On Par with the President LSU

In this episode, President William F. Tate IV speaks to LSU Women’s Basketball Coach Kim Mulkey. Mulkey, a Louisiana native, has won six national championships, is a nine-time Hall of Famer, and an Olympian. She shares her own experiences playing youth sports, the mentors who guided her, and her focus on her team's success on the basketball court and in the classroom.

LSU Women’s Basketball Coach Kim Mulkey is the only person in college basketball history –men’s or women’s –to win national championships as a head coach, assistant coach and a player. A native of Tickfaw, Louisiana, Mulkey is a six-time national champion, a nine-time Hall of Famer, an Olympian, and was recently inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

President William F. Tate IV speaks with a top LSU student scholar, Bri Robertson. Bri is a senior in the Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College studying physics in the College of Science and computer engineering in the College of Engineering. In this episode she shares how she is focused on artificial intelligence in medical settings and outer space, and how her scholarship opportunities have allowed her to make sure “no door was left unopened” during her time at LSU.  

Bri is a Stamps Scholar, the top scholarship opportunity for LSU’s Honors College students, and in 2020 was named a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar and an Astronaut Scholar. The Astronaut Scholarship recognizes the best and brightest minds in STEM who show initiative, creativity, and excellence in their chosen field. She has interned for NASA and the National Science Foundation. Following her graduation from LSU, Bri will work for SpaceX as a data scientist.

President William F. Tate IV sits down with Dr. Jose Aviles to discuss his journey from growing up in a low-income housing development in New Jersey to the vice president for Enrollment Management at LSU. They discuss Dr. Aviles’ passion for serving students, what keeps him motivated, and his ability to consistently build the largest, most talented and diverse classes in the university’s history. Over the last two decades, Dr. Aviles has intentionally served eight different institutions, ranging from the most selective institution in the country to a community college.

What is the “Dead Zone?” And why is it growing in the Gulf of Mexico? Dr. Nancy Rabalais joins President William F. Tate IV to answer these questions; give a behind-the-scenes look at an oceanographer's life both on deck and below; and describe her journey to being elected to the most prestigious scientific society in the U.S., the National Academy of Sciences. For more than three decades, Dr. Rabalais’ determination to protect marine life in the gulf has resulted in several appearances before Congress and 35 research cruises. Dr. Rabalais is a professor and the Shell Endowed Chair in Oceanography and Wetland Studies in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University.  

What does it take to become an Olympian? President William F. Tate IV sits down with LSU track and field star JuVaughn Harrison to discuss his journey to the Tokyo Olympics, his time at LSU, and plans for his professional career. While at LSU Harrison won a team national title, six NCAA individual titles, and owns four LSU school records. Most recently, he swept the long jump and high jump competitions at the U.S. Olympic Trials to become the first man since Jim Thorpe in 1912 to compete in BOTH events for Team USA.

Listen to the first three minutes of President William F. Tate IV's conversation with LSU track and field star and Olympian JuVaughn Harrison. 

Tune in on Thursday, July 29th for the full episode as we launch the "On Par with the President" podcast.

Inspired by his favorite sport and the idea of individuals at LSU being "on par" in their areas of interest, On Par with the President is a podcast hosted by Louisiana State University President William F. Tate IV. During each episode, he will chat with students, alumni, faculty, and staff from the LSU community who are at the very top of their game about their journey to success, setting and fulfilling goals, creating a legacy, and more.