Service to the Community
Your support expanded access to arts, culture, education, and shared community spaces, creating opportunities for people of all ages to learn, connect, and thrive. Through these investments, you helped the University serve beyond its campus borders and deepen its role as a vital partner across Acadiana.
Connecting Through Arts & Culture: The Hilliard Art Museum’s Impact on Acadiana
For over two decades, the Hilliard Art Museum has served as a place where students, faculty, artists, families, and the community convene through art, culture, dialogue, and shared experience. It is a treasured community asset, holding pieces of Acadiana’s cultural identity in public trust, while ensuring that diverse cultural perspectives and experiences from around the world are made accessible to all. At the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, it stands as a shining example of how steadfast philanthropic support makes community impact possible. Learn more.
“The University has been a catalyst to this community.”
Jerry Prejean, Acadiana Market President of First Horizon Bank and University of Louisiana at Lafayette Foundation Board Member, has witnessed the vital role the University has played in workforce development in the community. Through generous donor support during the Together Campaign, the University has reached new heights - creating innovative opportunities for students that align with the evolving talent needs of our region.
Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium: Championing the Community
In a landmark moment for UL Lafayette Athletics, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center made a $15 million gift in 2021 to support the renovation of Cajun Field – the largest philanthropic donation in athletics history. Renamed Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium in honor of their investment, the gift made it possible to renovate the facility for the first time in its 50-year existence, building on the promise of what our community stadium can be now and in the future.
From the beginning, Our Lady of Lourdes made clear that their vision extended beyond football. Home to more than 200 community events each year, the stadium stands as a gathering place for all Acadiana – a space where people come together to celebrate, connect, and share in something larger than themselves.
That spirit is reflected in every corner of the renovated facility, including the McElligott Club – a premier hospitality destination made possible by a separate gift from the McElligott family, featuring exclusive indoor access and second-level chairback seating. Their investment combined with the collective support of hundreds of other generous donors, has created something far greater than a game-day venue. They have created a home for our community.
“When you choose to give some of your hard-earned resources to UL Lafayette, you are contributing to the heart and soul of your community”.
Dr. Aimee Barber, an Assistant Professor of Education, an alumnus, and a donor, has seen firsthand the transformational impact that the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has on the community. Every gift made during the Together Campaign represents a collective investment in our future leaders and the continued growth of our region.
Redefining Learning: How Visionary Donors Are Shaping the Future of Public Education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
When visionary donors invested in the UL Lafayette’s Learning Lab, they did more than fund a building – they helped launch a movement to reimagine public education in Louisiana.
Through the generosity of the Pugh Family Foundation, Love Our Schools, family of Joan and Doc Williams, and the Estate of Joseph Farrell Comeaux, the Learning Lab has received meaningful investments to launch building renovations, program development, and critical community partnerships. Their collective commitment has also attracted substantial investments from state and federal government agencies and other donors, multiplying the impact of their support.
The result is a legislatively authorized laboratory school overseen by the College of Education & Human Development that is fundamentally reimagining K-12 education and teacher preparation – unlike anything seen in Louisiana. Drawing on best practices from across the globe, the Learning Lab models what high-quality teaching and learning can look like, with long-term goals to influence educational policy statewide.
“The UL Lafayette laboratory school is designed as a living laboratory where teaching and learning are continuously studied, refined, and improved,” said Dr. Aimee Barber, Learning Lab Committee Co-Chair and Assistant Professor of Education. “With embedded teacher preparation, real-time feedback loops, and a research-to-practice model at its core, the Lab creates a dynamic environment where innovation happens alongside instruction.”
Once renovated, the Lab’s 70,000-square-foot home in the University’s Research Park will stand as a collaborative hub for the next generation of Louisiana educators – a vision made real through the power of philanthropy.