(December 5, 2013)

Centenary alumnus presidentially appointed to Vietnam Education Foundation Board of Directors

SHREVEPORT, LA — President Barack Obama recently appointed Centenary MBA graduate Dr. Quyen Chu as member of the Vietnam Education Foundation Board of Directors.

"The extraordinary dedication these men and women bring to their new roles will greatly serve the American people," said President Obama. "I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come."

Chu and his wife Trina graduated from Centenary's MBA program in July 2013. Chu wanted to have a better understanding of the numbers and jargon of the business side of the medical field. Chu is currently a tenured Professor of Surgery, the Charles Knight, Sr. Endowed Professor of Surgery, Director of the Peritoneal Surface Malignancies Program, and Chief of Surgical Oncology at LSUS.

"We were both pleasantly surprised by the leadership skills we learned, which I use daily," said Chu. "In fact, I think they helped me garner this post (as a member of the Board of Directors). We really enjoyed it. I tell all my (colleagues at LSUS) that once they get their business in order they should seriously consider the MBA at Centenary."

He is a co-founder of the Louisiana World Surgical Foundation, INC, a non-profit organization that assists developing nations with capacity building and has traveled abroad to Southeast Asia, Central America, and Middle East, rendering surgical care. Prior to his appointment, Chu was awarded the U.S. Faculty Scholar Award twice from the Vietnam Education Foundation.

The mission of the Vietnam Education Foundation is to help bring the United Sates and Vietnam closer by building excellence in science and technology in Vietnam. By establishing a science, engineering, medical, and technical community of people and institutions, a strong teaching and research agenda may be implemented to create economic growth, maintain scientific cooperation with the U.S., and enable Vietnam to gain from, and contribute to, scientific and technological advances globally.