LSU Ogden Honors College: Keeping the best and brightest in Louisiana

Sponsored by LSU Ogden Honors College

Louisiana’s top students have long reported finding better opportunities for higher education and employment outside the state, creating a “brain drain” that threatens the state’s talent pool and future work force. But a new curriculum designed by LSU’s Ogden Honors College aims to reverse this trend and encourage the best and brightest to stay in Louisiana for school and whatever comes after.

It’s the Honors TRACTS (Traditions in Critical Thought and Scholarship) bachelor’s degree, which promises to enhance the knowledge, expertise and career opportunities for its students. “Our focus is on leadership development — not just at a state level, but nationally and even globally,” says Dean Jonathan Earle. “We believe that companies like Exxon, DXC and IBM … even LSU’s Law Center … will be lining up to sign on our graduates.”

The knowledge and skills employers and professional schools are looking for — effective communication and collaboration, problem solving, adaptability, an understanding of global issues — are at the heart of Honors TRACTS.

“The program gives them vigorous exposure to the humanities, foreign language classes, and the sciences, and encourages internships, research experiences and study abroad programs,” Earle added.

“We designed this program to produce the future leaders of Louisiana,” says Brian Haymon, Chair of the Honors College’s Advisory Council. “Only the very best students will be accepted. Through coursework and internships, they will learn that Louisiana’s challenges — in healthcare, education, energy, environment, and infrastructure—are universal challenges.”

Earle says the admissions committee, currently working to recruit the first TRACTS class, will be extremely selective. “We’ll start small with about 25 students in the inaugural class,” he said, “and eventually get up to 100 students representing the top 10 percent of Honors students at LSU.”

“Why shouldn’t we have the same drawing power as other cities like Nashville or Austin? The Honors TRACTS program will help us keep our top performing students in Louisiana.”

Jonathan Earle, Dean of the Ogden Honors College

Earle expects many honors students will choose to double major with other, more traditional discipline-specific degrees, partly because so many honors college students start off with a lot of advanced placement and dual enrollment credit.

“Honors TRACTS will help even the best students distinguish themselves and demonstrate abilities beyond a particular field of study,” he said.

“We will work extremely closely with Louisiana employers as well as graduate and professional programs to connect graduates with competitive job placements and advanced degree opportunities.”

The TRACTS BA is one of the few honors-specific degrees at a research-focused, flagship university and is sure to help shape the leaders of tomorrow. For more details, visit lsu.edu/honors.