Daniel Dugan Reneau, Jr. (born June 11, 1940) is the former president of

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...

in Ruston,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, a position which he filled from July 1, 1987, until his retirement effective June 30, 2013. He was succeeded by Dr. Les Guice.

Background

A native of Woodville in southwestern

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, Reneau graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

. He earned a master's degree in 1964 from the same institution. He received his Ph.D. in 1966 from

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

in Clemson,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Reneau returned to Louisiana Tech in 1967 to serve as an assistant professor of chemical engineering. He became an associate professor in 1969 and was promoted to full professor in 1973. In 1972, Reneau established the Louisiana Tech

biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...

department, only the fifth undergraduate program of its kind, and was named its head. He founded the national biomedical engineering honor society

Alpha Eta Mu Beta Alpha Eta Mu Beta ( or AEMB) is a biomedical engineering honor society founded by Dr. Daniel Reneau of Louisiana Tech University, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) ...

in 1979. Reneau's research interests focused upon the application of engineering principles to living systems, the understanding of

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

, and the use of technology to help people with disabilities. He has published eighty technical papers in books and journals, edited five books, and attended more than one hundred international meetings and conferences. In 1980, he was promoted to vice president of academic affairs at Louisiana Tech. He had served already for seven years as the university vice-president under President F. Jay Taylor.

University president

On February 20, 1987, Reneau was selected to succeed the retiring Taylor as the 13th president of the institution and assumed the office on July 1 of that year. In recent years Reneau has struggled with state-mandated cutbacks in higher education:

Louisiana Tech is now a state-assisted university rather than a state-supported university, and that is sad. Not only have we had to do away with programs like the school's dairy and beef herds , but we've had to shift the load to the students in the form of higher fees and tuition.Charles Tannehill, "Reneau ushers La Tech to national recognition", ''The Piney Woods Journal'', June 2012, p. 10

Despite the funding problems, the institution has received high academic rankings from national organizations. It is one of only two public institutions in Louisiana on the 2012 '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranking of Best Colleges. Louisiana Tech ranks in the top 10 nationally for students with the least debt. Louisiana Tech freshmen have consistently had the highest

American College Testing The ACT (; originally an abbreviation of American College Testing) Name changed in 1996. is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It is currently administered by ACT, a nonprofit organization of the same name. ...

scores, and the school has the best graduation rates in the

University of Louisiana System The University of Louisiana System (UL System) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It enrolls more students than the other three public university systems in the state. Its headquarters are in the Claiborne Building in ...

, even for a university with a football team. The publication ''

Kiplinger Kiplinger ( ) is an American publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice which is a subsidiary of Future plc. Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc., was a closely held company managed for more than nine decades by three generations ...

'' rates the university as one of the "Top 100 Best Values in Public Colleges". Reneau was succeeded by Leslie K. Guice, a Tech vice-president, whose appointment was confirmed on December 4, 2012, by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors in a special meeting in

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

. Guice took the helm on July 1, 2013. In December 2015, Reneau was appointed interim president of the

. He will succeed temporarily Sandra Woodley, who announced her resignation the preceding month.

Honors

*Fellow of the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (1989) *Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers (2001) *

National Federation of the Blind The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is an organization of blind people in the United States. It is the oldest and largest organization led by blind people in the United States. Its national headquarters are in Baltimore, Maryland. Overvie ...

Newel Perry Award (2002) *

Tau Beta Pi The Tau Beta Pi Association (commonly Tau Beta Pi, , or TBP) is the oldest engineering honor society and the second oldest collegiate honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students in American universities who have shown a ...

Distinguished Alumnus (2003)

Personal life

Reneau married Linda Digby, a native of Bernice in

Union Parish Union Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de l'Union'') is a parish located in the north central section of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,107. The parish seat is Farmerville. The parish was created on Ma ...

. The couple has a weekend retreat there with a main house and two cabins. They have two grown children, Dana Reneau Bernhard of Baton Rouge, who is married to Jim Bernhard of The Shaw Group, and Dr. John Reneau of

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, a physician specializing in

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

References

External links

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2010 Louisiana Tech Football Media Guide by Louisiana Tech Athletics - issuu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reneau, Dan 1940 births Living people Louisiana Tech University alumni Louisiana Tech University faculty Clemson University alumni Presidents of Louisiana Tech University American chemical engineers Louisiana Democrats Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering