic
steward, and the Ragin' Cajun's biggest sports fan who dedicated his life to enhancing the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette and higher education in Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby extend sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and former
colleagues upon the passing of Dr. Ray P. Authement and does hereby recognize and pay
posthumous tribute to his contributions made toward the betterment of postsecondary
education in Louisiana through the growth and development of the University of Louisiana
at Lafayette during his lengthy association as student, educator, and administrator.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Barbara Braud Authement.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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