# Dan Reneau

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American university president

Daniel Reneau President of Louisiana Tech University In office July 1, 1987 – June 30, 2013 Preceded by F. Jay Taylor Succeeded by Les Guice Interim President of the University of Louisiana System Incumbent Assumed office December 2015 Preceded by Sandra Woodley Personal details Born Daniel Dugan Reneau Jr. (1940-06-11) June 11, 1940 (age 86) Woodville, Mississippi, US Education Louisiana Tech University (BA 1963, MA 1964) Clemson University (Ph.D., 1966) Profession Academic

**Daniel Dugan Reneau Jr.** (born June 11, 1940) is the former president of [Louisiana Tech University](/source/Louisiana_Tech_University) in [Ruston](/source/Ruston%2C_Louisiana), [Louisiana](/source/Louisiana), a position which he filled from July 1, 1987, until his retirement effective June 30, 2013. He was succeeded by [Dr. Les Guice](/source/Les_Guice).

## Early life

Renue was born on June 11, 1940, in [Woodville, Mississippi](/source/Woodville%2C_Mississippi).[1] He grew up on a farm and worked in a cannery after high school.[1]

He graduated from [Louisiana Tech University](/source/Louisiana_Tech_University) in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in [chemical engineering](/source/Chemical_engineering), followed by a master's degree in chemical engineering in 1964.[1][2] While at Louisiana Tech, he joined Tau Beta Pi in 1963.[3][2] He received his Ph.D. in 1966 from [Clemson University](/source/Clemson_University).[1][2]

## Career

Reneau returned to Louisiana Tech in 1967 to serve as an assistant professor of chemical engineering.[4][2] He became an associate professor in 1969. In 1972, Reneau established and became the head of the Louisiana Tech [biomedical engineering](/source/Biomedical_engineering) department, only the fifth undergraduate program of its kind.[1][4] He was promoted to full professor in 1973.[1]

Reneau's research interests focused on the application of engineering principles to living systems, the understanding of [cerebral palsy](/source/Cerebral_palsy), and the use of technology to help people with disabilities. He has published more than seventy technical papers in books and journals and edited five books.[3] He founded the national biomedical engineering honor society [Alpha Eta Mu Beta](/source/Alpha_Eta_Mu_Beta) in 1979.[5] In 1980, Reneau was promoted to vice president of academic affairs at Louisiana Tech.[1]

On February 20, 1987, Reneau was selected to succeed the retiring Taylor as the 13th president of the institution and assumed the office on July 1 of that year.[1][2] He oversaw at $50 million fundraising campaign.[3] Reneau navigated the university through state-mandated cutbacks.[6] In 2012 Reneau noted, "Louisiana Tech is now a state-assisted university rather than a state-supported university, and that is sad. Not only have we had to do away with programs like the school's dairy and beef herds, but we've had to shift the load to the students in the form of higher fees and tuition".[6]

In 1995, he was awarded the Distinguished Arthur T. Prescott Professorship in Engineering.[1] Reneau retired on June 30, 2013, after working at Louisiana Tech for 46 years.[1] He is the longest-tenured president in Louisiana Tech's history.[2][7] In December 2015, Reneau was appointed interim president of the [University of Louisiana System](/source/University_of_Louisiana_System), succeeding Sandra Woodley.[8]

## Honors

- Fellow of the [Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America](/source/Rehabilitation_Engineering_and_Assistive_Technology_Society_of_North_America) (1989)[9]

- Alumni Fellow at Clemson University (1999)[1]

- Fellow of the [American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering](/source/American_Institute_for_Medical_and_Biological_Engineering) (2001)[3]

- Newel Perry Award from the [National Federation of the Blind](/source/National_Federation_of_the_Blind) (2002)[10]

- [Tau Beta Pi](/source/Tau_Beta_Pi) Distinguished Alumnus (2003)[3]

- [Louisiana Tech University Athletics Hall of Fame](/source/Louisiana_Tech_University_Athletic_Hall_of_Fame) (2015)[2][7]

- Louisiana Tech named the Daniel D. Reneau Biomedical Engineering Building in his honor (2022)[11][4]

## Personal life

Reneau married Linda Digby, a native of [Bernice](/source/Bernice%2C_Louisiana) in [Union Parish](/source/Union_Parish%2C_Louisiana) on June 3, 1963.[1] The couple has a weekend retreat there with a main house and two cabins. They have two children, Dana Reneau Bernhard and John Reneau.[6]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:0_1-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-:0_1-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-:0_1-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-:0_1-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-:0_1-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-:0_1-11) ["Family Man"](https://www.latechalumni.org/s/810/images/FileLibrary/b1026cffd68b439fb7a0690ca496222f.pdf?sessionid=9241206d-1060-4065-a367-0ce141f49b56&cc=1) (PDF). *Tech Report*. Louisiana Tech University: 3–7. 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:2_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:2_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:2_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:2_2-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-:2_2-6) ["Dan Reneau"](https://latechsports.com/sports/2018/8/1/dan-reneau.aspx?id=5432). *LA Tech Athletics*. Retrieved 2025-03-17.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:1_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:1_3-4) ["Dr. Daniel D. Reneau"](https://www.tbp.org/memb/DistiguishedAlumnusPDFs/2003Reneau.pdf) (PDF). *The Bent of Tau Beta Pi*: 26. Fall 2003.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:3_4-2) Palermo, Jeff (February 18, 2022). ["LA Tech biomedical engineering building renamed after longtime president"](https://louisianaradionetwork.com/2022/02/18/la-tech-biomedical-engineering-building-renamed-for-longtime-president/). *Louisiana Radio Network*. Retrieved 2025-03-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Alpha Eta Mu Beta – HOME](http://www.alphaetamubeta.org/)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-reneau_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-reneau_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-reneau_6-2) Charles Tannehill, "Reneau ushers La Tech to national recognition", *The Piney Woods Journal*, June 2012, p. 10

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:4_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:4_7-1) Isabella, Sean (January 31, 2015). ["Former president Reneau inducted into Tech HOF"](https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/college/louisiana-tech/2015/01/31/former-president-reneau-inducted-tech-hof/22675005/). *The News-Star*. Retrieved 2025-03-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Reneau named interim head of UL System"](http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/education/2015/12/10/reneau-named-interim-head-ul-system/77123600/). *The Monroe News-Star*. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Honorary Fellows"](https://www.resna.org/about/awards/award-recipients/honorary-fellows). *Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America*. Retrieved 2025-03-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["The 2002 Awards"](https://nfb.org/sites/default/files/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm02/bm0209/bm020906.htm). *National Federation of the Blind*. Retrieved 2025-03-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["University of Louisiana honors LaTech's Reneau"](https://www.magnoliareporter.com/education/colleges_universities/article_a9873408-93d4-11ec-99e0-8be27c337e93.html). *Magnolia Reporter - Magnolia, Arkansas News*. 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2025-03-17.

Preceded by F. Jay Taylor President of Louisiana Tech University 1987–2013 Succeeded by Leslie K. Guice Preceded by Sandra Woodley President of the University of Louisiana System 2015– Succeeded by Interim incumbent

v t e Louisiana Tech University Presidents Arthur T. Prescott (1895–1899) W. C. Robinson (1899–1900) James Benjamin Aswell (1900–1904) W. E. Taylor (1904–1906) C. E. Byrd (1906–1907) John Keeny (1908–1926) John R. Conniff (1926–1928) George W. Bond (1928–1936) Edwin Richardson (1936–1941) Claybrook Cottingham (1941–1949) Ralph L. Ropp (1949–1962) F. Jay Taylor (1962–1987) Dan Reneau (1987–2013) Les Guice (2013–2023) Jim Henderson (2024–present)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dan Reneau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Reneau) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Reneau?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.