Southeastern bestows emeritus honors on four faculty
Tuesday, January 10, 2017 
by: Rene Abadie
EMERITUS FACULTY NAMED – Southeastern Louisiana University honored several members of its faculty at its Friday convocation with emeritus recognition, one of the highest honors the university conveys on faculty and administrators. Receiving the designation were, from left, Accounting Professor Pierre Titard, Chemistry Professor Linda Munchausen and Associate Professor of Chemistry Don Elbers. Not shown is Professor Marc Riedel of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.
HAMMOND – Four retired members of Southeastern Louisiana University’s faculty were
recognized with emeritus status in recognition of their distinguished and extraordinary
service at the university Faculty-Staff Convocation held Friday (Jan. 6).
Southeastern President John L. Crain recognized chemistry professors Don Elbers
and Linda Munchausen, Sociology Professor Marc Riedel, and Accounting Professor Pierre
Titard. The emeritus title is one of the highest honors the university bestows.
Elbers is a Southeastern graduate who joined the faculty in 1976 after earning
his doctorate at LSU. In addition to teaching, he maintained the instrumentation of
the department, a valuable service considering a chemistry department is highly dependent
upon its instrumentation. In 1981 he was named the university’s Director of Technical
Services. He returned to the department in 1996, teaching and once again maintaining
the department’s infrastructure, especially with regard to student safety.
Munchausen is another Southeastern graduate who returned to teach at her alma
mater after receiving her doctorate from the University of Arkansas and conducting
research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She was appointed acting head of the Department
of Chemistry and Physics in 1994 and as department head in 1995. The author of 13
scientific publications, she has served as president of the Louisiana Academy of Sciences.
In recent years, she has become dedicated to high school science research, working
with the Region 8 Science Fair and directing the Louisiana State Science Olympiad.
Riedel is an internationally-recognized scholar who has made major contributions
to the study of violence and homicide. He has authored or co-authored 12 books. One
of his works, “Criminal Violence: Causes, Patterns, and Prevention,” is the standard
text used by criminologists and professors nationwide. He has contributed 30 chapters
to other books and has had more than 35 articles published in scholarly journals.
His work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, and his participation on the boards
of professional associations and research bodies underscores the respect he has earned
by his peers.
A certified public accountant who joined the Southeastern faculty in 2000, Titard
has served as Faculty in Residence and Special Government Employee for the New Orleans
Division of the FBI, assisting in the investigation of financial crimes. He received
an award in 2011 from the FBI for his development of innovative and efficient processes
in addressing white collar crimes. Titard is recognized by his colleagues for the
care he shows for his students. He meets individually with each student every semester.
