Explore the Report
With great pride, I present the 2022-23 Ourso Bottom Line, highlighting the accomplishments of the E. J. Ourso College of Business over the last academic year. Throughout the year, we made significant strides in advancing our strategic initiatives and providing unparalleled opportunities for our students and faculty. Our five-year strategic plan remains our guiding compass, leading us toward the common goal of nurturing resilient students whose academic experience lays a robust foundation for versatile and thriving careers.
While we had many successes, I’m particularly proud of our advances in research, student experiences, and cybersecurity:
Research: We established the Center for Economics, Business, & Policy Research, a collaborative hub that serves as a catalyst for groundbreaking research endeavors, bringing together experts from all business areas to tackle complex challenges in our state and beyond.
Student Experience: At the heart of our academic pursuits lies our commitment to nurturing the potential of our students. In pursuit of this goal, we introduced a student mentoring program to enrich the student experience and enhance their career readiness. By fostering meaningful connections between students and professional alumni, this program has empowered our students with invaluable guidance and industry-specific knowledge.
Cybersecurity: Aligned with LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda, we introduced the Center for Internal Auditing & Cybersecurity Risk Management. With the expansion of the LSUCIA program came increased opportunities for students to delve deeper into cybersecurity risk and environmental, social & governance. By offering specialized courses in these critical areas, we are equipping our students with the skills to safeguard organizations from emerging threats and navigate the complexities of corporate social responsibility.
Our achievements serve as a testament to the dedication, ingenuity, and collaborative spirit that defines the Ourso College. I hope this report reminds you of what we accomplished together and fuels our drive for the work ahead as we make a difference for our university, state, and region.
Jared J. Llorens
Dean, LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business
4,560 |
Declared Undergraduate Business Students (Campus and Online) |
1,766 |
Admitted Undergraduate Business Students (Campus and Online) |
611 |
Master’s students (Campus and Online) |
50 |
PhD students |
838 |
Bachelor’s Degrees |
385 |
Master’s Degrees |
10 |
Doctoral Degrees |
91 |
Graduate Certificates |
Fall 2022 - Summer 2023 | Source: The President's Report
42.5% female
|
Gender Representation |
19.4% |
Historically Underrepresented |
$827,563
|
Total Disbursement
|
273 |
Scholarship Recipients |
Faculty
Knowledge Centers & Institutes
Undergraduate Majors
Minors
Master’s Programs
PhD Programs
Online Degree Programs
Graduate Certificates
WORLD-RENOWNED LSU CENTER FOR INTERNAL AUDITING ADDS CYBERSECURITY AND ESG FOCUS
The LSU Center for Internal Auditing, the world’s first and premier university-based internal audit education program, expanded its curriculum to include a greater focus on cybersecurity risk and environmental, social & governance (ESG) issues. In recognition of the changes, the program was renamed the LSU Center for Internal Auditing & Cybersecurity Risk Management (LSUCIA&CRM). See how LSUCIA&CRM is meeting the need in cyber, ESG, and talent development.
Open FOr Research: Center for Economics, Business, & Policy Research Is established
CEBPR is a new multidisciplinary research group that aims to provide relevant, timely research and insights that inform decision-making, shape policy, and advance the fields of business, economics, and public affairs in Louisiana. Learn how CEBPR will make a societal impact for Louisiana in the full story.
NSA SElects LSU as the first university in the nation to pilot a cyber clinic to protect small businesses
The LSU Cybersecurity Clinic will provide free services through the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at LSU while giving students in the Ourso College opportunities to advance their cybersecurity education, gain real-world experience, and earn professional certifications. Read how Ourso College students will receive hands-on learning through the clinic.
Ten Years IN the Business Education Complex
The Ourso College celebrated the 10th anniversary of our home, the Business Education Complex. The college reflected on the space that serves as a catalyst for our greatest ideas and innovations, enabling state-of-the-art learning and a place to create. In the last ten years, the college has awarded 11,741 business degrees. The BEC is the cornerstone of LSU’s campus, and everyone who walks these halls values the opportunities it provides. Watch the impacts of our beautiful business home.
Sean O'Keefe Leadership Award Winner
Austin Firmin, a general business major from Covington, La., was recognized as the latest Sean O'Keefe Leadership Award winner at the May graduation ceremony. The award rewards the LSU undergraduate student leader who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the past and possesses the character, capability, vision and motivation to be a leader in the future.
Food Truck Concept Wins Venture Challenge
Rollin’ Yöggler’s Turkey Durkeys won first place in the 2023 J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge for their quick-service food concept featuring fried turkey fingers and stuffing fries to be served from a fleet of food trucks. Their first-place finish came with a $20,000 award. The founders are brothers and business students Sam Shapiro, a finance and entrepreneurship major, and Joe Shapiro, a finance major.
MPA Student Wins Simulated Disaster Competition
David Burns, along with teammates from across the country, won first place in the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration 2023 Wildfire Simulation Competition. The simulation competition taught players communication and negotiation skills as they implemented collaborative team goals of a joint wildfire mitigation plan.
The Ourso College piloted its first college-wide mentorship experience during the 2022-2023 academic year. Business students connect with alumni through the Office of Business Student Success Mentoring Program for routine one-on-one meetings covering networking tips, field-specific queries, résumé reviews, mock interviews, job search assistance, and more.
The year-long program complements the curriculum by strengthening professional development skills, enhancing interpersonal communication, and creating a sense of connection and community between students and alumni.
Following the successful pilot, program capacity will be expanded for 2023-2024. Learn more about mentorship.
“ The OBSS Mentoring Program was the most amazing experience. My mentor helped me improve through biweekly mentoring sessions on Zoom. Some topics we covered included résumé review, salary negotiation, how to handle workplace conflict, and stress management in sales. Going through this program enhanced my understanding of what happens post-graduation and what steps to take to be successful. His most impactful advice was, ‘You are the CEO of your career.’ ”
- Sydney Brunson, BS Marketing
Ourso College graduates are driven by limitless possibilities from continuing their studies or conquering the corporate landscape. Each year, Business Tigers transform into visionary leaders ready to make a significant impact on the world. This data shows a snapshot of 2021-2022 graduates' first destinations after LSU. See the university-wide dashboard.
80% |
of graduates reported positive post-graduate outcomes* |
$72,801 |
average starting salary |
18% |
undergraduate grads pursuing an advanced degree |
88% |
of MBA graduates secured a job by 6 months post-graduation |
$93,677 |
average starting salary of MBA graduates |
*Positive post-graduate outcomes include working, continuing education, military service, and not seeking employment.
Amazon
BASF
Charles Schwab
Deloitte
Entergy
Ernst & Young
ExxonMobil
JPMorgan Chase
Lamar Advertising
New Orleans Saints
Ochsner
Southwest Airlines
The Walt Disney Company
Walmart
Wells Fargo
in research expenditures
scholarly publications
- publications, books, chapters, presentations
CARTS researchers received a substantial grant to improve highway safety through
the use of AI. The team will build an AI engine to better understand driver behavior
that leads to crashes in order to help prevent them.
Less than half of all U.S. adults have access to prime credit because of their credit score. But new LSU and Harvard University research shows a lot more people could become eligible if lenders use artificial intelligence, or AI, and alternative data, such as education and employment history. Smarter underwriting algorithms would especially benefit recent college graduates and young people with short credit histories as well as people with low or no credit scores.
Companies’ “work from home” policies may be driving economic inequality. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 70% of full-time office workers left their offices behind to work from home. While, at first, this was a temporary response to ensure workers’ safety and to comply with government mandates, many businesses realized the remote arrangement could result in substantial gains in work productivity.
Employee engagement is one of the major components that drive customer satisfaction and, ultimately, organizational success in the service industry. One example of employee engagement is when service employees feel high energy levels, they are more willing to invest in their work tasks. They experience a sense of enthusiasm, dedication, and pleasure while executing work roles, which elevates their work performance. In turn, employee engagement influences customer engagement. When employees go above and beyond, customers are more likely to interact in a service relationship with a brand or organization and add value to that firm.
For years, personal, work, and societal concerns about obesity and body fatness have sparked research efforts across multiple fields. However, previous organizational literature considered fatness as only an objective construct despite research in other disciplines demonstrating a critical subjective component to how body fatness is experienced.
Recent disruptions, labor shortages, and fiscal pressures have imposed and highlighted changes in the roles and responsibilities of frontline employees (FLEs) in retail service environments. Being yelled at, accused, threatened, or having their presence ignored while customers shoplift are just some examples of customers’ deviant behaviors (CDB) that FLEs are expected to endure on a regular basis without extra compensation. As a result, frustrated FLEs now find themselves saying “not my circus, not my monkeys,” which has a tremendous impact on organizations and retailing services.
Insider computer abuse (ICA), or the unauthorized and deliberate misuse of organizational information resources by insiders, continues to be a significant threat to organizational information systems security. Despite efforts to deter and sanction such behavior, recent studies have shown that many employees are willing to share confidential or regulated information under certain circumstances, and a significant number of security breaches are linked to insiders. These findings indicate that current security measures, mostly relying on deterrence-based sanctions, are not effectively addressing the issue of ICA.
Do high taxes cause superstars to work less? In a recent working paper titled “Taxes and the Labor Supply of the Stars” released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, LSU Department of Economics Associate Professor Dan Keniston and Assistant Professor Abigail Peralta study this question among a unique group of wealthy individuals: Hollywood movie stars.
Sales and Marketing Executives-Greater Baton Rouge awarded Department of Marketing Distinguished Instructor Tommy Karam with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Karam is most well known for his personal branding and sports marketing classes. His expertise has impacted athletes like Shaq and Joe Burrow.
Department of Public Administration Associate Professor Suzette Caleo was appointed to serve on the Louisiana Women’s Policy and Research Commission as a member with gender, diversity, and organizational justice expertise. Caleo serves as the faculty director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the college and conducts research on gender bias, workplace diversity, and discrimination.
Strengthening Our Purpose Through Philanthropy
The Ourso College continues to make great strides in fostering a culture of philanthropy and involvement. Philanthropic gifts help to amplify our academic programming, research, and experiential learning opportunities.
Total raised to support the Ourso College in FY23
Raised to support scholarships (included in FY23 total)
Raised for the Dean's Excellence Fund (included in FY23 total)
The Pozen Scholars Fund was established to enhance diversity by providing financial resources for underrepresented students in the LSU Flores MBA Program. The scholarship, which covers tuition and fees, was made possible by a gift from Robert C. Pozen, an author and senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management.
LSU and ExxonMobil are strengthening their relationship to collaboratively pursue key priorities set forth in LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda, including advancing energy security and sustainability initiatives. Exxon Mobil's latest investment in LSU is $2 million, and a portion of the funding will impact the E. J. Ourso College's academic programs.
Alberto, a senior studying information systems and decision sciences, is the recipient of the Reymond Holmes (Bussie) Pope Scholarship Fund. He chose to pursue a field that married his two passions: technology and business. The degree is a collaborative approach for “strategic thinkers” who enjoy technology and want to play an essential role in defining the future of business.
Landry shared the story of Walk-On's and his experience as a successful entrepreneur. A 2001 graduate of the Ourso College, Landry said that working in teams and building relationships are vital contributors to his success. He encouraged students to put themselves out there, as growth often comes from discomfort.
The SEC Student Pitch Competition highlights the ingenuity of student entrepreneurs from all SEC universities. The 2022 competition at LSU gave participants a platform to showcase their innovative ideas and present their business concepts to a panel of judges. With representatives from each SEC university competing, the event fostered a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit and encouraged networking.
In this speaker panel, Chief Diversity Officers from various industries shed light on what it means to lead efforts in DE&I. They shared their experiences, insights, and strategies for fostering inclusive environments and driving positive organizational change. Attendees gained valuable perspectives on championing diversity and cultivating a culture of belonging in their professional spheres.
A group of LSU entrepreneurship majors embarked on an enlightening journey to connect with business owners, technologists, investors, and thought leaders who power Seattle's entrepreneurial ecosystem. With a shared goal of discovering what it takes to start a business, the students gained valuable insights into the daily lives of successful entrepreneurs, increased their understanding of various industries, and built their networks.
The Ourso College recognizes individuals who make significant contributions in the areas of business, academia, or government, as well as their community. Bringing unique perspectives and experiences, these honorees earned a place in the Hall of Distinction through their achievements and service.
LSU Women's Basketball coach Kim Mulkey's wardrobe has attracted almost as much attention as her championship team. Much of Mulkey's eye-catching fashion comes from Queen of Sparkles, a brand created by Ourso College alumna Jaime Glas '12 BS International Trade & Finance. Glas was honored as the college's 2022 Outstanding Young Alum.
Presented by LSU Executive Education, the LSU100: Fastest Growing Tiger Businesses identifies, recognizes, and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Tiger-owned or Tiger-led businesses in the world. The LSU ROARING10 recognizes the ten highest revenue-generating LSU graduate-owned or graduate-led businesses from all those that apply for the LSU100 each year.
