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Lawrence Minto Sylvestre Endowed Chair of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥

³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ the Lawrence Minto Sylvestre Endowed Chair in ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ 

Dr. Jordan Shropshire

Dr. Jordan Shropshire

Dr. Jordan Shropshire has been awarded the Lawrence Minto Sylvestre Endowed Chair in ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ effective October 1, 2023.  The Lawrence Minto Sylvestre Endowed Chair of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥, was given in memory of Lawrence Minto Sylvestre by his sister, the late Dr. Jeanne Sylvestre. 

 

Lawrence Minto Sylvestre

Lawrence Minto Sylvestre

The University of South ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ School of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ announces our first ever endowed chair, the Lawrence Minto Sylvestre Endowed Chair of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥, given in memory of Lawrence Minto Sylvestre by his sister, the late Dr. Jeanne Sylvestre. 

Lawrence Minto Sylvestre was born in Belize, British Honduras on October 4th, 1937. He was a graduate of Tulane University and served as a systems engineer and executive at IBM for twenty-six years. He was known for his keen and inquiring mind, love of music and travel, fine sense of humor and kindness.  As an expert in his field, he worked closely with the School of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥. He passed away in October of 2014.

 

Jeanne Sylvestre

Dr. Jeanne Sylvestre

Lawrence’s sister, Dr. Jeanne Sylvestre, was a graduate of the University of South ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ with a Bachelor’s degree and MBA in accounting. She received her Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Georgia. Dr. Sylvestre was a outstanding and transformational professor in the Mitchell College of Business for over 30 years and was the first USA graduate to return to teach. As a teacher, Dr. Sylvestre was described as a remarkable, caring mentor who valued strong relationships with her students. She was also an avid supporter and advisor to Beta Alpha Psi Accounting honor society for more than 25 years. In addition to being an instructor, Dr. Sylvestre served as department chair for the accounting department.

Dr. Sylvestre was named one of the 50 outstanding faculty members in the 50-year history of the University of South ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ and served on the Board of Directors of the University of South ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ Foundation as its treasurer. She had strong ties to the School of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ as she served on many graduate student thesis committees as well as on the School of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ tenure and promotion committee. Dr. Sylvestre was named Professor Emeritus in 2009 upon her retirement from the University. Upon her passing on April 14, 2018, she bequeathed a legacy gift to the USA Foundation to support several academic initiatives at the University of South ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥, including chairs in Accounting, Chemistry, ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥, the Sylvestre Chair of Music, a fund to support graduate ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥, and a Steinway piano as part of the All-Steinway Initiative.

Like her brother, Dr. Sylvestre loved travel, reading and music, especially Chopin. Both she and her brother were longtime members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

 

We are grateful for this generous gift and intend to honor Dr. Jeanne Sylvestre and Lawrence Minto Sylvestre’s memory by continuing to pursue academic and scholastic excellence in the School of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥.

To make a tax deductible gift towards the Lawrence Minto Sylvestre Endowed Chair of ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥ Fund or to learn more about giving opportunities, contact USA’s Development Office at 251-414-8064.