Dr. Nancee Sorenson is in her eighth month as chancellor at Louisiana State University Eunice and she immediately planted herself on the campus.
Named in June 2019 to the top job on the campus, Sorenson, 63, declared she would live in the chancellor’s residence and moved her office to the traditional location in the Science Building.
The fifth chancellor of the university follows Dr. Kimberly Russell, who lived off campus and placed her office in the Community Education Building.
Before Russell, the Science Building is where chancellors since Dr. Anthony Mumphrey worked. It is the first building on the 52-year-old campus.
Sorenson held a reception for Mumphrey’s children at the chancellor’s residence.
“I wish I could have known him,” she said
And, when selecting a place for a photograph, she went to Mumphrey’s portrait in the hall outside her office.
The choices signal her embrace of tradition even as she expresses a desire to upgrade the look of the wood-paneled chancellor’s office and plans other changes.
“It is just a real honor to be here in Eunice and to be the chancellor of this campus,” she said.
Her professional life has been working in two-year colleges. She came to LSUE from Hillsborough Community College, Brandon Campus, Tampa, Florida, where she was president.
“I really wouldn’t want to be anywhere else because fundamentally I believe that we are the best starting place for 95% of our students.
“The best and brightest, the students that aren’t sure what they want to do, the students that maybe didn’t do well in a traditional K-12 setting, the older adult returning to school for maybe getting a professional career for the first time or starting over...” are reasons that two-year colleges serve students, she said.
LSUE and other two-year colleges offer “incredible cost savings” and the right kind of environment to start higher education, she said.
“We have faculty that are dedicated to teaching. You’ve got relatively small class sizes,” she said.
LSUE offers an environment where students can make connections to their teachers and to other students, she said.
Community colleges took root in post-World War II America where programs such as the G.I. Bill opened up higher education to people from all classes, she said.
“If you transform one student’s life, then you impact their whole family,” she said.
Sorenson said a video on the 40th anniversary of LSUE included Mumphy talking about the start of the campus and the unrealized potential of the area and institution.
“I think we are always talking about the unrealized potential of our campus because there is always something ne that is evolving and directions we need to go,” she said.
A prime goal for her is to develop more partnerships in the community and business.
“We still need to touch more people and there are many people that would benefit from becoming a part of LSUE and us being a part of them because at the end of the day our job is to help empower the entire community and to be a partner with the community.
“So, it is amazing work that we do and I’m fortunate to be a part of it,” she said.
Among her plans is continue seeking funding to renovate the Science Building, which has been a $15 million proposal.
But Sorenson believes a new feasibility study is needed to create a modern STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) center in the Science Building.
Another needed capital project is to fix a hole in the roof of Manuel Hall. She expects that will cost $1 million.
And she would like to see state-of-the art classrooms.
LSUE has major entry points for students in athletics, health professions and transfer opportunities, she said.
“We are trying to breathe new life into criminal justice and fire science programs,” she said.
The business program recently gained national accreditation, she added.
Sorenson also is excited about bringing esports to the campus. She says it is a blend of technology, marketing and communications.
LSUE’s nursing program is perhaps the most visible of its partnerships. LSUE and Lafayette General Hospital joined resources to create one of the largest nursing programs in the area.
“We just can’t talk enough about the need for nurses...” she said, adding that masters level nurses are needed to become faculty.
“Those are hard to come by here in Louisiana,” she said on nursing instructors.
Other health-related programs are surgical technology, sonography and sleep study.
Public transportation in the area is a barrier for many would-be students and it is problem that affects businesses being able to keep employees.
“I would love to work with our local leaders to put forth a grant to help that happen,” she said of public transportation.
Transportation to work is not an issue for Sorenson since she moved into the 4,000-square-foot chancellor’s residence.
The house was a “wow” factor for her.
“In the world of community colleges you are not used to things like that,” she said.
“All of my kids and my fiance’s kids came here for Christmas,” Sorenson said.
“And, they had a ball.”
The residence is near LSUE’s athletic venues such as basketball, baseball, softball and soccer.
“I can walk to work,” she said.
Enrollment: 2,989
Full-time: 1,582
Part-time: 1,407
The female population at LSUE represents 71.8% of the total enrollment.
Minority enrollment at LSUE represents 31% of the total population.
The average (mean) age of the student body is 22.
Average ACT Score: 19.78
Enrollment by curriculum type:
Associate degree: 74%
Transfer program: 8 %
Undecided: 2%
Certificate/Tech: 2%
Preparatory: 13%
Non-matriculating:1%
LSUE employs a faculty of 159 of which 50% are full-time.
LSUE employs a staff of 103 of which 95% are full-time.
University budget: $24,000,430.
Library holdings:64,475 volumes; and 90 periodical subscriptions.
— From lsue.edu.
LSU Eunice chancellors
Dr. Anthony Mumphry – 1965-1989.
Dr. Michel Smith – 1989-1995.
Dr. William Nunez – 1996-2015.
Dr. Kim Russell – 2015-2018.
Dr. Nancee Sorenson – 2018-present.
The list does not include interim chancellors.