The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors has made a donation of $92,327.14 from the volunteer contractor contributions to Louisiana Tech University in support of the construction engineering program in Tech’s College of Engineering and Science. Also, the Contractors Educational Trust Fund (CETF) made a donation of $50,000 to support the same program, and CETF made another donation of $50,000 to support Tech’s Trenchless Technology Center. Representatives of these and supporting organizations visited Ruston to present Louisiana Tech president Les Guice with the gifts in the president’s suite in Joe Aillet Stadium during a ceremony, luncheon, and tour of the press box and suites, which opened in September. “Contractors continue to be very generous with the Licensing Board’s voluntary contributions because the industry understands that the Schools of Construction are developing the leaders of tomorrow,” said Ken Naquin, chief executive officer of the Louisiana Association of General Contractors. “We are very grateful for this investment and steady support through the years from the state’s construction industry,” said Guice. “Contractors help us not only financially, but also with the sharing of their expertise and ideas with our students and faculty. “The construction industry can serve as a model for other industry sectors in the way to engage, support, and partner with higher education,” he said. “These professionals are truly helping us to build a workforce for the future.” The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors was created in 1956 for the purpose of protecting the general public from incompetent and fraudulent acts of a contractor while promoting the integrity of the construction industry. The State Licensing Board for Contractors consists of 15 Commercial members appointed by the Governor representing all segments of the contracting industry, and five Residential Subcommittee members. Louisiana Tech’s construction engineering technology program provides students with a background in math, science, engineering, construction and business to prepare graduates for leadership positions in the construction industry. The program prepares graduates for the responsibility of managing and supervising activities related to converting the plans and specifications prepared by engineers and architects into finished facilities. For more information on Louisiana Tech’s construction engineering technology program, visit coes.latech.edu/construction-engineering-technology. — Teddy Allen, teddy@latech.edu, 318.257.2090