College President Teaches Mathematics Again After Four Decades

December 1, 2009

The nation's longest-serving public university president is back teaching mathematics.

Ray P. Authement was president of the University of Louisiana, at Lafayette, for 35 years before retiring in 2008. A year later and he is back in the classroom teaching a mathematics class. 

"I love this university and this is where I want to be," he said. "I found out that I was not mentally challenged in retirement." 

Born in Houma, Louisiana, Authement earned a bachelor's degree in physics with a minor in mathematics in 1950. He received a master's and a doctoral degree (under Luther Wade) from Louisiana State University and taught mathematics from 1954-1966 at Louisiana State University, McNeese State, and ULL. Authement then became ULL's academic vice president and vice president. In 1973, he became ULL's acting president, then permanent president.

His new class, which began last August, deals with elementary linear algebra. "It's a very pure form of mathematics," said Authement. To avoid taking attendance, Authement assigns each of his students a point on a matrix, an idea central to the subject matter of his class. Letters start with "a," numbers with 11. "You can call me and say, 'This is a12.'" said Authement. "My wife will probably pick up and think it's a crazy person, but I'll understand," he said.

Math education junior Katie Muguira—also known as "a73"—also understood. "He seems like he will be sensitive to our needs, which is hard to find in the math department," she observed. If all goes well this semester, Authement will stay unretired.

 Source: Sun Belt Sports, September 8, 2009.