University of Louisiana at Lafayette Graduate School

Pages in progress—that’s what a thesis, dissertation, or synthesis project is. And the key to progress? Professor Erin Marie Furtak says progress comes from writing practices that are sustainable, portable, and adaptable.

“Thinking about how our writing is sustainable, portable and adaptable can help us identify what we need in order to get our writing done and how we are integrating breaks and rest. Rather than holding out to write only in the summer, or to catch up—such as with my “scary list”—they can help us focus on developing a writing practice that’s never totally done, but something more like yoga. It’s a practice that we’re always working on, and what’s most important is that summer, fall or spring, we continue to show up to the page.”

Three questions to ask to improve summer writing practices (opinion) Erin Marie Furtak has found that asking herself three questions has helped her transition not just out of the academic year but also back into the fall term.

Tomorrow marks the first day of the Summer Semester! 🤟
Start the term with dedicated time to focus on your writing goals, whether that's a thesis, dissertation, manuscript, or another project.

Join us tomorrow (and every Monday) from 8:30–10:30 a.m. at the Alumni House for Wake Up & Write. We'll provide the donuts, snacks, coffee, and quiet workspace—you bring your laptop and your goals.

Set the tone for a productive summer and make progress one writing session at a time.

What could you accomplish with a summer dedicated to daily writing?

Whether you're working on a thesis, dissertation, manuscript, proposal, or other academic writing project, we have the answer for you. Join Dr. Allison Comeaux's Summer Session Writing Workshop in Bourgeois Hall, Monday–Thursday from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. for space, structure, and writing accountability this summer.

Participate independently and come-and-go as your schedule allows, or register for EDLD 598 (CRN 61241) to receive formal writing support, feedback, and guidance.

For more information, contact Dr. Comeaux at [email protected].

UL Lafayette Educational Leadership Program

Summer break doesn't have to mean your writing takes a vacation. In fact, it may be the perfect time for an explosion of productivity.

Join us tomorrow (and every Monday) from 8:30–10:30 a.m. at the Alumni House for Wake Up & Write. With fewer class assignments competing for your attention, now is the perfect time to make progress on your thesis, dissertation, manuscript, or other writing projects.

We'll provide the donuts, snacks, and quiet workspace. You bring the focus.

Congratulations to Connor Benoit on earning the 2026 Jefferson Caffery Research Award! Benoit, who earned a master’s degree in history this spring, claimed this year’s Caffery Award for “Alexandre Declouet: A Study and Re-examination of Chauvinistic Heritage in Antebellum Louisiana, 1812-1860.”

Learn more about the Master of Arts in History program: https://louisiana.edu/graduateschool/majors-minors/history-ma

Congratulations to Connor Benoit (MA, 2026), who won the 2026 Jefferson Caffery Research Award at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette! The following is from the University's press release:

Benoit, who earned a master’s degree in history from UL Lafayette this spring, submitted his winning historical research essay last fall as part of the Caffery competition. It is judged by a panel that includes members of the Edith Garland Dupré Library staff.

The Caffery Award is given yearly to an undergraduate or graduate student who conducts scholarly research using primary sources housed in Special Collections at Dupré Library. Special Collections is home to Caffery’s papers and other mementos of his career.

Benoit, who also earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University in 2024, claimed this year’s Caffery Award for “Alexandre Declouet: A Study and Re-examination of Chauvinistic Heritage in Antebellum Louisiana, 1812-1860.” He received a $500 prize for his winning essay.

In it, Benoit examines topics such as slavery, suffrage, the French Creole aristocracy and Creole identity, the American Civil War and Reconstruction. He filtered it all through the life of Declouet, a sugar planter and politician from St. Martin Parish who was born in 1812 and died in 1890.

As Benoit writes in his essay: “Declouet was a product of his cultural heritage. His upbringing and career as a member of the French Creole Aristocracy resulted in his reluctance and negative attitude towards assimilation into the United States. As the country started to drift towards a Civil War, Declouet’s identity as both an isolationist Creole and sugar planter guided his decision-making throughout his career to the eventual secession of the South.”

A key source for Benoit’s project was the Declouet Family Papers, which are housed in Special Collections’ University Archives and Acadiana Manuscripts Collection.

Materials in the library’s Jefferson Caffery Louisiana Room, the Louisiana Collection, the Rare Books Collection, Ernest J. Gaines Center, the Cajun and Creole Music Collection and microforms can also be used for Caffery competition research.

The Caffery Award is provided by a fund established in 1967 by Ambassador and Mrs. Jefferson Caffery. A 1903 graduate of UL Lafayette, Caffery served as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, Columbia, Cuba, Brazil, France and Egypt.

Find more information about the Jefferson Caffery Research Award.

Photo caption: Connor Benoit (left) has won the 2026 Jefferson Caffery Research Award at UL Lafayette. Benoit is pictured with Dr. Zack Stein, assistant dean of technical services at the Edith Garland Dupré Library. It is judged by a panel that includes members of the Dupré Library staff. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / University of Louisiana at Lafayette