Luke Dowden (Eta Omicron/Northwestern State 1999) was the inaugural recipient of the Bruce N. Chaloux Award for Early Career Excellence in Online Education. The national award recognizes extraordinary accomplishments in the field of online education early in their careers. The award was presented at a luncheon on Oct. 30, 2014, at the 20th Annual Online Learning Consortium International Conference in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
Dr. Dowden heads the online education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and contributes his success to a variety of things.
“I am very fortunate to work at a university led by a president who served over ten years as Commissioner of Higher Education in Louisiana,” said Dowden. “Moreover, he has a leadership structure in place to support emerging leaders in higher education administration. The biggest keys to my success have been a strong and consistent formal advisory group, the Distance Learning Leadership Council; capable faculty who are willing to try new things; and a professional, dedicated staff. Take all these positives and I live in one of the best cities in the United States for innovation, Lafayette, LA.,” he added.
Prior to working at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Dr. Dowden was employed by Bossier Parish Community College Louisiana.
“I was the Dean of Accelerated Learning and worked to create six online accelerated degree programs for three years,” said Dowden. “I also served the state of Louisiana as Executive Director of the Center for Adult Learning in Louisiana (CALL), a consortium of public universities focused in increasing access to higher education to adults with some college and no degree. Through that work, CALL seeded funding for over 29 online accelerated degree programs at 11 public colleges and universities in Louisiana. The organization also provided free professional development to its members on topics ranging from student support services for adult learners to prior learning assessment,” Dowden added.
So how does it feel to be the inaugural winner of the Bruce N. Chaloux Award for Early Career Excellence in Online Education?
“It is one of the greatest honors of my life because I personally knew the man for which the award is named,” said Dowden. “Bruce Chaloux was a pioneer in online learning and a trailblazer in the field. He always gave more than he asked and was a willing collaborator to those who wanted to increase access to higher education. He was passionate about adult learners and helping those adults, who started college but never finished, to earn a degree,” Dowden said.
When he isn’t working, Dr. Dowden and his wife of 15 years, keep busy with their three sons.
“I spend a majority of my time away from work transporting my oldest sons to soccer and basketball practices and games. My middle son is an aspiring actor and we spend a lot of time taking him to movie/TV/musical auditions in New Orleans as well as getting him to practice for local productions by CYT Lafayette. While I could be chasing other professional opportunities, I am very focused on my work-life balance and being a good husband and father. We are a Catholic family so our life includes a strong focus on participation in activities that occur during the Catholic liturgical seasons. For the past 15 months, I have been attending a men's leadership program at my church parish, That Man Is You! This program has really opened my eyes to my need to provide stronger male leadership in my home if I hope to properly prepare my sons for life,” said Dowden.
“I also serve as the Steering Committee Chair of the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET),” said Dowden. During the summer, he teachs an online graduate course on K-12 Virtual Schools for the Doctor of Education program in the College of Education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Dr. Dowden says that his Fraternity experience was not just a college club for him.
"My lifetime affiliation with Theta Chi is fully manifested in those people I call my closet friends and with whom my wife and I choose to spend our time. We attend weddings, birthday parties, and sometimes funerals with my brothers. I see those men extending the helping hand to me and me to them,” said Dowden. “Did Theta Chi change my life? Yes, it taught me how to truly be a friend and care for others beyond a transactional relationship. It taught me how to deal with conflict, sometimes learning by making mistakes. I am forever grateful to the members of the Eta Omicron Chapter at Northwestern State University who welcomed me during an open recruitment event and extended a bid to me in the fall 1996. My initiation in spring 1997 was the start of a lifetime journey. I keep my initiation shingle next to my computer at work so that I can be reminded of the Creed daily and of the many men, living and dead, that have worn the letters on their chest. Our deceased brother and former Executive Director, Howard Alter said it best, "A glorious past is ever telling of friendships that shall never die; within us peace and union dwelling, while honor crowns the Theta Chi".