A letter from incoming Alumni Association president, Chris Richard '87

Dear Alumni and Friends,

I am honored and excited to serve as the UL Lafayette Alumni Association president for the upcoming year. It’s been a pleasure working with the highly qualified staff at the Alumni Association and the passionate Executive Board and Alumni Council members. They serve you devotedly in their commitment to the University.

My wife, Susan, and I graduated together in 1987 with bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering. The education we received at UL Lafayette has served us very well and allowed us to accomplish much in our careers. After working with engineers from across the country, we realized our education prepared us to succeed better than many of our peers. Our three daughters and two sons-in-law can also attest to the quality of education they received at UL Lafayette. We are indeed a Ragin’ Cajuns family!

With the exciting announcement of UL Lafayette achieving the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s elite R1 designation, we are embarking upon an unprecedented era. This prestigious R1 status places us among the top 3% of research universities in the United States. With our success on the football field leading us to the longest winning streak in history and our overall athletic success, we have achieved the recognized status we deserve. It’s time for us to take our spot as a top-tier university. As an Alumni Council, we must take advantage of this opportunity to help further grow the Alumni Association and, in doing so, grow our beloved University of Louisiana at Lafayette!

The value of our degree improves as the University achieves greater status. Your support of the UL Lafayette Alumni Association shows your awareness of this fact, and we are truly grateful for your loyalty! Our goals for this year include:

• Filling the position of Associate Vice President of Alumni Engagement and CEO of the Alumni Association to lead the Association through this next era,
• Completing our new strategic plan for the Alumni Association,
• Providing opportunities for alumni to serve the community through philanthropic endeavors,
• Continually improving our events to better engage and support our alumni through our clubs and chapters.

Thank you for your support, and please reach out to us to connect. We are always willing to hear from our alumni about how we can keep you better connected to your alma mater.

Geaux Cajuns!

Sincerely,
Chris Richard, President
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Alumni Association 

Photo Caption: Chris Richard, 22-23 Alumni Association President. Photo Credit: Courtney Bergeron / University of Louisiana at Lafayette