A relationship that began a half-century ago when Les Guice entered Louisiana Tech as an architecture student from Morehouse Parish is ending December 31 with his retirement as the University’s president for the past 10 years.
“I have been blessed to be a part of an incredibly dedicated faculty, staff, and administration at Louisiana Tech for the past 45 years,” President Guice said. “I have been most gratified to be a part of this team that puts the success of our students as the top priority. It becomes more evident each day that our students are seeing great value in their education at Tech, and they are spreading that word back home.
“Kathy and I met as freshmen in an English class, got married as juniors, and left the wedding to go to a football game. We have lived this,” he said. “I do want to thank our faculty and staff who are the heart of the University. They are so dedicated to this institution, and I’m confident the next president can take it to new heights.”
Dr. Jim Henderson, with deep ties to Tech and most recently the president of the University of Louisiana System, becomes Tech’s 15th president on January 1, 2024.
President Guice and Kathy, also a distinguished educator and much-loved First Lady, will retire in Ruston and continue being Bulldog fans. They hope to travel a good bit, with most of those trips being planned toward time with their three sons and their wives — Kyle and Ginger, Chad and Shannon, and Bret and Christy, all Tech graduates — and their five grandchildren.
“During his time as Louisiana Tech University President, Les Guice has truly changed our community,” Congresswoman Julia Letlow said recently as she recognized Guice on the floor of the House in Washington, D.C. “There is no limit to the lives that he touched throughout his career. His dedication to his students was unmatched, and his passion for higher education was unwavering. He is selfless to the fullest extent, all while bridging the gap between the government and the private sector.
“He never wants the attention to be on him,” she said, “but his service to our state constitutes great honor.”
“Dr. Guice is a transformational leader whose authenticity allows him to relate to every constituent group in his circle of influence,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Eric Wood said. “There is nobody on this campus who loves Tech more than he does, and his impact on this University will not end. He is the epitome of class, and I’ll be indebted to him forever for giving me the opportunity to serve as Tech’s first VP for Athletics.”
The secret of Guice’s success might be that he was able to be present in each moment, to fully engage in the present problem or fully appreciate and experience time with each person present — student, faculty, staff or friend — in that moment.
“The successes have been phenomenal by any estimation, but for Les Guice, his first and paramount concern has always been the people, those who make up the Tech Friends and Family,” Tech Vice President Emerita Corre Stegall said. “From our friends who’ve worked on campus for decades to the students and prospective students he stops to chat with every day, to the retirees he never forgets and the alumni all over the world, these and so many more are the most important things to Les Guice. His visions have brought people and concepts together, resulting in making Tech a jewel in the crown of higher education.”
