Retiring Faculty
We congratulate the following people on their retirement and thank them for their service.
Dr. Caryl Chlan (Associate Professor of Biology) Dr. Chlan has retired after 28 years but is continuing her involvement with the program as an adjunct member of the graduate faculty. Dr. Chlan's research focuses on molecular and biochemical approaches to addressing diseases and other issues affecting agricultural plants. She has had a long association with the US Department of Agriculture which, along with Louisiana's Board of Regents, has funded much of her research. She taught courses in molecular biology, biochemical adaptation, microbiology and molecular and cellular techniques, and was active in mentoring both graduate and undergraduate students in their research. Her teaching always received high levels of praise from the students taking her courses. Dr. Chlan has been active in our graduate program and has taken on leadership roles on many committees at both the University and departmental level as well as in professional societies.
Dr. Susan Mopper (Professor of Biology): Dr. Mopper joined the emeritus faculty after 24 years as a faculty member of the Department of Biology. Her research program focused on the ecology and evolution of plants and insects as well as interactions between these two groups of organisms. A well know ecologist, Dr. Mopper's research was funded by many agencies including the National Science Foundation, and more recently the Coypu Foundation. Her courses in the biology department, included ecological statistics, experimental design, entomology, and field techniques, provided quantitative and ecological training to both our undergraduates and graduate students. Since 2004, Dr. Mopper served as the director of the University's Ecology Center, which expanded in vision and capabilities during under her leadership. She has lead the development of PureNative™, a program that distributes native plant mixes that fulfill diverse environmental and commercial needs in a sustainable manner.
Dr. Joseph Neigel (Professor of Biology): Dr. Neigel was appointed as an emeritus professor after 30 years of service to the University. His lab studied the processes that generate and shape genetic variation in natural populations and his research has been published in some of the top journals in biology. His work has contributed greatly to our understanding of the evolution and population biology of marine organisms and his research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, among many sources. Dr. Neigel's courses in genetics and evolution, population genetics, and molecular evolution were popular with our students and he put considerable effort into lecture revision and experimenting with new instructional approaches. He took on numerous service roles including most recently, being faculty advisor to the University's pre-veterinary society.
Dr. Richard S. Perkins (Professor of Chemistry): After joining UL Lafayette in 1969 as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Perkins became the longest serving member of UL Lafayette’s chemistry department and one of the longest serving at our institution. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1974, to Professor in 1980, and served as Department Head from 1985 to 1987. Over the years, Dr. Perkins distinguished himself as an accomplished scholar, as the Principal Investigator of funded research in corrosion science and spectroscopy, and as a truly outstanding teacher. He worked tirelessly to upgrade our facilities, freely donated his spare time to reach out to current and former students, and made a lasting impression on all who had the honor of knowing him. Just recently, one of his former students established a scholarship trust fund in his name. While his retirement is well deserved, his departure is a great loss for the Chemistry Department and College.
Mrs. Sharolyn Underwood (Master Instructor of Mathematics): Mrs. Underwood began her teaching career with the university in 1996 as an adjunct instructor becoming a permanent instructor in 2002. She was promoted to Master Instructor in 2013. She was one of the first instructors to become certified by Distance Learning to both teach and design online courses. She presented in training workshops hosted by Distance Learning to train faculty across campus for online teaching. Mrs. Underwood was instrumental in helping the Mathematics Department to standardize freshman courses and served as chairman of the committee on pre-service courses. She was an integral part of our successful teacher prep courses and helped mentor new faculty and graduate students in a variety of other courses.