BATON ROUGE, La. – A new Center for Comparative Oncology (CCO), led by Louisiana State University and A&M College, was approved by the Board of Regents during Tuesday’s January meeting.
The Center will be unique in Louisiana, establishing a unified approach for dealing with cancers in both human and animal patients. This effort can provide new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of both human and animal cancers under the principle of the Center for Disease Control’s One Health approach to healthcare. With the prevalence of cancer in Louisiana, basic and translational research is needed to discover and implement novel therapies to treat highly aggressive forms of the disease. A comparative oncology approach provides unique opportunities to test a variety of therapeutic models in animals with the goal of providing therapies that are effective for both animals and humans.
LSU is proposing a unique collaboration to move cancer research forward in Louisiana in support of its application to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Center.
“The Center for Comparative Oncology is an important step forward for our state to continue groundbreaking cancer research, detection and, more importantly, cancer prevention,” said Regents Chair Misti Cordell. “This unique research collaboration will strengthen our state’s critical quest for an NCI designation and attract more talent to Louisiana.”
The Board of Regents also receives a briefing on the importance of the NCI designation to Louisiana. Dr. Lucio Miele, Director of LSU-LCMC Health Cancer Center, discussed the significant levels and types of cancer most prevalent in Louisiana compared to national statistics and the specific benefits of the NCI designation in improving health outcomes in our state.
“LSU has a strong record of research funding, industry partnerships, and collaborative research,” said Dr. Miele. “This unique collaboration will put Louisiana at the forefront of cancer research.”
Dr. Miele also discussed the factors necessary for NCI success including funded research, faculty expertise, and facilities as well. The Board of Regents has requested $10M in additional funding to support the state’s quest to win the NCI designation.
Also during today’s meeting, three new Board members – Ted H. Glaser III (6th Congressional District), Dallas L. Hixson (At-Large), and Christy Oliver Reeves (5th Congressional District) – took the oath of office. Regents David J. Aubrey (2nd Congressional District) and Darren G. Mire (2nd Congressional District) were also sworn in today after their reappointment to the Board by Governor Jeff Landry.
The Board also swore in Regents Terrie P. Sterling (Vice Chair) and Phillip R. May Jr. (Secretary) into their new leadership positions, joining governor-appointed Board Chair Misti Cordell.
In addition, the Board received two reports – the 2024 Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL) and Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) Task Force Report and the 2024 Teacher Recruitment, Recovery, and Retention (TRRR) Task Force Report.
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- TRSL/ORP Task Force Report: Created by HR 169 of the 2024 Regular Legislative Session, the Task Force offered six recommendations to the House Committee on Retirement that can be implemented through rules, policies, and legislation to improve faculty and staff retention.
- TRRR Task Force Report: Created by HCR 39 of the 2021 Regular Legislative Session, the report highlights the significant accomplishments of the task force following multiple years of collaborative work to improve the teacher workforce in our state. As a result, Louisiana has seen positive growth in the number of certified teachers, reaching 52,208 in 2024 – an increase of 843 from the previous year. In addition, 1,724 high school students enrolled in a Pre-Educator Pathway in 2023-2024. 597 new Louisiana school system employees enrolled in the paraprofessional-to-teacher model between January 2024 and September 2024. 41% of participants in the 2024-2025 para-to-teacher cohort are candidates of color.
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“As the profession that makes all others possible, teachers are critical to our talent development success,” said Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, Commissioner of Higher Education. “The initiatives detailed in the latest TRRR report have resulted in success in the recruitment and retention of teachers. It is imperative that we remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure that our students have the best educators possible as we focus collectively on talent development.”
The Regents will not meet in February. The Board of Regents’ next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 26.
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Contact
Chris Yandle, Ph.D., APR, Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications
chris.yandle@laregents.edu • 985-373-5845