Four years ago, I waited anxiously, dressed in my cap and gown, ready to shake Dr. Reneau’s hand and receive my degree. Four years ago, I said goodbye to one chapter of my life and hello to the next uncertain one that was peeking around the corner. Four years ago, I graduated from Louisiana Tech University.
Though I graduated only a short time ago, it’s hard to believe how much things have changed. Just before the end of my time on campus, Tech had just started putting up on-campus apartments. Now it seems as if the damn things are everywhere. Apparently, some new food choices have sprung up since I’ve left (where the hell were you during my days, McAlister’s?). I cannot remember if the nanotechnology building was there before I graduated, but if it was, it wasn’t there long. And now Tech wants to make a great big edition to the south end zone of the football stadium. And Tech is eagerly trying to improve its status among the country’s research universities.
With all that is going on, it is safe to say that Tech is on the move. And after revisiting the school for Homecoming, I feel as if the school is truly focused on its goal and is headed in the right direction.
It’s more than just words; Tech has adopted a brand to facilitate its missions.
In case you are not very familiar with Louisiana Tech University, it is located in Ruston, Louisiana, a town with a population a little over 20,000. Ruston isn’t a big party town, but when I was a student, I didn’t have to look too far to find a little trouble to get into. The campus is unbusy and has a secluded feel to it, and everywhere in town you go, you are reminded that the university is a huge part of the local community.
Louisiana Tech is not LSU, and Ruston is not Baton Rouge. And that’s where Tech has found its brand.
When my wife and I returned to Ruston for homecoming, I saw a slogan that I felt perfectly summed up what makes Tech so great: Your town. Your team. Your gameday.
The slogan reminded me of my own time at Tech, when I routinely saw the athletes on campus or in my classes. My largest class at Tech was made up of 150 students, so it’s pretty easy to spot people, especially the athletes that you see when you go to the sporting events. Ruston really does feel like your town, because as I said earlier, you are constantly reminded that Tech is a big part of the town. And with the athletes so easily accessible, you can’t help feeling a little closer to them, even though they may not be your best friends.
The slogan also reminded me of a conversation I had with a stranger in a courthouse in Pecos, Texas. The gentleman told me that his grandson once attended Tech but then transferred to LSU. When I asked how his grandson liked LSU, the gentleman replied without hesitation, “He’s a number, just like everyone else.” To me, that’s what your town and your team address: you’re not just a number, you’re a part of something; you’re a part of Tech.
With this brand also comes an image.
For some schools, this might not sound like a big deal. But for the longest time, Tech had an identify crisis with its bulldog. In the past, a bulldog on one piece of material may look like Georgia’s bulldog or Gonzaga’s bulldog, but now it seems that Tech has found its bulldog, a consistent and familiar image that is linked to one school, La Tech. La Tech’s “State T” emblem (see the La Tech image below) is already a great image, but now the school has the Bulldog to go along with the school’s image.
Speaking of “La Tech”, I first heard the term when I watched the Bulldogs take on the Miami Hurricanes at Independence Stadium in 2003. During the game one of the commentators referred to my future alma mater as La Tech, and I cringed as the words hit my ear. Fast forward to 2011, and much of Tech’s merchandise brands the school as “La Tech”.
When you think about it, “La Tech” makes sense. It’s short and quick to say, and it fits on merchandise more easily than “Louisiana Tech”. And I personally think that La Tech is better than “LTU”. I myself may still refer to my school as Louisiana Tech, but I get it.
A small school with resources.
I’m not sure if other schools the same size as Tech (with a student body close to 12,000) have as many famous alum and former students as Tech has. Some of these include names such as Terry Bradshaw, Karl Malone, Willie Roaf, Kix Brooks, and Trace Atkins. And that’s not even talking about the ladies who played on the Lady Techsters basketball team during the program’s years of glory, ladies such as Theresa Weatherspoon and Cheryl Ford.
Some of these former students can be seen on the jumbotron at football games, telling fans to get up and cheer. At homecoming, Roaf was seen taking pictures and signing autographs. A few years ago, Karl Malone donated a new floor for the basketball teams as the Thomas Assembly Center. Terry Bradshaw donated his Super Bowl memorabilia for the university to showcase. Sure, historic big-time programs such as Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State have numerous alum who can pull together to support their universities, but to a school like La Tech, these people are much more precious and significant.
And what of the lesser-known masses?
On November 19, my wife, some friends, and I went to see the Bulldogs basketball team play the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks. And on New Year’s Eve, we plan on going to see the ‘Dawgs take on the SMU Mustangs in Dallas. I hope that Tech will continue to play teams in areas that their alum relocate to and areas that their students come from (markets such as Dallas, Houston, all over Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi). Also, it would be great if the university would consistently play some of the local schools (such as Grambling and University of Louisiana at Monroe) in a variety of sports so that the fun rivalries that these student bodies create can be capitalized upon.
How ‘Bout Them Dawgs!
Anyone who graduates from a school he cares about hopes to see that school progress and improve itself. And I am proud to say that Tech is moving forward while still trying to retain a bit of its history and traditions. Since both my wife and I are graduates of Tech, I’m pretty sure that our future children can attend our alma mater for cheap (although the school won’t be as cheap by the time we’re ready for that).
But I do hope that someday, when we’re touring the campus with our future Bulldogs, we can both smile and say, “Tech wasn’t the same back in our day.”
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