ENROLLED
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 121
BY REPRESENTATIVES TARVER, BOURRIAQUE, CARRIER, WILFORD CARTER,
FARNUM, GEYMANN, OWEN, AND ROMERO AND SENATORS ABRAHAM,
REESE, AND STINE
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend Dr. Daryl V. Burckel on the occasion of his retirement as president of
McNeese State University.
WHEREAS, Daryl V. Burckel attended McNeese State University on a football
scholarship; as the starting middle linebacker, he led the Cowboys to two Southland
Conference championships and an appearance in the Independence Bowl; he was also
recognized as the 1980 All-Southland Conference Defensive Most Valuable Player, and he
received the Spirit of Independence Award following the bowl game; and
WHEREAS, Daryl was a gifted scholar, and he earned one of four national NCAA
postgraduate academic scholarships; he graduated from McNeese with a bachelor's degree
in accounting in 1980 and a master's degree in business administration in 1982; he then
began his pursuit of a doctorate in accounting at Mississippi State University and graduated
in 1986; and
WHEREAS, after completing his education, Dr. Burckel held faculty positions at
McNeese State University, the University of New Orleans, and Mississippi State University;
he returned to McNeese as a full-time faculty member in 1992 and became a professor of
accounting and served as head of the McNeese Department of Accounting, Finance, and
Economics; he also held the Arthur Hollins III Endowed Professorship of Accounting for
many years; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Burckel has served as the seventh president of McNeese State
University since July 1, 2017; as president, he set priorities and implemented initiatives to
create a student-centric campus culture; he led the university through a tumultuous fourteen-
Page 1 of 2 HCR NO. 121 ENROLLED
month period that included the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane Laura, Hurricane Delta, a
severe winter storm, and a historically destructive flood; and
WHEREAS, under Dr. Burckel's leadership, the university reinforced its commitment
to academic excellence and student success by streamlining the enrollment process, creating
seamless pathways for transfer students, reinstating the Division of Student Affairs, reducing
textbook costs, establishing a doctoral program in the College of Nursing and Health
Professions, creating the Student Success Center, and forming the first science, engineering,
and mathematics college in the state; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Burckel is very civically engaged; he has served as president and
director of the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District Board, chairman of the board of
directors for CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital, and chairman of the Southland Conference
President's Group; he served on the board of directors for the Louisiana Housing
Corporation, the Louisiana Land Trust, and Council for a Better Louisiana, and he currently
sits on the board of directors for JD Bank; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Burckel is a veteran of Desert Storm and has achieved the rank of
captain in the United States Army Reserves; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Daryl V. Burckel is a truly incredible individual whose many
achievements warrant the highest measures of recognition.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Dr. Daryl V. Burckel on the occasion of his retirement from McNeese State
University as its president; does hereby extend enduring appreciation to him for his service
to McNeese State University, the state of Louisiana, and the United States; and does hereby
extend sincerest wishes that he continue to prosper in all of his endeavors.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 2 of 2