LA. Board of Regents approves $50,000 in aid for local doctoral

New Orleans CityBusiness, Jun 24, 2006 by N.O. CityBusiness Staff

The state Board of Regents approved $50,000 from its support fund to help doctoral students at Louisiana's research universities affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita with their research and education projects.

The purpose of the funding is to retain talented doctoral students who might otherwise be lured away to out-of-state institutions, education officials said.

The incentive program begins July 1 and will run through Aug. 31, 2007. It will provide up to $2,000 per student to attend a national conference, travel on a research trip or participate in other approved research or education activities.

While the support fund has limited monies, the Board has a sizeable commitment to continuing academic excellence in severely impacted areas, said Kerry Davidson, regents deputy commissioner for sponsored programs.

Awards will be given to students on a first-come, first-serve basis.

LSU Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, Tulane University, Tulane University Health Sciences Center and the University of New Orleans are all eligible institutions. However, each campus is limited to 10 award recipients.