NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

7/5/2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -A donation from the Roy O. Martin Foundation has created the first ever endowed professorship for Northwestern State University's Computer Information Systems program. The endowed $60,000 donation has established the Roy O. Martin Sr. Endowed Professorship in Computer Information Systems and will be matched with $40,000 from the Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund.

The Roy O. Martin Foundation is funded through Roy O. Martin Lumber Management, an Alexandria-based company founded in 1923 as a family business dedicated to the forest products industry. During its 80-year history, the company has become one of the largest independently owned wood products companies in the southern United States.

"Forestry is a high-tech business," said Roy O. Martin III, president of Roy O. Martin Lumber Management, L.L.C. "The Northwestern CIS program has put out excellent graduates in badly-needed areas that are helping our business grow. Northwestern has become a learning institution that is stirring economic development in our region and businesses in our area can benefit from that."

NSU's Computer Information Systems program within the College of Business and is one of the university's designated Areas of Excellence. The program is renowned for its excellence in preparing students for careers in information systems development, electronic commerce, systems analysis and design and database modeling and administration. This year, for the fifth year in a row, students in the CIS program won the national championship in systems analysis.

"Our students have not only solid business backgrounds, they also have highly technical backgrounds," said Dr. Lissa Pollacia, professor in the College of Business. "When we establish communication with companies like Roy O. Martin and they have a need in the area of information systems, we can steer students to those areas of need."

An endowed professorship is created by a benefactor to fund the academic activities and research of a faculty member who has established a record of excellence in a specific academic discipline. Interest from the endowed professorship provides needed resources to support faculty innovations in teaching, training and continuous improvement. These faculty innovations determine the quality of a university's programs and its student output and the reputation of the university.

Roy O. Martin Lumber Management's operations include the Martco plywood plant in Chopin, which within the next 18 months will be expanded by 30 percent to create 90 additional jobs. Earlier this year, the company broke ground on an oriented strand board (OSB) plant near Oakdale. The company operates a pine utility pole treating plant in Pineville and a hardwood sawmill and OSB mill in LeMoyen. ROM currently employs 1,100 people in the state and manages more than 600,000 acres of land, making it one of the state's largest private landowners.

Last year, ROM provided scholarships for six Northwestern State students through the Martin Foundation Scholarship Fund. Dependents of employees of the Martin companies are eligible for the scholarships and must maintain a 2.75 grade point average. In addition, ROM is a member of the NSU President's Council, which supports academic programs and university projects. Members of the President's Council make an annual contribution of $1,000 or more.

For more information on ROM, visit www.martco.com. For more information on NSU's Computer Information Systems program, visit http://business.nsula.edu/CIS/CISHome.htm.

Northwestern has 26 endowed professorships, one endowed chair and donations for two endowed chairs, which are awaiting matching funds.

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