ULM recently hired a new dean of the College of Arts, Education and Sciences. Dr. John Pratte of Arkansas State University will be replacing Dr. Sandra Lemoine following her retirement.

“I’ve been looking for new challenges, and Monroe has been the thing that I’ve been looking for,” Pratte said.

Shreveport native, Dr. Pratte is a graduate of University of Texas where he received his bachelors of science. He moved on to receive his doctorate at the University of Colorado Boulder. He began his career as an exploration geophysicist with Shell Oil Company in New Orleans. After being there for three years, he realized it wasn’t for him.

“I wanted to go back to education. I really liked teaching, so I was fortunate to find a position at Clayton State University,” Pratte said.

He served as the science coordinator in their new teacher education program.

“I learned a great deal about teaching and learning at all levels. I was teaching in a college classroom and going out to observe my students while they were teaching in middle schools,” Pratte said.

After serving at Clayton for seven years, Dr. Pratte took his skills to Kennesaw State University and was appointed the director of the physics program for six years. He considered himself fortunate enough to watch the school grow by 20,000.

“There was no way we could continue to keep classes just in the classroom. I was brought in to help with general education and taking a lot of those programs online,” Pratte said

He was offered an opportunity to become chair and professor of physics at Arkansas State University where he has worked since July 2006. Dr. Pratte strived to get students more involved in creative knowledge and “opportunities that allow students to get their hands dirty.”

He plans to implement the same ideas for students at ULM and create relevant opportunities that are more than just sitting in the classroom.

“ULM has done a good job at that. As dean, my job is to come in and help faculty find the resources and to continue building on that success,” Pratte said.

“I want to come a little earlier, so that I can hit the ground running. I’m just really excited to get down there(Monroe),” he continued,

This year marks his 25 years in education. He will begin his new position July 2.