41 FEBRUARY 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Helping the Next Generation Adapted from Information by Louisiana Tech University The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) generously contributed $275,000 to the Construction Engineering Technology (CET) program at Louisiana Tech University. Funding will be used to improve classroom and lab spaces. LSLBC presented the donation to the College of Engineering and Science (COES). “We are most thankful to the LSLBC for their generous support of our CET program,” said COES Dean Collin Wick. “The program has achieved record enrollment, and this funding will play a crucial role in developing cutting-edge classroom and lab spaces for our CET students.” The funds, gathered from voluntary contributions made by contractors across the state, are distributed among construction engineering programs in Louisiana. “The Construction Education Trust Fund contribution to Tech’s construction engineering program is another example of the construction industry giving back to prepare the future contractors of Louisiana,” said Ken Naquin, chief executive officer of the Louisiana Associated General Contractors (AGC). “The industry is the end user of the young men and women that the Program produces, and we want our Louisiana construction programs to be the best. This financial aid to the nationally certified construction programs is just our way of ensuring that this industry gets the best and brightest to stay home and work in this dynamic industry.” In addition to enhancing student access to cutting-edge construction engineering tools, previous contributions have enabled students to attend national conferences such as the North American Society for Trenchless Technology’s No-Dig Show, the Utility Construction Technology Conference, AGC of America Conference, and the International Trenchless Technology Conference and Exhibition. “Thank you to the contractors whose generosity makes this gift possible,” said Reggie Jeter, CET program director. “This donation will enhance our program by supporting student conference attendance, upgrading lab equipment, and renovating CET spaces in Bogard Hall.” The event was attended by key figures including Tech President Jim Henderson, COES Dean Collin Wick, faculty from Louisiana Tech’s Construction Engineering Technology program, members of the Louisiana Associated General Contractors and the Mechanical Contractors Association, as well as state legislators Representative Foy Gadberry and Senator Stewart Cathey, Jr., and representatives from the LSLBC. CONST
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