Education:
Princeton University, MA and Ph.D., History
Columbia University, BA, History (magna cum laude)

Biography:
Dr. Earle joined the LSU Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College as dean in 2014. Under his leadership, the Ogden Honors College received a $12 million naming gift from New Orleans philanthropist Roger Ogden, fully renovated the French House, and increased the university’s financial and academic commitment to honors education.

A native of suburban Washington DC, Dr. Earle is a specialist in the history of the antebellum United States.  Educated at Columbia (BA) and Princeton (MA, Ph.D) Universities, he is the author of numerous books and articles including Jacksonian Antislavery and the Politics of Free Soil (UNC Press, 2004), winner of the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic's 2005 Broussard prize and co-winner of the Byron Caldwell Smith Book Prize; John Brown's Raid: A Brief History With Documents (Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2008); The Routledge Atlas of African American History (Routledge, 2000) and co-author of Major Problems in the Early American Republic (Cengage, 2007).  In 2013 the University Press of Kansas published his edited collection Bleeding Kansas, Bleeding Missouri: The Long Civil War on the Border, which was named a Notable Book by the Kansas State Library. Dr. Earle is currently working on a book on the election of 1860 for the Pivotal Moments in U.S. History Series published by Oxford University Press. 

Before coming to LSU, Dr. Earle was a longtime faculty member in the History Department at the University of Kansas, where he also served as Director of the University Honors Program and Associate Director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics.

In support of his research, Dr. Earle has received major  fellowships from the NEH and the American Council of Learned  Societies.  He spent the 2006-7 academic year as the Ray Allen Billington Chair in U.S. History at Occidental College and the Huntington Library and the 1999-2000 academic year as an NEH Fellow at the Huntington.  Earle has appeared on numerous programs and documentaries on the History Channel, C-SPAN, and PBS. The History News Network named him a Top Young Historian in 2007.  

Education:
D.Phil. Oxford University, UK
M.St., Oxford University, UK
B.A., LSU (English)
B.A., LSU (History)

Biography:
An LSU Honors College graduate and University Medalist, Drew Lamonica Arms returned to teach in the Honors College in 1999 after receiving her doctoral degree in Victorian literature from Oxford University, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar.  In 2004, she was named Director of Fellowship Advising and has assisted LSU students in receiving over 100 prestigious national and international fellowships, including Truman, Goldwater, Udall, Marshall, Gates Cambridge, Knight Hennessey, and Fulbright.  She has written "We are Three Sisters": Self and Family in the Writing of the Brontës (Missouri, 2001) and is a contributing author to The Brontës in Context, (Cambridge, 2012).  Her work on Emily Brontë is featured in the Gale Critical Companion Feminism in Literature (2005), and she currently works on Anne Brontë’s novels and poetry.  In 2017, Dr. Arms created the OHC’s signature study abroad program, Ogden Honors in Oxford, and serves as its director.  Appointed Associate Dean in 2022, Dr. Arms manages the honors curriculum.

Education:
Louisiana State University, Ph.D., English Literature, 1994
Louisiana State University, M.A., English Literature, 1985
Hamilton College, B.A., English Literature, 1981

Biography:
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Granger Babcock attended Hamilton College in New York State. After graduating, he worked in Washington, D.C. before arriving in the Bayou State to attend graduate school. After receiving his Ph.D. from LSU, he worked at LSU Alexandria, the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Dr. Babcock returned to LSU in 2000 to work as the assistant to the dean in University College. In 2003, he moved to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Life, where he served until 2005, when he moved to the Ogden Honors College as an associate dean. Dr. Babcock oversees the college’s co-curricular programming, including two living-learning communities, and co-directs the Louisiana Service and Leadership Scholars. He teaches regularly and has participated in study abroad programs in China and England. 

Education:
Ph.D. Music - Experimental Music and Digital Media, Louisiana State University
M.M. Music Theory, Louisiana State University
B.A. Philosophy, Louisiana State University

Biography:
Serving Ogden Honors College students and faculty members since 2000, Michael has contributed to our advising, enrollment management, assessment, facilities development, and information technology. A former student of the College, he found its commitment to excellence, to interdisciplinary study, and to advancing education in the state of Louisiana to be worth continuing and strengthening.

Education:

Louisiana State University, B.S., Chemistry (magna cum laude)

Melissa Crawford joined the Ogden Honors College in March 2024. She is a native of New Orleans, LA, who has served in various roles at LSU for more than sixteen years.  She was the assistant director of communications for the LSU Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School. She has also been a program manager for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Professors, the NSF-funded Louisiana Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (LA-STEM) Research Scholars, and the Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-LAMP) Programs. Melissa has personally mentored more than 400 students, employing a holistic development learning approach to create high-quality STEM ambassadors, who go on to complete graduate programs. 

Melissa has extensive administrative experience at LSU, with strengths in recruitment, motivation, and retention of undergraduates. She has been actively involved in increasing student access and success in undergraduate STEM degree programs. Melissa was the co-developer of a comprehensive Success Course aimed at preparing STEM undergraduates for doctoral programs, STEM careers, leadership, and public service. She has also served as the coordinator and instructor for an eight-week Summer Bridge Program and a ten-week NSF-funded REU program. Additionally, she was the co-coordinator of the LSU Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) for ten years. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Technology and Innovation and an invited book chapter in Broadening Participation in STEM, published by Emerald Insight.

 Education:

Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication - Louisiana State University

Master of Arts in Education - Louisiana State University

Biography:

Sydney joined the Ogden Honors College in 2018 as an academic counselor for first- and second-year students and is now the Coordinator of Academic Advising. She provides holistic advising and assists students with making the most out of their time as an undergraduate in and out of the classroom. Sydney supports the Director of Academic Advising in the planning and implementation of all advising for the College. She also coordinates the College’s orientation programs.  

After graduating from LSU with a BA in Mass Communication, she went on to earn an MA in Education with an emphasis in higher education administration. Sydney is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana and currently works remotely from New Jersey.  

Education: 

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D. Candidate, History University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.A., History Louisiana State University, B.A., History

Biography:

An Honors College graduate and LSU alumna, Celia returned to the Ogden Honors College in 2022 as the Upper Division Advisor for primarily third- and fourth-year students.  She assists honors students as they transition to their Upper Division Programs, as they carry out research for their Honors Thesis, and as they begin to think about their post-graduation plans. 

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Celia graduated from LSU with a B.A. in History and Upper Division Honors in 2017.  She continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied and conducted research abroad in Spain and Brazil, received a Fulbright and SSRC International Dissertation Research Fellowship, and earned a M.A. in History in 2019.  In addition to her advising duties, Celia is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at UW-Madison working to complete her dissertation.  Her research focuses on the early modern Spanish Atlantic World where she analyzes the intersection of Christianity, medicine, gender, the family, race, and ethnicity found in the knowledge held and circulated about breastfeeding practices. 

Education:

Master of Education - Texas State University

Bachelor of Science in Psychology - Louisiana State University

Biography:

Samantha joined the Ogden Honors College in 2022 as a lower-division academic advisor. She primarily meets with first and second-year Honors students to help them plan their coursework each semester and explore co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities to enhance their college experience. 

She is a Louisiana native and proud LSU alumna. She graduated from LSU with a B.S. in Psychology and went on to complete her M.Ed. at Texas State University. She worked at colleges in Texas and Montana before moving back home to Louisiana.”

Mimi joined the Ogden Honors College as an academic advisor in January 2024. Born and raised in Louisiana, she graduated from LSU in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. After graduation, she became certified to teach middle and secondary English and spent most of her teaching career as a Freshman English teacher. During her time as an educator, Mimi discovered her passion for guiding students to reach their highest educational goals while supporting the student holistically. She was eager to make the transition to Higher Education and is so excited to be back at LSU as an advisor for the Honors College. 

Lillian joined the Ogden Honors college in Spring of 2024 to serve as one of the Academic advisors. Her role as an academic advisor allows her to assist and guide students in navigating their academic journey through the honors college and beyond.  Originally from Atlanta, GA Lillian moved to Baton Rouge to pursue her B.A. in Anthropology and History as well as earning a minor in International Studies. After earning her B.A., she continued her academic journey with an MLIS, also from LSU. 

Lillian's engagement on campus has spanned a number of roles during her time at LSU. During her undergraduate degree, Lillian held a campus tour guide position as well as a position in the Financial Aid office. During her graduate degree Lillian worked as an Academic Coach in the Center for Academic Success where she was able to assist students with time management skills, study methods, and learning strategies setting them up for success in the academics. Lillian's multifaceted experiences make her uniquely qualified to understand and support students' success. She is excited to work closely with honors students as they navigate their own academic journeys.

Sarah joined the Ogden Honors College in 2024 as an Academic Counselor.  She is a native of Jennings, La and a graduate of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts.  As an undergraduate at Tulane University, she studied abroad at the University of Auckland in New Zealand for two semesters.  She graduated with Honors with a BFA in dance and art history in 2006.  She received a master’s degree in teaching from Colorado College and has worked as an art teacher in the public school system for 12 years.  

In her professional dance career, she was a member of Ormao Dance Company in Colorado Springs and Flatlands Dance Theatre in Lubbock, Texas.  Her focus is in modern / contemporary dance, improvisation, site-specific choreography, cultural dance forms, and creative movement for young children.  She has taught modern dance at Ormao Dance School and Ballet Lubbock and was an adjunct instructor in the dance program at Texas Tech University.  She is a mother of two.

Dr. Gelzer-Govatos joined the Ogden Honors College as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2023. He teaches across the Honors Curriculum, including Intro to Honors, Great Conversations, and multiple courses in the Western Civilization sequence.

He holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Washington University in St. Louis, and a BA in Philosophy from the University of Tulsa. He uses both of these degrees in his research, which focuses on questions of religion, technology, ethics, and aesthetics in 20th Century British, European, and American literature. His current research project examines how British authors utilized the work of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard to make sense of shifting literary and religious landscapes in the mid-20th Century. Before coming to LSU, Dr. Gelzer-Govatos was a Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Doane University.

Gabrielle joined the Honors College in the Fall of 2023 as a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow. She teaches interdisciplinary humanities courses for the Honors College with a focus on classic works of philosophy and literature. 

Gabrielle holds a PhD in Philosophy from Tulane University. Her research focus is on the history of Political Philosophy, with an emphasis on the Early Modern period. She wrote her dissertation on the concept of "conscience" as it appears in both the political and epistemological works of John Locke. While a native of Pennsylvania, Gabrielle has lived in Louisiana since 2008 and considers it a second home. She is thrilled to join the Tiger family.

Education:
University of Notre Dame, Ph.D., History

University of Notre Dame, M.A., History

Loyola University New Orleans, B.A., History and Global Sociology

Biography:
Dr. Fontenot joined the Ogden Honors College in 2020.  He works closely with LSU’s cohorts of top scholarship recipients, including Stamps Scholars and President’s Alumni Scholars, from the admissions and selection process through graduation.  He also advises students interested in applying for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships, including (but not limited to) the Rhodes, Marshall, Goldwater, Truman, Udall, and Astronaut Scholarships, and coordinates the internal selection committees and institutional endorsements for those awards.  He also serves as LSU’s Fulbright Program Adviser. 

Dr. Fontenot holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Notre Dame with research focusing on political culture and conceptions of empire in mid-to-late eighteenth century North America.  He is specifically interested in France and French North America, and received a Fulbright award to support his research in Montreal in 2016-2017. Before arriving at LSU, Dr. Fontenot worked in the Honors Program at Tulane University in New Orleans.  He is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Education:
Master of Social Work, Louisiana State University
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, Northwestern State University

Biography:
Cindy joined the Honors College staff in 2007 after working for five years with the LSU Career Services Experiential Education office. In the position of Director of Career Development, she assists students in their search for internships, other career-related experience and service opportunities.  Cindy also serves as liaison with LSU Career Services and, in that capacity, provides career development guidance for Honors College students.  She assists Dr. Granger Babcock in coordinating the LASAL Scholars program.  Her professional experience includes volunteer program management with Volunteers In Public Schools, medical and psychiatric social work, and program development with state and governmental agencies. She has served on numerous boards throughout her career. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge and will begin serving on the board starting July 2024. 

Joining the Ogden Honors College Staff January 2023, as an Embedded Mental Health therapist, Julie provides individual therapy services for students. Majoring in psychology at LSU, Julie graduated with a Bachelor of Science. She followed up her undergraduate degree attending LSU for graduate school, earning a Master of Social Work. Julie is happy to return to LSU in the role of mental health therapist to assist students and promote healthy emotional wellbeing.

Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre - Louisiana State University

Biography:
Anthony joined the Ogden Honors College as the Recruitment Coordinator in September 2021. It’s his role to reach out to aspiring Honors students and provide them with any answers and resources they may need, ensuring a smooth and gradual transition into the Honors College. Anthony can also be seen at the Honors College’s recruiting events and orientation activities. Anthony has firsthand experience of student life as a Tiger having attended LSU, graduating in May 2020. He was a student of the Ogden Honors College and completed an undergraduate thesis while remaining involved both in his major and in various campus organizations.

Victoria is proud to be back at the Ogden Honors College, where she graduated with College Honors in 2020. Though Californian by birth, Victoria has spent most of her life in Louisiana. She attended LSU from 2016-2020. During that time, she earned two undergraduate degrees: one in English and the other in Philosophy. She received the 2020 Honors College Outstanding Thesis Award in the Humanities for her work “Women’s Disabled Bodies in the Novels of Agatha Christie,” excerpts of which she presented at professional conferences at Auburn University and the University of Texas, El Paso. 

After graduating from LSU, Victoria spent two years in the business world working as a bookkeeper for a telecom company in Metairie. It was during this time she became an avid knitter (along with reading, her favorite hobby). Victoria returned to the OHC as the Office Coordinator in June of 2022. She is thrilled to be working at the place that holds so many happy memories for her and is excited to make more of those memories.

Education:
Masters of Mass Communication - LSU
Bachelor of Science in Communication - Appalachian State University

Biography:
Jordyn joined the Ogden Honors College in March 2020 as the communications coordinator. She is responsible for generating and overseeing all internal and external communication for the Honors College with the purpose of raising the public profile for the college. 

She attended Appalachian State University where she was a Division I field hockey player and graduated with a BS in Communication in 2015. She lived and worked abroad in Australia and has worked in various fields before starting her masters degree in Mass Communication at LSU.  She graduated with her MMC in August of 2019, and after a short stint in Las Vegas, is happy to be back in Louisiana.

Education:
Bachelor of Science in Microbiology - Louisiana State University
Bachelor of Science in Psychology - Louisiana State University

Biography:
Jeremy brings over ten years of Honors advising experience to his role of coordinating advising activities for the Ogden Honors College. He works with the advising team to provide assistance to students throughout their four years in Honors--from getting acquainted with the academic requirements of the Honors College and the co-curricular opportunities available at LSU, to completing an Honors Thesis and graduating with College Honors. Jeremy also coordinates the admissions process for the Ogden Honors College, as well as the Honors College's participation in university orientation activities and recruiting events.  He previously served as staff advisor to the Honors College Advocates.

In addition, Jeremy plans and coordinates the Honors College's annual summer study abroad programs that have taken Honors students to China, South Africa, and Cuba.