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Lake Charles natives Oliver “Rick” Richard and his wife, Donna, have pledged $500,000 to the Forever LSU Campaign from their foundation, the Rick and Donna Guzman Richard Charitable Foundation. Half of this amount will help to fund an endowed Chair in Diversity, Media & Public Affairs within the Manship School of Mass Communication. The other half will provide support for the Clinical Legal Education Program at the LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center. The endowed chair at the Manship School will be used to recruit and support a faculty member dedicated to minority media interests. This faculty member will conduct research and educate students on how to deliver information about minorities to minorities. The chair underpinned by a $2 million endowment, will consist of $1.2 million in private contributions that will be matched by $800,000 through the Louisiana Board of Regents. The Manship School of Mass Communication has a strong national reputation for both the study of media and politics and for teaching students to use media technologies. In 2007, Rick Richard was inducted into the Manship School of Mass Communication’s Hall of Fame. “I have never seen anyone so proud of his school,” said Bill Shearman, Manship School instructor. John Maxwell Hamilton, dean of the Manship School, said, “Rick has achieved a powerful record of leadership in both his professional and personal pursuits. He is a valuable role model for our students.” The Richard gift will also play a critical role in supporting the Clinical Legal Education Program at the LSU Law Center. The purpose of the program is to expand experiential learning opportunities for students, while also providing a secondary benefit to local, state and federal government and the community. Students will participate in “live-client” clinics, as well as intensive, experiential externships offering encounters with “real-life” problems of legal practice. The program will also expand public-interest law projects in which student participate. This type of learning is vital to law students, as research has shown that clinical and experiential courses, in addition to providing practical education, have a strong positive effect on student confidence and morale. “This is one of the most generous and important gifts in the history of the Law Center,” says Jack Weiss, chancellor of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. “When matched by the Board of Regents, Rick and Donna’s gift will provide a $400,000 endowment to support outstanding teaching in our clinical legal education program. This gift will make a difference to generations of LSU law students.” “The basis for lifetime learning I received at the Schools of Journalism and Law provided me the opportunity throughout my career to interact with wonderful people in business, government and the media to affect judicious change,” Richard said. “The gifts from Donna and I reflect our desire to further the two schools’ initiatives in media diversity and legal clinical education.” Richard has been the CEO and president of a Fortune 500 company and was the youngest commissioner in the history of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He is a 1974 graduate of the Manship School and a 1977 graduate of the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Additionally, he earned a Master of Law degree in Taxation from Georgetown University. Richard began his career as a legislative assistant to Sen. J. Bennett Johnston from 1978-81. In 1982, he was confirmed by President Reagan as a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Following his tenure at FERC, he served as chairman/CEO/ president of four energy companies, including Columbia Energy Group. Currently, he is chairman of CleanFuelUSA, an alternative energy company based in Georgetown, Texas. Richard serves on the Manship School’s Board of Visitors and chaired the 2005 Annual Excellence Fund Drive. In addition, he has chaired the LSU Law Alumni Board of Trustees since 2005. “Rick exemplifies all the qualities of an alumnus for which the Manship School can be so proud,” said Adrienne Moore, director of the Manship School’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs. “Richard is a very successful professional esteemed in his field and devoted to public service through his philanthropy, through his service to the school as an adviser, a mentor to students and as a spokesperson for the school.” The Forever LSU campaign is a university-wide effort to raise more than $750 million in support for LSU by the end of the year 2010. To find out more about the campaign for LSU’s future or to support the Manship School of Mass Communication and the Paul M. Hebert Law School, visit www.foreverlsu.org. Scott Madere is the director of Public Relations for the LSU Foundation. For more information on this story or the LSU Foundation, contact Madere at 225-578-3826 or e-mail him at smadere@lsufoundation.org. -30- |
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