Team Selected as Finalist in Gulf Futures Challenge

We are thrilled to share that Andrew Schwarz, professor in the LSU Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Systems, and the Iberia Parish Clean Energy Hub team were recognized as finalists for the $50 million Gulf Futures Challenge from the The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Iberia Parish Clean Energy Hub team is a collaborative effort between the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business, LSU College of the Coast & Environment, the University of Louisiana, private firms Meta and Unity Technologies, and the local nonprofit Do It Greener Foundation. Their work centers on building a digital twin of Iberia Parish to virtually test green energy solutions such as carbon sequestration, solar energy production, wetlands creation, and more, with a focus on educating and training parish residents on what these solutions look like and how they function before any construction occurs.

Out of 164 applications, the team was one of only 10 selected as finalists, and four finalist teams featured LSU representation. They will receive an initial grant of $300,000 and the opportunity to submit an updated proposal to compete for one of two $20 million final awards.

Read more about the finalists.

Dean Crook Speaks to the Baton Rouge Business Report

In a multi-part interview series with the Baton Rouge Business Report, Dean Russell Crook outlined his vision for embedding grit, resilience, and entrepreneurial thinking into the Ourso College's programs. Read the three-part interview series:

Part 1: Shaping the Next Generation of Leaders

Part 2: Preparing Students to Lead Through Disruption

Part 3: Preparing an AI-fluent Workforce

Please note that a Business Report subscription may be required to read the articles.

PSI Golf Tournament Accepting Registrations

When is golf more than a game? When it allows potential employers to connect with LSU sales students! Network with other professionals and prospective employees during the annual Professional Sales Institute Golf Tournament.

Participation in the tournament includes three hours of gameplay, lunch, beverages, prizes, and interaction with the Professional Sales Concentration students.

Thursday, November 20, 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Top Golf Baton Rouge

Register for the tournament here.

Navigating the Relevance Gap

To solve some of Louisiana's biggest challenges, entrepreneurs will need to be connected with groundbreaking research. But how do we ensure vital new discoveries in academia actually reach those on the front lines of change?

In a new article published in the prestigious Journal of Business Venturing, Professor Ted Waldron in the LSU Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Systems and his co-authors built a roadmap to help other researchers safely avoid the "relevance gap" and drive real-world impacts with their work.

Explore their framework for better research here.

Faculty & PhD Students Earn Research Accolades

Our faculty and doctoral students continue to be recognized for their research contributions as well as their impacts on academia and industry. Recent accolades include:

Thomas Greckhamer, chair of the LSU Rucks Department of Management, was recognized with the 2025 C-CUBES Outstanding Research & Impact Award from the Rice University Business Center for Customer-Based Execution & Strategy.

Charlotte Jacobs, assistant professor in the LSU Rucks Department of Management, was awarded Best Conference Paper Award by the Knowledge & Innovation Interest Group of the Strategic Management Society.

Dan Rice, associate professor in the LSU Department of Marketing, was named a 2024 Outstanding Reviewer for the Journal of Consumer Marketing.

Zhixiu Yu, assistant professor in the LSU Department of Economics, received an Early Career Award from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Coordinating Center on the Economics of Alzheimer's Disease and ADRD.

Mariza Gabriela Lemos Mesquita, PhD student in the LSU Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Systems, received the 2025 Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC) Award for Excellence in Research for a paper co-authored with assistant professor Joseph Cabral. She also recently received the Outstanding Case Teaching Award from the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship at Florida State University.

Business Tigers On-the-Geaux

Ourso alumni: we have more alumni events coming up as we make our way across the south! Connect with colleagues during an evening of professional networking and hear from Dean Russell Crook as he shares details of the college’s recent research, teaching, student retention, recruiting and growth initiatives.

Appetizers and beverages will be served. Advance registration is required; registration is complimentary for current members of the E. J. Ourso College of Business Alumni Chapter, Dean's Circle Members, and DAC Members. The cost for all other alumni is $20. Complimentary groups may use code MEMBER when registering; your membership will be verified.