This is the 95th year 4-H’ers from across the state have the opportunity to come to the LSU campus for 4-H University. 4-H members will have an opportunity to learn, have new experiences, interact with one another, explore the LSU campus of 30,000 students and generally have an enjoyable week. 4-H members can participate in one of 42 contests or nine Clover College tracks. Participants will experience college life on the campus and reside in campus dormitories for the week. Three exciting night assemblies in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center will include national speakers, special guests, presentations by 4-H members and entertainment, ending with a dance each night. Approximately 1,500 4-H members between the ages of 13 and 19 attend 4-H University each year from all 64 parishes. Speakers for the night assemblies are Jerry Stovall, President John Lombardi of the LSU System and Steve Robichaux.

Tuesday Night

Jerry L. Stovall

Jerry Stovall is the president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation. Jerry attended Louisiana State University from 1959-1962, where he was an All-American running back and runner-up for the Heisman trophy in 1962. He received his undergraduate degree from Missouri Baptist College, while playing in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals, which chose him as their #1 draft choice (2nd overall) in the 1963 NFL Draft. Jerry was a three-time Pro Bowl defensive back for the Cardinals and played nine seasons in St. Louis before retiring from the NFL in 1971. With his professional football career behind him, Jerry was hired as an assistant coach to Paul Dietzel at the University of South Carolina before he returned to Baton Rouge to serve as an assistant coach to Charles McClendon. Stovall was promoted to head football coach at LSU in 1980, and during his three-year tenure he was named SEC Coach of the Year (1983) and Walter Camp National Coach of the Year (1983). He also led the Tigers to an Orange Bowl bid in 1983.

In 1993, Jerry accepted the leadership role at the Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation. The mission of the Sports Foundation is to assist in the securing and staging of statewide, regional, national and international sporting competitions and special events for the Greater Baton Rouge Area, thereby having a positive economic impact on the Baton Rouge community.

Jerry is a member of the LSU Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He was also named the 1990 Volunteer Activist of the Year and in 1993 was named to the LSU Modern Day Team of the Century. In 2007, Jerry was honored with the Brotherhood/Sisterhood award for his work in the Baton Rouge community.

Wednesday Night

Steve Robichaux

Mr. Robichaux has been professionally affiliated with LSU for over 25 years. He began as an instructor with the College of Business Administration’s Department of Management. In 1994, he was voted Most Outstanding Teacher, and for the last 10 years he ranked as one of the top teachers in the LSU Executive Program. Since 1973, Mr. Robichaux has trained with and taught the Karate Club at LSU, including the football program under National Champion Coach Nick Saban.

Thursday Night

Dr. John V. Lombardi

Dr. John V. Lombardi is the fifth individual to serve as the president of the Louisiana State University System. As its chief executive officer, Dr. Lombardi oversees 10 campuses in five cites as well as 10 public hospitals located throughout the state. He is also a professor of history at Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.

Dr. Lombardi was born in Los Angeles, California, and attended Pomona College where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history from Columbia University. He joined the faculty in the Department of History at Indiana University, where he later served as dean of International Programs and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1987, he became provost and vice president for academic affairs at the Johns Hopkins University. From 1990-1999, Dr. Lombardi was president of the University of Florida. Prior to his appointment as president of the LSU System, he served as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

He is a Latin American historian, with a special interest in Venezuela. Dr. Lombardi is also one of the country’s foremost authorities in higher education, serving as co-editor of The Top American Research Universities. He is the author of numerous professional publications, and along with his wife, Cathryn, co-authored a teaching atlas on Latin American history. He has taught courses in history, intercollegiate sports and university management.