NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

6/28/2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES-Northwestern State University president Dr. Randall J. Webb has been selected as president of the Consortium for Research, Education and Technology of North Louisiana (CERT). Webb will serve in this position for two years while continuing as NSU's president.

CERT is a unique collaboration formed to match north Louisiana's diverse educational resources with the research and development needs of the citizens and businesses in the region's 22 parishes.

Participating institutions include: the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana, Bossier Parish Community College, Centenary College, Grambling State University, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Louisiana Tech University, Louisiana Technical College, NSU, Southern University at Shreveport and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

"Dr. Webb's innovative leadership style will serve us well at a time when north Louisiana is fast-forwarding preparation of our workforce for the knowledge economy," said Patti Trudell, executive director of CERT.

CERT concentrates on: the technological workforce needs of companies in north Louisiana through the development of customer-focused, flexible training programs and institutes; technology transfer, by developing specialized areas of expertise to help form new technology businesses in areas such as biomedical, manufacturing, information and environmental technologies and economic development, by attracting technology-oriented businesses to north Louisiana that will access the resources of colleges and universities.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity to work together with the talented people at north Louisiana's colleges and universities to help move our region forward," said Webb. "Over the past few years, the Consortium has done an outstanding job of developing partnerships and helping groups and institutions pool their resources to achieve maximum benefit."

According to Trudell, Louisiana: Vision 2020, the state's master plan for economic development, calls for economic diversification and provides the framework for change. The state is bolstering biomedical/biotechnology industry infrastructure, workforce development and training and job creation. Trudell said CERT is responding to the goal of supporting the state's existing technology-based industries, while at the same time actively moving to diversify into emerging technology areas where high growth is expected.

The Louisiana Department of Economic Development's new cluster-based economic development structure will allow the state to more efficiently meet the goals and objectives of Vision 2020. Trudell pointed out that the 2000 CERT report "Workforce Development in North Louisiana" anticipated this development by recommending the establishment of an integrated roadmap for technology industry cluster development supported by north Louisiana's higher education institutions.

Webb will serve for two years as president of CERT. He suceeds Ken Schwab, president of Centenary College. Tom Carleton, chancellor of Bossier Parish Community College, is president-elect and Vince Marsala, chancellor of LSU-Shreveport, is secretary-treasurer.

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