People & Flashes

People 11.24.10

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

New Hire

Effective Dec. 1, Lafayette native Alison Neustrom assumes the post of research director of the nonprofit Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, a Baton Rouge-based private, non-partisan public policy research organization focused on Louisiana government. A 1989 graduate of STM, Neustrom is the daughter of Lafayette Sheriff Mike Neustrom. She most recently served as vice-president for public policy at the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations and previously served as assistant secretary of the Office of Family Support at the Louisiana Department of Social Service. She earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from UL Lafayette, a master's in social work and Ph.D. in sociology from LSU and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley School of Social Welfare.

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Awards**

Sides & Associates won two platinum and three gold awards, as well as an honorable mention, from the 2010 MarCom Awards, one of the largest international competitions for marketing and communication professionals. The Lafayette-based communications firm's brochures for both the Lemoine Company and the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations received platinum awards. An educational workbook titled "Funding Hazard Mitigation" created for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, and the Lafayette Regional Airport's website design and newspaper advertising campaign all took home gold awards. The awards are administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

Program Expansion

The Moody College of Business Administration at UL is now offering an International Business Curriculum, an initiative designed to increase global business knowledge among students at the university. The curriculum has three study tracks related to a minor or concentration, depending on a student's linguistic or regional interests.

The study tracks offered through the program are an international language and culture minor with French and Spanish options; international regional business minor focusing on Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East; and an international concentration track, which offers study-abroad and internship options.