University of New Orleans

Lauren Gibbs, a UNO graduate (MBA ’14) and adjunct professor, is making waves in the construction industry as CEO of Gibbs Construction, as the New Orleans firm celebrates its 50th anniversary. The second-generation, family-owned firm has grown under her leadership since 2019. Building on the legacy founded by her father, Lawrence “Larry” Gibbs, the company continues to shape New Orleans and the Gulf Coast as a leading commercial and institutional general contractor.

A new book co- edited by University of New Orleans School of Education professor Brian Beabout examines how schools respond to the environmental, geo-political, cultural, and fiscal crises that impact the operation of schools. The Routledge International Handbook of Schooling in Times of Crisis examines the unique challenges and opportunities that emerge for schools when normal modes of doing school cannot continue.

As part of its transition to LSU New Orleans, the University of New Orleans announced today the hiring of acclaimed New Orleans music educator and band leader Eddie Williams Jr. as the university’s new band director, marking the relaunch of a marching band program for the institution. The last time the Privateers had a marching band was in the 1970’s.

Researchers from the University of New Orleans earned the #1 ranking in the segmentation task of the NTIRE 2026 Rip Current Detection and Segmentation Challenge, an international competition held in conjunction with CVPR 2026, one of the world’s leading conferences in computer vision and artificial intelligence. The UNO team, “UNO Pixel Pros,” is based in the Department of Computer Science at the University of New Orleans.

Elyria Kemp, Ph.D., professor in the Henry Bernstein College of Business Administration, has been selected for the ANA Educational Foundation’s 2026 Visiting Professor Program (VPP), a competitive national program that strengthens professors’ understanding of current developments and professional practice in marketing and advertising. Kemp was selected through a competitive review process during a year in which the program received a record number of applicants.

University of New Orleans Interim Chancellor and Chief Administrative Officer Jeanette Weiland announced today the appointment of Michael "Gio" Giorlando, D.D.S., M.Ed., as athletic director, bringing to the role more than three decades of leadership experience in collegiate athletics, higher education administration and student development.

University of New Orleans Archaeological Research and Curation (UNO ARC) is pleased to announce the launch of its latest partner project with the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), intended to help fulfill the agency’s mission of achieving the fullest possible accounting of American service personnel missing in action. Prof. D.

University of New Orleans President Kathy Johnson, Ph.D., announced today that she has accepted a new role as Executive Vice President and Provost at Saint Louis University, effective July 13. Johnson will remain in her role as president of UNO through June 30, continuing to lead the university through the final weeks of its transition back to the Louisiana State University System.

Keep UNO Beautiful has been selected as one of the 47 recipients of the 2025-26 Keep Louisiana Beautiful Trash Receptacle Grant program, made possible with funding from the State of Louisiana and Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Keep UNO Beautiful will install five trash receptacles at the Earl K. Long Library, Chemistry Building, Performing Arts Center, and Homer H. Hitt Alumni Center on the University of New Orleans campus.

Two student teams from the University of New Orleans competed in the 2026 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, a statewide business plan competition that brings together student-founded ventures from universities across Louisiana. A total of 44 teams entered this year’s competition, with 12 advancing to the final round, including six undergraduate and six graduate teams. The 2026 competition also introduced separate undergraduate and graduate categories and increased the total prize pool to $157,000.