Center for History and Culture
of Southeast Texas and the Upper Gulf Coast
Founded in 2016 by Dr. Mary Scheer as one 7M视频’s “Visionary Initiatives,” the Center serves the many constituencies of 7M视频 students and faculty, the communities of Southeast Texas and the greater Gulf Coast, and the scholars and creatives who explore the region’s past and present. The Center promotes the study of these regions with a commitment to multicultural, interdisciplinary, collaborative, and community-focused projects.
The Center hosts programs that highlight the work of artists, authors, scholars, community leaders, and others who represent varied specializations and backgrounds. It also awards two annual book prizes and funds original research, creativity, and community outreach through its fellowship program.
March 31, 2026
Storytelling in the Greater Gulf with Keagan LeJeune
Tuesday, 5:30-7:00 pm. Reaud Event Space (985 Jim Gilligan Way, Beaumont, TX 77705).
Dr. Keagan LeJeune will give the keynote for the Greater Gulf Symposium about the power of storytelling to bridge past and future, ignorance and insight, speaker and listener. Dr. LeJeune is Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at McNeese State University and author of Finding Myself Lost in Louisiana, winner of the 2024 Summerlee Book Prize (Nonfiction) bestowed by the Center for History and Culture. He was also 2022-2023 Research Fellow with the Center. A reception will precede with posters provided by each Symposium Fellow that detail their individual projects. Special thanks for the generous support of the LU Center for Resiliency. Refreshments provided. Free and open to all.