2009 Rainmakers: Faculty 'makes it rain' with recognition

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By Colleen McKinney

The second annual Rainmakers award recipients were recognized at a gala on October 13. According to the LSU Web site, Rainmakers are "those afaculty members who are nationally and internationally recognized for innovative research and creative scholarship, compete for external funding at the highest levels and attract and mentor exceptional graduate students."

Brooks Keel, vice chancellor of the Office of Research and Economic Development, explained how the process of selecting this year's Rainmakers worked.

"Each department's chair nominates ten percent of their faculty, based on their specific guidelines," Keel said. "The nominations are sent to the respective deans, where additions or changes are made. Those lists are sent to the Council of Research for peer evaluation of the nominees. After the evaluations are done, the list comes to my office, where me and my staff narrow the candidates down to 100 award recipients."

Keel added, "These scholars represent the essence of what makes our university great: a strong commitment to excellence in teaching, outreach and scholarship, no matter what the field of study might be." Keel emphasized that these 100 recipients' works set them apart from their colleagues.

According to lsu.edu, recipients come "from nearly all disciplines on the LSU campus," which include 50 departments across campus. Any faculty member who demonstrates the qualities of a Rainmaker is eligible, "regardless of his or her tenure at LSU."

So why is this award important? When asked about the award's importance at LSU and in the professional world, Keel gave a somewhat surprising answer.

"Here's the thing about LSU," Keel quipped. "We really don't know how good we are. We wanted to celebrate our faculty with this award."

Katherine Golemi, elementary education sophomore, is currently taking Louisiana History with Alecia P. Long, one of the history department's recipients of the Rainmaker award.

Wahlen said, "I'm excited that I get the opportunity to be taught by an award winning professor. I can tell why she was nominated. Her enthusiasm and vast knowledge makes her stand out in the list of past instructors that I've had." Golemi also added that every class period she plays songs that relate to the topic of the day's lesson, which "makes her class more interesting and engaging."

The 2009 Rainmakers award, even though only in it's second year, is a strong step in giving LSU faculty of all levels a chance to show their work to the entire LSU and collegiate community. This award helps place LSU faculty on the levels of other university's renowned faculty. The award list is just further proof that LSU standards are being raised continually, and with this award being given out annually, LSU will continue to prove its academic excellence to Louisiana and the United States. For a list of the 2009 Rainmakers, visit http://www.research.lsu.edu/pdfs/2009Rainmakers.pdf to see if one of your professors made the cut.

Originally Published: Issue 822 - November 4, 2009

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