Professor Vatsala selected Grand Marshall for the Spring 2024 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony

Dr. Aghalaya Vatsala, Mathematics Professor Emerita, was the Grand Marshall for the Spring 2024 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. This news item showcases her introduction speech given by our Provost, Dr. Jaimie Hebert.

Dr. Aghalaya Vatsala is a mathematician and educator who has shaped the academic landscape at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for four decades. Her contributions in teaching, research, and service reflect an unwavering commitment to excellence and reveal an enduring legacy as a mathematician, colleague, teacher, and mentor. After earning a PhD in Mathematics from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1973, Dr. Vatsala began an academic journey that led to our University a decade later. She joined the faculty at then-University of Southwestern Louisiana 1984. She was promoted to full professor in 1996.

In the classrooms of UL Lafayette, Dr. Vatsala has been a beacon of knowledge and support, teaching everything from Calculus to Advanced Applied Mathematics. Her students describe her as a caring professor who creates a nurturing environment where confidence is built, and achievement is fostered.

As a researcher specializing in Analysis and Differential Equations, Dr. Vatsala has authored 157 peer-reviewed articles and served on the editorial boards of 12 prestigious research journals in mathematics. Her expertise earned her election as an Academician of the Academy of Nonlinear Sciences in 1999 and recognition through multiple prestigious professorships, including the BORSF/SLEMCO Endowed Professorship and the Pennzoil Endowed Professorship in Mathematics and Statistics. In 2014, she was recognized with the UL Lafayette Foundation Distinguished Professor Award—the highest honor bestowed upon faculty at our University for research excellence.

Dr. Vatsala’s contributions extend beyond individual achievement. She has been a pillar of support for the mathematical community, organizing and hosting numerous special research sessions, advocating for women in mathematics, mentoring students from minoritized communities in STEM, and serving on far too many university and departmental committees to list tonight. Her guidance of 9 master’s and 16 doctoral students to degree completion is especially noteworthy this evening. It underscores well her commitment to scholarly collaboration and the creation and exchange of new knowledge.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Dr. Vatsala is wearing a special medallion struck in honor of her role as Grand Marshal.

Aghalaya, the University thanks you. Your contributions do more than just add up—they multiply the very essence of excellence in research and mentorship. Your impact has been infinitely non-derivative, leaving an indelible mark on the academic community here at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and beyond it too.