(June 3, 2014)

Centenary President promoted to Chair of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary President David Rowe has been named Chair of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (LAICU). He assumed the position June 1 after being elected to the position of Vice Chair in October 2012. He will serve a one year term with the option for a second year.

President David Rowe
President David Rowe

"I am honored to be entrusted with the leadership of this important organization which represents some of Louisiana's finest higher education institutions, including Centenary College," said Dr. Rowe. "LAICU members award 20.1 percent of all degrees at four-year institutions in Louisiana and have an especially impressive record of educating students with financial need."

Rowe has been President of Centenary College of Louisiana since 2009. The financial and educational transformations that have taken place during his leadership have led Moody's to upgrade the institution's fiscal outlook from negative to positive, have moved Centenary into US News and World Report's Tier One of National Liberal Arts Colleges, and were recognized in The Chronicle Higher Education's July 3, 2011 article In Louisiana a Small College Gives Itself a Makeover.

President Rowe also serves on the board of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC). In February 2014, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).

LAICU represents its 10 member institutions, including Centenary College, in both state and federal public policy arenas. LAICU advocates for the member institutions before the State Board of Regents, the K-12 Department of Education, and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. LAICU also provides vital research and information services to its members as well as opportunities for collaborative activities within the association.