Most students and faculty have seen the commercials during televised LSU football games and other athletic events showcasing the beauties of the University – the towering oak trees, the stucco-walled buildings and the flowering bushes around campus.
This year, however, University officials are taking a different approach with the opportunity to showcase the University to prospective students, current students and alumni.
Instead of long shots of the Quad and Memorial Tower, this year’s ads feature local businesses that have benefitted from the University’s Business and Technology Center.
According to its Web site, the center assisted in starting more than 350 businesses and had a role in creating or saving at least 8,000 jobs as of June 2003.
Charles D’Agostino, executive director of the Business and Technology Center, said the ads focus on the center’s work with economic development as well as outreach programs in the community.
Chancellor Mark Emmert said while there is no NCAA requirement to run ads showcasing the University, they are part of the University’s conference negotiations with television companies.
“We chose to run an ad on LSU’s relationship to the business community because we are trying to increase the awareness of LSU’s critical role in the Louisiana and national economy,” Emmert said.
Among the businesses featured in the ad are Mezzo Systems, Cap Technologies and First Responders Inc.
D’Agostino said Mezzo Systems is a faculty-owned company that has been developing technologies with NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense; Cap Technologies is working on finding new uses for steel; and First Responders is developing software to help police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians find the exact location of emergencies.
D’Agostino said the center’s involvement with these businesses is helping fuel economic development both in the Baton Rouge area and the state.
Emmert said the University is important to the business community because it provides the outside world with an educated workforce of graduates, as well as technology and research that supports the creation of more jobs.
D’Agostino said he was “extremely honored and flattered” that the University chose to focus on the center during the ads.
“It lets both alumni and football fans know what LSU is doing for economic development,” D’Agostino said.