Louisiana Talent Behind Artemis II, Student Success Highlight of April Meeting

BATON ROUGE, La. – Talent, workforce innovation, and student success were celebrated Wednesday as the Board of Regents emphasized Louisiana’s contributions to the successful Artemis II mission and discussed new pathways to opportunity.

Louisiana’s colleges and universities have reported that more than 50 alumni majoring in fields ranging from mechanical and electrical engineering to aerospace technology had a direct impact on the Artemis II mission. The alumni highlighted are graduates of six Louisiana institutions: Louisiana State University and A&M College, Nunez Community College, Southern University and A&M College, Tulane University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and University of New Orleans.

During the April Board meeting, staff discussed the enrollment and completion of students in the contributing majors as well as the impact of such opportunities for Louisiana students. Almost 300 electrical and chemical engineers graduate from Louisiana’s public universities each year.

Nunez Community College alone had 22 Aerospace Manufacturing Technology alumni contribute to the mission. College leaders shared that Artemis II has sparked significant interest in the program, contributing to a surge in applications.

“Nunez Community College is proud to offer Louisiana’s only Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program and to play an integral role in NASA’s Artemis Program. Many of our aerospace graduates helped build the Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket,” said Dr. Tina Tinney, Nunez Community College Chancellor. “This moment underscored the real-world impact of our graduates and the strength of our industry-driven, state-of-the-art curriculum—firmly positioning Nunez as a premier gateway into Louisiana’s rapidly expanding aerospace sector.”

Southern University and A&M College also saw 17 alumni contribute to Artemis II. This mission built on Southern’s role in developing electrical equipment used during Artemis I, reflecting Louisiana’s continuous presence in America’s pursuit of manned deep space exploration.

“What makes Southern’s contributions to Artemis I and II so meaningful is that these missions are not abstract to us – they are personal,” said Dr. Lealon L. Martin, Dean of the College of Sciences and Engineering at Southern A&M. “Our alumni are helping design, build, and execute systems that are redefining what is possible in human spaceflight. It is a powerful affirmation that our students can compete – and lead – on the world’s most ambitious stages.”

Louisiana’s NASA Michoud Assembly Facility manufactures the Space Launch System rockets for the Artemis program and has supported NASA space launches for more than 60 years. Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed joined higher education and NASA officials at Michoud for the recent core roll out of Artemis III, which is scheduled for launch next year.

“We are incredibly proud that our graduates from Louisiana institutions played key roles in sending Artemis II farther than any manned spacecraft in human history,” said Commissioner Reed. “It’s a powerful reminder that our state is full of talent and that our institutions are developing the workforce that drives innovation on our planet and beyond. That’s Louisiana moon joy.”

The meeting also highlighted Louisiana’s unique new role in strengthening its education-to-workforce pipeline through a first-of-its-kind data pilot with the U.S. Census Bureau. Through the initiative, select institutions in the Louisiana State University and Southern University Systems will help lay the groundwork for scalable national tools that connect postsecondary and workforce data, improving information on the range of jobs connected to earned credentials and better aligning academic programs with labor market outcomes.

Wednesday’s meeting marked the final appearance of student Board member Devesh Sarda. A two-time SGA president at LSU Shreveport, Sarda is a rising senior majoring in computer science with a concentration in software development.

“We have been honored to have Regent Sarda serve as our student member this year,” said Board Chair Misti S. Cordell. “He has been a thoughtful and engaged contributor who represented Louisiana’s students well. We are incredibly proud of him and excited for what lies ahead.”

Board members also received an update during this month’s Meauxmentum Moment spotlight on student success efforts at LSU Shreveport. Associate Provost Dr. Helen Wise highlighted the university’s implementation of the Meauxmentum Framework and shared data demonstrating improved student success outcomes.

The Board’s next regularly scheduled meeting, including its semiannual joint meeting with the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, will be held Wednesday, June 10.