Office of the President
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
As the semester comes to a close, we extend their warmest wishes to our campus community. We hope this holiday season brings you time to rest, reflect, and celebrate with those who matter most. Thank you for all you do to make our university such a special place. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year.
Leading LSU Forward
In his first few months at LSU, President Rousse has been hard at work—meeting with students, faculty, and staff, listening to the community, and building a strong foundation for the work ahead.
We Build Teams that Win
LSU alum Noah Deshotel saw firsthand how much talent Louisiana was exporting—and how much potential was being left behind. Deshotel decided to follow a different path. He stayed. And through Subterra, an AI company headquartered in rural Louisiana, he is making a difference.
Former LSU linebacker Seth Fruge has traded the roar of Tiger Stadium for the quiet, steady work of caring for patients across Louisiana. Now a plastic surgeon, Fruge shares how football prepared him for a life in medicine, why he chose to return to Louisiana, and what drives him as he builds a career centered on service.
An LSU researcher is part of a study that found that crawfish act as an early warning system for pollution. The work demonstrates how microplastics, particularly when combined with other pollutants, compromise crawfish health and pose a threat to freshwater ecosystems.
LSU and USDA researchers are protecting the pollinators that feed the world, tackling honey bee losses through cutting-edge research, student collaboration, and innovative breeding to support agriculture, food security, and beekeepers nationwide.
Raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Christian Aucoin has always carried Louisiana in his heart. Today, as president of Global Engineering at BASF, he leads teams around the world, shaping innovative chemical processes and building new plants—all while maintaining a deep connection to his home state.
LSU’s mission has always been rooted in service to Louisiana, and 2025 offered countless examples of that commitment in action. Across the state, researchers and experts worked alongside communities and industries to solve problems that matter.