On May 16, 2014, 165 students in the LSU College of Art & Design were awarded degrees—129 baccalaureates and 36 masters in the fields of architecture, art, interior design, and landscape architecture. Awarded diplomas included:

• 26 Bachelor of Architecture and 10 Master of Architecture;
• 57 Bachelor of Fine Arts and six Master of Fine Arts;
• 26 Bachelor of Interior Design;
• and 20 Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and 20 Master of Landscape Architecture.

For the first time, the college had three university medalists graduating in the same term. Three undergraduates finished with perfect 4.0 GPAs and were awarded the University Medal, LSU’s highest academic honor: Lindsay Boley (BArch) and Bristie Joelle Smith (BFA) and Christina Y. Chang (BFA). Boley, Smith, and Chang were also included in the 14 students who graduated with Latin honors: four summa cum laude, three magna cum laude, and seven cum laude.

Five students graduated with the distinction of Distinguished Communicators, a coveted designation that becomes part of the students’ official transcripts and gives the certified graduates significant leverage in today’s job market: Lindsay Boley (BArch), Annette Marie Couvillon (BArch), Kaitlyn Claire Kehoe (BArch), Steven Milton Pedeaux (BFA), and Elena Proskurina (BID). Part of the Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) initiative, LSU Distinguished Communicators is a unique academic excellence program where students work to refine their communication skills and learn discipline-specific approaches to communication that will enable them to excel in their chosen professions.

Johnny Johnson from the School of Architecture graduated as one of the LSU Tiger Twelve. Johnson was one of only 12 graduating students chosen from more than 300 students nominated for excellence in community service.

Twenty-eight undergraduates were inducted into Tau Sigma Delta, an honor society for architecture and the applied arts. Three Bachelor of Landscape Architecture students were inducted into Sigma Lambda Delta, an honor society for landscape architects.

Elliot Manuel (BArch) received the LSU Honors College Outstanding Thesis Award for “LSU/Chevron ShoreBASE in Venice, LA.” Outstanding theses are awarded annually and announced during the Honors College graduation ceremony in May. Candidates for the award are nominated by thesis defense committees in the categories of humanities, social sciences, professional, and technical disciplines.

LSU President F. King Alexander addressed the graduates at the College of Art & Design commencement ceremony with the news that the 2014 graduates represent the largest graduating class in the history of LSU, including the largest graduating class of African American, Hispanic, and female students!

Jeanette Charlotte Feinberg from the School of Architecture addressed the graduating class as the 2014 class representative.

And last, but not least, Suzanne Turner received the LSU College of Art & Design Honor Award and gave the commencement address. Turner is a professor emeritus of the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, where she taught for almost 25 years. Now, she is principal of a research and design firm, Suzanne Turner Associates, which specializes in historical and cultural landscapes and design and planning where meaning and place matter. Over the course of her career, Turner has worked as a consultant for historic landscapes, including the Shadows-on-the-Teche and Drayton Hall near Charleston, South Carolina, both properties of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Oakland and Magnolia plantations in Natchitoches, Louisiana, properties of the National Park Service; Bayou Bend and Rienzi, both properties of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts; and numerous other house museum properties.

In her commencement address, she encouraged students to enjoy and appreciate the journeys of their professional lives. “You don’t want the search to end or even accelerate—the search is the prize you get for choosing this life,” she said. She spoke about how the most exciting work being produced in art and design today is the result of collaborations “among people with sympathetic world views and shared ethics.” She shared her own experiences, including her return to Louisiana, something she vowed she’d never do, and how she decided to stay and immerse herself in southern Louisiana. Her contributions to the Baton Rouge community include the Red Stick Farmers’ Market, the success of Beauregard Town, and her continued efforts to improve the availability of fresh, local food. Read Suzanne Turner’s commencement address here. After the commencement ceremony, the graduates and their families were invited to a reception hosted by the administration and staff of the College of Art & Design. Following the reception, everyone was invited to the Foster Gallery to view the BFA exhibition. Visit facebook.com/lsucoad to view 2014 spring commencement photos, coming soon!