By Jeanni Ritchie

I would’ve made a great Summer.

That was my thought going into Bolton Conservatory’s School of Rock performance, my FOMO always flaring up when I see a role I was born to play.

Even if it’s forty years too late!

Adapted from the popular Jack Black movie of the same name, School of Rock: The Musical has been making its way across stages in America since 2016.

It took coming to my alma mater to see it live. The Bolton Conservatory for the Visual and Performing Arts has teamed up with Rapides Academy and Phoenix Magnet to bring us this dynamic performance.

The premise of the stage musical follows the movie plotline closely. “Overly enthusiastic guitarist Dewey Finn gets thrown out of his rock band and finds himself in desperate need of work. Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to the hard rock gods he idolizes and emulates — much to the consternation of the uptight principal. As he gets his privileged and precocious charges in touch with their inner rock ‘n’ roll animals, he imagines redemption at a local Battle of the Bands, but experiences some hefty obstacles along the way!”

With a fittingly larger-than-usual score, these students sang and danced their way through two acts filled with the high-octane energy they’re required to tamp down in the classroom.

This is why arts in education matters! Kids need creative, healthy outlets and theatre affords such opportunities.

It’s a little strange to see my former high school transform into a K-12 performing arts school but sometimes change is necessary. Positive change, such as bringing arts back to Rapides Parish Schools, is something today’s generation desperately needs. There is so much negativity in the world; positive experiences equip our young learners with tools to persevere hardships.

From the website: The Bolton Conservatory for the Visual  & Performing Arts offers intensive training and performance opportunities far beyond the normal high school experience in vocal music, visual arts, theatre, dance, orchestral strings, and band.  Bolton Conservatory students enjoy enhanced training in their respective disciplines through the expert guidance of a faculty who are professional performers in their own right.

They’re doing their job as the stage musical was fabulous.

Riley Kennedy, freshmen, plays Billy Sanford and this is his first performance. “It’s been a great show. The choreography is astonishing and our directors are incredibly helpful. The other students are phenomenal as well.”

Zoned for Bolton, Kennedy would’ve come to  the Conservatory anyway. He looks forward to many more shows.

So do I!

Check out School of Rock: The Musical and show your support for arts in Central Louisiana and for our students. Shows will be Friday and Saturday at 7 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are available at the door, or may be purchased in advance on the Bolton Conservatory Facebook page or at boltonconservatory.com. 

Jeanni Ritchie is a Bolton alumni and former arts in education director.

By JIM BUTLER

The School Board took in the Head Start program when HUD declined to renew the previous grant holder’s contract.

Then came the pandemic, which hit the program with all the issues of the period.

Now, with Covid funding drying up and student applications stacking up, the board is at a crossroads – seek renewal of its Head Start role or give it up.

And in the interim a half-million dollar funding gap needs to be closed.

With Covid recovery funding available paying teachers was no problem. Now it’s a major issue.

In fact, whatever the board decides to do about renewing with HUD,  there’s a looming $594,000 budget shortfall that needs to be addressed.

Supt. Jeff Powell wants the system to retain Head Start yet concedes the challenges involved.

At their March meeting board members were divided on what’s next.

Willard McCall was insistent that a good budget scrubbing could change things for the better.

He also noted that Head Start is where many kids learn how to be students, preparing them for the transition to traditional school.

Wilton Barrios wondered if the parish could return the program to HUD if a partnering agency can’t be found, saying he doesn’t think it is working.

Stephen Chapman said he doesn’t think the board is the right entity to run the program.

Sandra Franklin, a proponent for retaining the program, conceded there are issues but said they can be fixed.

Linda Burgess agreed, adding she thinks $600,000 is not that much money in the scheme of things and urging finding it, fixing the current problem and then deciding the future course.

She said she believes that course should be keeping the program under the board’s wing.

In the end the board gave Powell no immediate guidance, voting to send the matter to committee for report back in April.

Chapman and Franklin voted against delaying.

It’s about time for former LSU golfer Philip Barbaree Jr. to win his first professional golf tournament, and he couldn’t ask for a better place to do so than right here in river city.

Barbaree is one of about 140 pros who will be competing in the All Pro Tour’s Coke/Dr. Pepper Open next week in Alexandria at the Links on the Bayou, the site of one of his great triumphs as an amateur. Ten years ago, he won the Louisiana Junior Amateur Championship at the Links by six strokes with a record 54-hole total of 197, which is 19-under-par.

The following year, he earned two more impressive crowns, winning the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Colleton River Plantation Club in Bluffton, S.C., and the American Junior Golf Association Rolex Tournament of Champions at the Crosswater Course in Sunriver, Ore.

Barbaree’s home town of Shreveport is about 125 miles north of Alexandria. The two cities are connected by the Red River, and Philip feels a warm connection to Alexandria, which he visited often as a youth when his grandparents, Marion and Jane Chaney, lived here. They have since moved to Shreveport.

Since turning pro in 2021, Philip is hunting for that elusive tournament title. He finished 14th on the APT Tour’s money-winning list last year with almost $21,000 in earnings, so it’s not as if he has struggled as a pro.

“There are a lot of good players on this tour and in this event,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s about playing good at the right time. I’m still going at it. I think I’m on the right track. I’ve been playing well. I think good things are up ahead.”

Philip’s best finish as a pro was a second-place tie in the Southwest Kansas Pro-Am last August. He has since added the experience from a couple of Tour qualifying schools, including one that took him across Europe to Italy and Spain. Further confidence has come from his almost two years of working with PGA teaching pro Chad Darby, who works at the David Toms 265 Academy in Shreveport.

“He’s been great for my game and my attitude,” Barbaree said, noting Darby can keep things simple and is always willing to help when asked.

Barbaree’s best friend is fellow Shreveport native and former LSU teammate Sam Burns, whose golf résumé includes five PGA Tour championships and a Ryder Cup victory.

I talk to him weekly, if not daily,” said Philip. “He’s always encouraging and helpful. Whenever we’re in town at the same time, we’ll play and see how our games match up. It’s great to see what he’s done and how successful he’s been.”

So how do their games match up?

“On any given day,” Barbaree said, “I can beat him and he can beat me.”

The obvious takeaway from that, Philip said, is Burns plays better more consistently.

“Consistency and repeatability, that’s what I need to work on,” said Barbaree.

Alexandria is a good fit to hone those virtues.

“It’s always great coming back to Alexandria, where I spent a lot of time, and I know the course well,” he said.

The APT tournament kicks off next Monday with the Robby Rogenmoser Shootout with 10 two-man teams in scramble and alternate shot competition for seven holes, with one amateur and one pro on each team. Tuesday is the Walker GMC Pro-Am, with four-man teams — three amateurs and one pro on each team. The 54-hole competition amongst the pros runs next Wednesday through Saturday.

Manna House of Alexandria is again partnering with the APT to present the tournament, which has a total purse of $130,000 and will raise money for the local soup kitchen.

Barbaree, who has qualified for two PGA Tour events, including the 2018 U.S. Open, nine PGA Tour Canada events and five Korn Ferry Tour events, is itching to return to a town and course he likes as much as Marvel movies and seize a breakthrough victory as a pro.

“At the end of the tournament,” he said, “I want to be sitting with the (championship) trophy.”

Not to mention $20,000 in prize money.

By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports

BATON ROUGE — When LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson put together his 2024 schedule, he felt his roster would have depth at every position.

It has transpired so far that way for the No. 2 ranked Tigers. They are 14-2 after a 2-1 home loss to Xavier of Ohio on Sunday that broke LSU’s 9-game winning streak.

Johnson’s biggest problem has been getting enough of his reserves in the game, players so talented they would start at many other schools.

On the surface, it looks wacky Johnson would schedule a two-game non-conference home series vs. North Dakota State (3-11) Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Wednesday at 1 p.m. since LSU opens its first SEC series of the season at Mississippi State on Friday.

But Johnson believes he has enough bodies to handle playing five games in six days including a league road series against a Mississippi State team that won last season’s series over LSU in Alex Box Stadium.

“I scheduled this stretch with great confidence that we’d get through it,” Johnson said.

After LSU had a 4-0 Texas road trip on Feb. 28 through March 3 when the Tigers hit .317, the Bayou Bengals’ bats cooled considerably last week.

LSU hit just .224 and yet went 3-1 with a victory at Southeastern and two wins and a loss to Xavier.

The reason is the Tigers’ pitching, especially by five starters, has been phenomenal since the season began. Starters Luke Holman, Gage Jump, Thatcher Hurd, Cade Anderson and Javen Coleman have a combined ERA of 1.45 with 211 strikeouts and just 10 walks.

The numbers are even more impressive since Johnson settled in the last two weeks on a rotation of Holman, Jump and Hurd (in order) as his weekend starters and true freshman Anderson as his midweek hurler.

In those last eight games – LSU’s Texas road trip, a game at Southeastern and the three-game Xavier series – that quartet had a combined 0.41 ERA in 41.2 innings against 162 batters, striking out 71 and walking just 9.

This past week vs. SLU and Xavier, 14 LSU pitchers (four starters, 10 relievers) posted a 1.25 ERA, allowing just 5 earned runs in 36.0 innings with 10 walks and 57 strikeouts and opponents hitting a mere .184.

Staff ace Holman, the lefty transfer from Alabama, is ranked first or second in the SEC in six stat categories. His ERA of 0.00 is tied for first nationally with Texas A&M’s Ryan Prager, Florida State’s Jamie Arnold and VCU’s Mason Martinez.

Holman said the Tigers’ pitching staff feed off each other, from starters to middle relievers to closers.

“It’s cool watching each other,” said Holman, who’s 4-0 after pitching 24 innings, striking out 40, walking 4 and limiting opponents to a .103 batting average. “Each week, we kind of learn off each other. That has really helped me.”

Holman has drawn raves from all his teammates, not just the Tigers’ catchers.

“Luke’s one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen since I’ve played baseball,” said LSU starting freshman second baseman Stephen Milam, who’s leading the Tigers in hitting with a .389 average. “He keeps you off balance, he keeps you out of your rhythm. He has four pitches he can throw for strikes. He has pinpoint control.”

The rapid week-to-week improvement by UCLA transfer Gage, who missed last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, is a huge piece to LSU’s pitching puzzle.

“I feel good physically,” said Gage, who has a 0.00 ERA in 13.1 innings this season with two walks, 21 strikeouts and a .133 opponent batting average. “We’ve worked extremely hard for me just to be able to pitch and feel good.”

Hurd, one of the Tigers’ key hurlers last year in their postseason run to the national championship, has struggled more than any other starter.

He’s 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 17 innings. He leads the Tigers in hits allowed (17), runs allowed (22), earned runs allowed (11) and wild pitches (3).

Yet his performance in Sunday’s loss to Xavier of allowing one run (not earned) and five hits while striking out nine and walking one gave Johnson hope Hurd is on the right track.

“He had a great, great outing,” Johnson said. “He struck a lot of guys out but I really liked how he handled the innings where there was traffic with guys on base.”

Johnson was non-committal on naming his starting pitchers for the two-game set vs. North Dakota State.

The Bison began their road swing through Louisiana this past weekend, losing two of three games at Southeastern Louisiana.

NDSU is hitting .243 with 19 doubles, five triples, nine homers and nine steals in 17 attempts. The Bison pitching staff has a 9.03 cumulative ERA with 97 strikeouts in 113.2 innings.

Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com

Division II Select Boys Basketball State Championship box score

At Burton Coliseum, Lake Charles, Saturday, March 9

Peabody 43, Madison Prep 40, OT

Peabody                       12       9       6    11       5    – 43

Madison Prep             13    11       8       6       2    – 40

Peabody (32-5) – Jordan Mathews 4-14 4-4 12, Isaiah Jones 3-8 1-1 7, Rashad Mitchell 3-10 0-2 6, Zaydrien Sewell 2-4 0-0 6, Greg McGinnis 1-7 2-2 4, Robert Garland 1-8 0-0 3. TOTALS 14-54 12-15 43.

Madison Prep (29-4)  – Victor Smith 5-13 5-12 15, Jayce Depron 4-13 0-0 9, Donnie Haney 3-5 0-1 6, Quentin Dabney 2-6 0-2 4, Jamari Thigpen 2-3 0-0 4, Chris Lindo 1-4 0-0 2. TOTALS 17-45 5-12 40.

3-point goals: Peabody 3-12 (Mathews 2-3, Garland 1-5, McGinnis 0-1, Jones 0-1, Mitchell 0-2). Madison Prep 1-10 (Depron 1-4, Dabney 0-1, Lindo 0-1, Smith 0-2). Rebounds: Peabody 40 (Mathews 14). Madison Prep 33 (Dabney 7). Assists: Peabody 6 (McGinnis 2). Madison Prep 8 (Dabney 3).

Christian Wrestling Federation will present a unique and entertaining, faith-based performance at Louisiana Christian University on Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m.

The event is being sponsored by the LCU Union Board and is open to the public. Tickets are $5 at the door. It is a cultural credit for students. Students, faculty and staff get in free.

The Rockwall, Texas-based organization reaches the youth of today in a unique way. Their group of athletes put on a show of amazing athleticism and entertainment to share their testimonies of Christian faith.

CWF’s vision is to be a Christian outreach ministry sharing the love of Jesus Christ, through wrestling events around the world.

Louisiana Christian University welcomed 35 high school students from around Central Louisiana on Friday to its first Healthcare Heroes Expedition to learn from educators and experts about different career opportunities.

Students were from Alexandria Senior High School, Pineville High School, Grace Christian School and Georgetown High School in Grant Parish. The event was held in cooperation with the Central Louisiana Area Health Education Center (CLAHEC). Two LCU alumni, who are local healthcare professionals, spoke with the students about their own experiences

Dr. Ryan Riche, the director of physical therapy at Rapides Regional Medical Center, and Dr. Jonathan Hunter, a family practice physician at Cenla Associates in The Clinics, shared information and answered questions from the interested teens.

In addition, students rotated throughout the day-long event through different hands-on activities conducted by LCU faculty and students: a CPR simulation, a heart/EKG simulation, nursing demonstrations and physical therapy assistant spine board transfers.

“This is the first one we’ve held here, and we hope it will be an annual spring event with CLAHEC,” said Dr. David Elliott, LCU chemistry professor and chair of the Department of Natural Sciences and Math. “I observed the students watching the demonstrations and doing the simulations, and they were busy and engaged.”

Gabrielle Juneau, the CEO of CLAHEC, said the organization was established in 1991 to provide resources and education to increase the number of healthcare professionals and access to quality healthcare in rural and underserved areas of Louisiana.

“We partner with universities and medical schools to provide high school students opportunities to explore healthcare careers that are available right here in Cenla,” Juneau said.

Nicole Lee, CLAHEC health careers coordinator, said there’s no substitute for offering young people the opportunity to see what experts do and to hear real experiences from professors and professionals in the healthcare field.

“The hands-on experience from faculty and people in the field,” Lee said, “gives students a lot of insight and exposes them to careers and opportunities they don’t know about.”

More information about LCU’s Department of Natural Sciences and all the academic programs in healthcare fields, including physical therapy assistant, nursing and exercise science, can be found at lcuniversity.edu.

Northwestern State University’s spring seafood fund raiser, Flavor of Louisiana, is this Friday, March 15. Tickets will be available at the door. Guests at Flavor of Louisiana can expect to taste samplings of seafood dishes prepared by chefs, caterers and restaurateurs in a food festival atmosphere. Options for non-seafood eaters will be available as well as craft beers, specialty cocktails, coffee, desserts and entertainment.

Flavor of Louisiana is presented by the NSU Foundation in partnership with the Louisiana Seafood Board. Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser will return as special guest, promoting Louisiana’s seafood, tourism and travel industries. The popular annual event raises funds to support student scholarships, faculty development and academic enhancements.

“We put a lot of planning into Flavor of Louisiana because the feedback is so positive,” said Cristy Bernard, associate director of Development. “Our student, faculty and staff volunteers are amazing. We hope everyone will enjoy the food and the atmosphere, but also know that you are helping hardworking and deserving students reach their academic goals.”

Flavor of Louisiana will be from 6-10 p.m. in Prather Coliseum on the NSU campus.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

March 10

Derek Hardwick Jr., 37, Alexandria — domestic abuse battery strangulation, criminal damage, battery, $11,000;

Dejanna Smith, 24, Alexandria — aggravated assault/domestic abuse, criminal damage, $500 bail.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

March 10

Byron Roberts, 35, New Orleans — Legend possession, sale or distribution without prescription, possession, felony flight, speeding, resisting, illegal possession stolen things, reckless operation, driving under suspension/revocation, illegal window tint, improper lane usage, unsafe vehicle, $53,000 bail;

Jeremy Wilson, 32, Alexandria — possession with intent, possession 3 counts, paraphernalia, running stop sign, contempt 3 counts, $15,100 bail.

This week’s school lunch menus (posted by system on Monday). Subject to change. Meals served with milk. 

Tuesday, March 12

Corn dog
Potato rounds
Baked beans
Tropical apples

Wednesday, March 13

Louisiana pastalaya 
Buttered peas
Green salad
Garlic bread
Fruit cocktail 

Thursday, March 14

Red beans & smoked sausage, 
Fluffy white rice
Seasoned turnip greens
Cornbread 
Pear halves

Friday, March 15

Fish tacos
Buttered corn 
Shredded lettuce 
Shredded cheese
Sour cream 
Banana 

By JIM BUTLER

Gatloyn Blue may be many things — thug, intimidator, violent felon — but a sprinter he is not.

When Blue elected to run as Rapides deputies and U.S. marshals showed up at his hiding spot last week the chase was short but anything but sweet for the alleged gunman.

Blue has been at large since last Halloween night. 

According to RPSO, a large disturbance happened that night in the 1900 block of Hwy 71 South (near Prescott Road), where several batteries were committed on two victims. 

As the victims waited for law enforcement to arrive, a car occupied by two people entered the parking lot.

The occupants exited the vehicle with a handgun and began to run toward the victims, who fled the area with the suspects pursuing them down the road. 

The victims’ vehicle was struck by gunfire shortly after. At the time, there were two adults and three juveniles in the victims’ vehicle, but no injuries were reported.

Subsequently two women and a man were arrested and the search for Blue began.

Blue, held under $330,000 bail, is charged with five counts of attempted 1st degree murder. Additional charges include false imprisonment 2 counts, armed robbery and criminal conspiracy 2 counts. Details relative to those accusations have not been released.

Blue’s Rapides rap sheet includes five arrests involving firearms charges dating to 2019. 

His most recent arrest was last July when he was charged with failing to seek assistance for a person in need of immediate medical care.

Arrests are accusations, not convictions.

March 7

Gatloyn Blue, 27, Lecompte — attempted 1st degree murder 5 counts, false imprisonment 2 counts, armed robbery, criminal conspiracy 2 counts, contempt 2 counts, $330,000 bail;

Michael Hargrove, 42, Alexandria — convicted felon in possession of firearm, obstruction-evidence tampering, running stop sign, parole violation 2 counts, $15,100.

By JIM BUTLER

Alexandria Senior High, Peabody and Pineville will again hold graduation ceremonies in the Rapides Coliseum despite having to absorb the costs.

In the pandemic era cost of renting the facility was covered by COVID-related federal funds.

But that well has gone dry.

Supt. Jeff Powell told the School Board this month that $37,100 is the best total he could get from ASM Global, which manages the facility for the Police Jury.

Some board members were taken aback by the quote, essentially wondering why one public agency has to pay such a charge to use another’s public facility.

“Didn’t they commit previously to making it available?” asked Wilton Barrios. Available evidently yes; without costs evidently no.

“It’s unfair to taxpayers of the parish,” he said.

Sandra Franklin said the matter was a consequence of privatization. “There’s no local board,” she noted.

The parish abolished the Coliseum Commission and put the facility under outside management in 2017.

Powell said using the Coliseum eliminates weather issues and ticket restrictions for the events. The schools pay the bill.

Linda Burgess, while lamenting the costs, said conveniences of using the facility make the expense worthwhile.

Barrios and George Johnson voted no on the matter.

The Police Jury meets Tuesday. The matter is not on its posted agenda.

By JIM BUTLER

Pineville expects to have standby power online at four water wells in early 2025.

That schedule is an indication of how much time is often required to respond to non-emergency but important issues.

The city was notified in January 2022 that absence of the generators was a shortcoming revealed in a Ground Water Resource survey.

The deficiency has created no apparent health-related issues.

Because of the service area involved, the city, it was told in 2022, is required to have dedicated stand-by power capable of meeting an average daily demand of three million gallons.

The well sites are on Cappel Road, LA 107, Janet Drive and Paper Mill Road.

City officials and consulting engineers subsequently began the technical and financial corrective process, determining auxiliary power delivering 4,000 to 6,000 gallons per minute would need to run about 8 to 12.5 hours to meet the requirements.

In October 2023 a $546,000 contract was awarded for the four generators with auto switches that will kick on should there be a primary malfunction.

Delivery is anticipated in October 2024, with installation completed in January 2025.

Louisiana Christian University President Dr. Rick Brewer has announced his retirement from higher education administration after serving for nine years as the unanimously elected ninth president of Louisiana’s only Baptist institution of higher learning.

Brewer has accepted another position keeping him in Christian ministry and education.

“We are grateful the Lord has opened the door of service as Head of School at Master’s Academy in Vero Beach, Florida, placing Cathy and me closer to our aging parents,” Brewer said.

Since Brewer’s tenure began in March 2015, LCU has advanced from one to five graduate programs, added the C.S. Lewis Honors Program and established academic partnerships with Louisiana Tech University and community and technical colleges statewide. 

“On behalf of the LCU board, we would like to thank Dr. Brewer for his leadership as president of the university,” said Anthony Bunting, Board of Trustees chair. “ Early on, he created a vision to improve the performance of the university, developed master’s degree programs, and improved the facilities and properties. Congratulations to Dr. Brewer on his retirement. 

“I appreciate Dr. Brewer’s friendship and his commitment to serving the Lord. God bless Rick and the plans He has for him.”

Under Dr. Brewer’s leadership, the university has raised over $50 million from more than 3,000 donors. 

As LCU president, Brewer and the Presidential Leadership Team’s commitment to academic excellence yielded zero findings of non-compliance for the university’s SACSCOC 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation in 2021.

He established many additional scholarship programs, implemented flat-rate tuition, and addressed over $40 million in deferred maintenance and campus refurbishment. Additionally, he oversaw the addition of more than $5 million in new technology, lights, cameras and classroom equipment.

“As I reflect on the past nine years serving the Louisiana Christian University ‘family’ and the churches and pastors of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, I marvel at the work of the Lord in significant and transformational ways in and through the university,” Brewer said. “We are grateful for the faculty, staff, students, donors, alumni and board members we strived to serve daily. Indeed, we have been privileged to work with some amazing people these past nine years. The friends we’ve gained will remain in our hearts all the rest of our days. Now, as we retire from higher education leadership and enter this new season of Kingdom service, we remain tethered to God’s Word and Will.”   

Louisiana Baptist leaders praised Brewer for his steward leadership during a difficult time for the school.

“I am grateful for Dr. Brewer’s time at Louisiana Christian University. Dr. Brewer came to LCU in a tumultuous time and provided leadership, energy and much-needed stability,” said Eddie Wren, former chair of the Board of Trustees and pastor of First Baptist Church, Zachary. “I pray God’s blessing for him and Ms. Cathy as they enter the next phase of their life together.”

The editor of the Baptist Message, Will Hall, called Brewer a “leader, visionary and faithful man of God.”

“He has accomplished so much in his efforts to revitalize the LCU campus and programs, and Louisiana Baptists will reap the harvest from his sowing of excellence for years to come,” Hall said. “Rick and Cathy immersed themselves in the ministry of and to Louisiana Baptists, and they will be greatly missed by our statewide community of faith.”

LCU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Cheryl Clark said it has been a privilege to serve with Brewer.

“He embodies an exemplary Christ-centered university president who has a sterling career of service while loving God with all his heart,” Clark said. “He champions Christian education and has led the university with integrity, conviction and grace. Dr. Brewer’s astute visionary and strategic leadership, experience, wisdom, work ethic and dedication to preparing graduates and transforming lives leaves a legacy that will endure through the countless lives he has encountered and impacted.”

Brewer currently serves as the board chair for the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (LAICU) and the International Alliance of Baptist Colleges and Universities (IABCU).  

LAICU President and CEO Dr. Eric Turner echoed the remarks of others who praised his commitment to Christian higher education.

“With mixed emotions, I extend the warmest congratulations to my friend and colleague, Dr. Rick Brewer,” Turner said. “Having known Dr. Brewer for many years now, I have always found him to be an unrelenting advocate of Christian education in every venue we engaged together, and his absence will certainly be felt among us. I pray the Lord’s blessings upon him and Cathy as they embark upon the next chapter of their lives together.”

Brewer is a tenured professor of management. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policies from the University of South Carolina, a Master of  Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in History from Charleston Southern University. He has completed certificates in higher education and nonprofit leadership from Harvard, Duke and Baylor universities.

Louisiana business leader and former LCU Board of Trustee member J.D. Perry said Brewer will be missed in Central Louisiana.

“I was privileged to be on the board of LCU for seven years while Dr. Rick Brewer was the president of LCU,” said Perry, who is president and CEO of Moss Point Financial in Baton Rouge “He is a remarkable leader and gifted person who led wisely and faithfully during very challenging times for LCU and faith-based institutions nationwide. While I’m saddened by his retirement, I also acknowledge that we, as Louisiana Baptists, have been blessed by his service and leadership. He is a Godly man, a Godly leader and I am honored to call him a friend.”

In addition to being an educator, Brewer is an ordained Baptist minister with more than 45 years of continuous service to the local church and an accomplished musician. He has recorded three CDs, which often provide content for his concerts in local churches and other venues.

Brewer serves on the Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the Rapides Symphony Orchestra board of directors, is the Paul Harris Fellows with the Rotary International and serves on the Louisiana Board of Regents STEM advisory committee.  

Brewer’s retirement will be effective April 14. Executive Vice President Dr. David Jeffreys will serve as interim president and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the university. 

“God has used Dr. Brewer to help shape the future of our school. His passion for Christian higher education and his conviction that all truth is God’s truth, resonates deeply within me,” said Steve Horn, executive director of Louisiana Baptists. “LCU’s tag line ‘Preparing Graduates, Transforming Lives,’ is a wonderful summary of his time as president. I am grateful for his leadership over the last nine years.”

Dr. Randy Harper, pastor of Bellaire Baptist Church in Bossier City and former Board of Trustees chair, recalled his time on the LCU presidential search committee that hired Brewer as a privilege.

“I knew after talking to him the second time on the phone he was God’s man for the job,” Harper said. “Louisiana College was struggling and in need of a person of academia. We experienced God’s blessings with never one ‘no’ vote on anything. His love for students was obvious, and his knowledge in academia and leadership led our now Louisiana Christian University to new heights. While I am saddened to hear of his retirement, he came with a 10-year vision, and I know he is following the Lord’s leading. We have been graciously blessed with Rick and Cathy Brewer. God gave us the best and we have benefited in many ways.” 

Louisiana Christian University welcomed two service learning scholars from Tulane University to its March faculty meeting to train professors in creative ways to incorporate this initiative into the classroom.

Dr. Jelagat Cheruiyot, a senior professor, teaches two to three of her courses with service learning each semester, teaching first-years to seniors, as well as other community-engaged projects involving student mentees.

Her service learning students work with several community partners locally and regionally on different projects from community gardens, restoration, recycling (materials and nutrient), insect sampling and preservation as well as attending and participating appropriately in different cultural events. Additionally, Dr. Cheruiyot facilitated Tulane Center for Public Service’s semesterly faculty seminar on service learning from fall 2021 to fall 2023, guiding dozens of faculty through service learning course conceptualization and design.

Bridget Smith, assistant director for Academic Community Engagement, has been with Tulane’s Center for Public Service, working at the nexus of community and higher ed for the past 15 years. She leads Tulane’s service-learning program, the core of its public service graduation requirement through which over 120 classes and nearly 2000 students each semester are learning and serving.

“LCU Serves, Live Connected” is LCU’s current Quality Enhancement Plan, and service-learning is one of the major components. In addition, the mission of the university encapsulates the definition of service learning: “a Christ-centered community committed to academic excellence where students are equipped for lives of learning, leading and serving.”

Vanessa Graves, LCU’s Quality Enhancement Plan director, said the goal of the plan is that when students graduate, they will have at least two service learning experiences.

Service-learning is an experiential learning practice that moves students out of the classroom and into the community to put their education into action in a way that serves others.

Smith said service learning began growing in popularity in university settings in the 1990s.

“Service learning really enhances a student’s academic learning, enhances understanding of civic responsibility and enhances job readiness and career development,” she said. “After being exposed to service learning, students become much more engaged in their own communities.”

Other outcomes include better problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration and communication skills. It also enhances their emotional intelligence and empathy.

By incorporating service learning into your coursework, you bring different perspectives into the classroom, Cheruiyot said.

“You get a different way of engaging with students, working side-by-side with them,” Cheruiyot said. “You can teach them in the moment.”

Another benefit for the university is it can generate new community and research partnerships, she said.

The QEP is in its third year. Graves said each degree program will incorporate service learning by year five.