BATON ROUGE – J. K. Haynes, dean of science and mathematics at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., will visit Baton Rouge on April 7-8 to speak to students from LSU and Southern University campuses about the importance of research in the academic career.

Randy Duran, director of the LSU Office of Undergraduate Research, said, “Dean Haynes’ visit will serve as a motivation for many students

across the state.”

Haynes’ first presentation, titled “Research as a Quintessential Means of Achieving the Goals of a Liberal Arts Education,” is the fourth installment in the Undergraduate & Graduate Student Research Training Workshop Series sponsored by LSU’s Office of Undergraduate Research, LSU’s Office of Strategic Initiatives and Southern University. It will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 7, in the Life Sciences Building Annex Room A101.

Directly before his talk on April 7, Haynes will be honored with an undergraduate research poster presentation, highlighting work from minority students at LSU and universities across Louisiana.

At 3 p.m. on Friday, April 8, in a joint presentation sponsored by the LSU and Southern Faculty Senates, Haynes will speak to faculty and post-doctoral researchers, as well as students, discussing “Institutional Support for the Changing Nature of Faculty Work Over a Career.” This presentation will take place in the Campbell Auditorium of the Cox Communications Academic Center.

In addition to serving as dean of science and mathematics at the Morehouse College, the nation’s premier all-male historically black college and university, or HBCU, the same university that graduated Martin Luther King Jr., Haynes is a distinguished scientist. A biologist with a long-standing interest in sickle cell anemia research, he has led grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. He also serves as co-investigator to a grant from Emory University, which is arguably the most effective NIH teaching post-doctoral program in the nation. He has also served as chair of the Minorities Affairs Committee of the American Society for Cell Biology, and served on two National Academy of Science committees and three National Science Foundation committees.

Isiah Warner, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and cosponsor of the visit, said, “The Haynes name is very familiar to the city of Baton Rouge. Dean Haynes’ father, J. K. Haynes Sr., was very active in the Louisiana civil rights movement.”

Indeed, the family played a pivotal role in Louisiana’s educational history. J.K. Haynes Sr. was a civil rights leader in Louisiana during his time here, serving as key member of the Louisiana Board of Regents, and playing a major role in the development of the Louisiana Colored Teachers Association, which was later renamed the Louisiana Education Association. He served as president of the organization until 1955 and organized the first Head Start program in Louisiana. In recognition of his dedication and service to the community, several schools have been named in his honor, including the nursing program at Southern University, a Baton Rouge charter school and a teacher preparation course, just to name a few.

“We are honored that J.K. Haynes is visiting LSU to bring together students from our campus, Southern University and other schools across the state,” said LSU Chancellor Michael Martin. “He is a distinguished scientist with an outstanding career, and he also carries with him the legacy of his father, who has had an impact we still deeply cherish and respect here in our community.”