LSU Opens Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building, Announces First-of-its-Kind Endowed Deanship

BATON ROUGE - The LSU community, lead donors and friends gathered on campus today to cut the ribbon on the new Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building, an epicenter for academics, research and industry collaboration that provides a scholarly home to 1,150 students, faculty and researchers. During the milestone celebration, university leaders announced that LSU's 2026 Alumnus of the Year, College of Science graduate Frank W. "Billy" Harrison III and wife Ann have established the first endowed deanship at LSU in honor of Billy's father, fellow College of Science alumnus Frank W. Harrison Jr.

The Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building closes more than half of LSU's previous gap in modern teaching and laboratory space. The expanded research and teaching laboratories position LSU to accelerate the timeline to graduation for students in highly sought-after STEM fields. The four-story, $148 million building spans 148,000 square feet at the corner of South Stadium Drive and Tower Drive and supports five focus disciplines: biological sciences, chemistry, geology and geophysics, mathematics, and physics and astronomy.

The Harrisons' gift, which builds upon their expansive philanthropic support campuswide and within the college, will provide a strategic, reliable stream of annual funding to recruit, retain and support the mission-aligned ambitions of LSU College of Science deans for generations to come. As an endowment, the Harrisons' generosity creates impact in perpetuity and marks a trailblazing gift that LSU envisions will be replicated by donors in support of colleges campuswide. Premier buildings and premier scholars are an essential coupling for achieving LSU's aspirations of becoming one of the nation's top 50 research universities.

LSU President Wade Rousse said, "As we celebrate the opening of a transformative space for STEM education and discovery at LSU, we are grateful for the partnership of the State of Louisiana, industry leaders like FMOL Health and dedicated alumni like the Harrisons. Their combined investments and confidence in LSU will elevate our growing impact on the nation's scientific workforce and the quality of life of Louisianans."

The premier facility has been the university's top capital priority for catalyzing its vision for the future of STEM education, research and impact. Amidst growing national demand for STEM graduates, the LSU College of Science has experienced several consecutive years of enrollment growth; currently, there are more than 3,000 math and science students at LSU. Additionally, the college's faculty teaches students in every major, accounting for almost one-quarter of all student credit hours at LSU and roughly one-third of total instruction for freshmen and sophomore students. More than 50 percent of Louisiana's doctors are LSU graduates.

LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton said, "The Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building will be integral to preparing the next scientists in biology, chemistry, geology, math, physics and astronomy. Graduates from these programs go onto promising careers in the STEM fields and earn graduate and health professions degrees all across the state of Louisiana. Alongside the elite academic experience students will receive here, world-class faculty will partner together and with industry leaders in the state-of-the-art laboratories to advance scientific discovery and move the LSU flagship toward its goal of becoming a top 50 research university."

Led by a $15 million investment from FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake, a $10 million investment from LCMC Health, and a $5 million gift from Dr. Mary and Ron Neal (who made the first donation to the project), LSU donors contributed $43 million and the State of Louisiana directed $105 million in funding to the project. The building was designed by EskewDumezRipple - with a focus on anchoring a new pedestrian corridor for campus that links modern buildings with the historic campus core - and was constructed by MAPP.

"At the new Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building, today's students will collaborate with world-class faculty and industry leaders to become tomorrow's leaders in healthcare, research and science," said FMOL Health President and CEO E.J. Kuiper. "We believe that investment leads to innovation and FMOL Health, the parent organization of Our Lady of the Lake, has been committed to giving back to the communities we are privileged to serve across the Gulf South for over 113 years. As LSU's Championship Health Partner, this marks another milestone in our shared mission to educate tomorrow's healthcare leaders, grow the workforce of allied health professionals, and launch a new era of innovation and discovery that will drive our region forward."

Signature spaces within the Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building include:

First Floor

• LCMC Health Auditorium, a first-of-its-kind auditorium on LSU's campus with collaborative workspace seating that replaces traditional auditorium rows
• LCMC Health Student Commons, a gathering space adjacent to onsite locations of the LSU Dairy Store, PJ's Coffee and Shaq's Big Chicken
• Ann & Clarence Cazalot Active Learning Wing, a corridor of technology-rich classrooms designed for hands-on, participatory instruction and to support collaboration, real-time problem solving and active learning
• Ann & Billy Harrison Data Visualization Labs (2), dedicated spaces to visualize things invisible to the naked eye and by using traditional microscopes, like data patterns that predict disease spread, environmental changes and responses to medical treatment
• Kathy & Roy O. Martin III Stairway, connecting the building's first level with student success resources and core teaching laboratories
• Applewhite Bozeman Dean's Garden with a waterfall feature drawing its water supply from rainwater and the condensation created by the building's air conditioning units

Dr. Mary & Ron Neal Second Floor

• Dr. Mary & Ron Neal Science Headquarters and Dr. Mary & Ron Neal Laboratory Wing, housing teaching and research laboratories that will support high-enrollment science courses, addressing increased demand for core areas of the science curriculum
• Dr. Mary & Ron Neal Student Success Center, dedicated space for advising, tutoring and academic resources - structured to support students' persistence throughout college and to position them for immediate and long-term academic success

Third Floor

• Flexible teaching laboratories for biology, chemistry and interdisciplinary instruction
• Ann & Clarence Cazalot Board Room, dedicating space to strategic collaboration among college leaders, faculty and partners

Fourth Floor

• Shell Research Laboratories, advanced research environments that will support interdisciplinary scientific discovery and enable faculty and students to work together on complex, real world challenges
• Shell Interdisciplinary Collaboration Zone, focused space for collaboration across disciplines that will encourage exchange of ideas, partnership and team-based research
• Ann & Billy Harrison Trace Metals Lab, a first-of-its-kind laboratory on LSU's campus that expands research capabilities in trace metals analysis and supports high-impact research across science, health and industry
• Trace Isotope Facility, an extremely versatile tool for studying a broad spectrum of research within geosciences
• LSU Theoretical Institute, a premier research incubator for theoretical sciences and mathematics and a space for researchers seeking to explore the boundaries of emergent research in quantum information theory
• The College of Science elevates quality of life for every Louisianan through research that drives the economy, programs that improve children's access to stellar STEM education, and preparation of Louisiana communities' future doctors and health professionals. Importantly, the Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building will widen the instructional pipeline for those wanting to fill the state's health workforce shortages.

FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake's and LCMC Health's lead investments in the building are part of a $245 million healthcare partnership announced in February 2022. Longtime industry partner Shell USA, Inc. committed $2.5 million to the project as part of a $27.5 million investment in energy-related initiatives at LSU. Fellow leadership donors to the building are LSU alumni and LSU Foundation Board of Directors members Dr. Mary Neal and husband Ron, Billy and Ann Harrison, Clarence P. Cazalot Jr. and wife Ann, and Roy O. Martin III and wife Kathy Kilpatrick Martin.

The Our Lady of the Lake Health Interdisciplinary Science Building will yield elite academic and research outcomes while expanding access to STEM education. For additional information, please visit lsufoundation.org/science.