McNeese Names in the News and on Campus

Richard Reid, vice president for university advancement at McNeese State University and executive vice president for the McNeese Foundation, has been appointed to a one-year term on the President’s Advisory Board of Louisiana Asset Management Pool, Inc. (LAMP) at the group’s annual meeting in New Orleans.

“Mr. Reid has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to LAMP. We’re grateful that his expertise will continue to be applied for the next year as a member of our advisory board,” said LAMP President and State Treasurer Ron J. Henson.

LAMP was created in 1994 as a cooperative endeavor to assist local Louisiana governmental entities in the investment of their cash balances. As of Nov. 28, LAMP’s assets under management totaled $1.4 billion. The fund is represented by 681 public entities statewide.

Joan Vallee-Rettke, a visiting lecturer in the McNeese Department of Chemistry and Physics, was recently named recipient of the 2017 Name of Fame award by the Louisiana Retired Teachers Association. This award honors Louisiana’s retired teachers for their leadership, organizational achievements and community involvement.

Vallee-Rettke has spent 48 years active in both teaching and volunteerism. Vallee-Rettke was a high school chemistry teacher for 18 years and an assistant professor of chemistry at McNeese for 24 years. She also served as the director of McNeese’s Honors College and coordinator of service learning. She has remained an active member of LRTA’s District VI by serving as a district officer and also helping design quality programs.

McNeese’s Kappa Psi Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Honor Society of Nursing received a Chapter Key Award recognizing its achievements and contributions in nursing at the STTI 44th Biennial Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Chapter Key Awards, established in 1991, honor STTI chapters that excel in chapter-related activities such as: membership recruitment and retention, publicity and programming, professional and leadership development and local, national and international collaboration.