SHREVEPORT, La. – Awards totaling $5,500 from the Louisiana Association of Tax Administrators will provide scholarships to students with financial need at LSU Shreveport.
LATA is a professional organization for employees of state and local tax offices. The group promotes uniform taxing laws and regulations, efficiency in taxing offices and cooperation among the various taxing authorities in Louisiana. LATA provides a scholarship funds to a Louisiana university each year, said LATA Secretary/Treasurer Tom O’Neal.
The group presented the LSUS scholarship monies to the LSUS Foundation during the LATA annual meeting in Shreveport recently. The organization also presented a separate $500 scholarship that honors the late Roy Austin, a state and local tax manager with Entergy who was active in LATA for many years.
“I was delighted to get the call from Mr. O’Neal sharing the award would go to LSU Shreveport, and everyone at the luncheon was so welcoming. Many were LSUS alumni or currently pursuing another degree from us,” said LSUS Foundation President Laura Perdue.
LATA members typically pursue degrees and credentials in accounting, finance and business administration.
“We like to assist those that may not have qualified for some of the higher academic achievements,” O’Neal said. “We like to help students who have a desire for an education and hopefully will graduate and make a contribution to our state.”
LSUS graduates work in local government tax and finance offices in Bossier City as well as Caddo, Livingston, Lafourche and St. Mary parishes, among others.
“We are very pleased that our students will be the recipients of this generous gift from the LATA,” said LSUS Chancellor Robert T. Smith. “This is a fantastic way to encourage students to pursue higher education in Louisiana.”
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About the LSUS Foundation
The LSUS Foundation promotes philanthropic support for LSUS programs and areas of study while recognizing the all-important growth and success of economic development in northwest Louisiana. The LSUS Foundation houses 58 endowed professorships and chairs and awards over 150 scholarships each year.
About LSU Shreveport
Founded in 1967, Louisiana State University Shreveport offers a wide array of nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including a doctoral degree. The university’s mission is to educate a diverse population of graduate and undergraduate students; engage in regional and global thought leadership through community collaboration and service; and innovate to enhance the application of knowledge and intellectual discovery through faculty and student research and creative endeavors.
