Meet the First Lady
When First Lady Deborah Cofer and her husband, President James Cofer, arrived at ULM in 2002, they immediately began the "Reclaiming Our Campus" campaign, which involved over 2,000 students, faculty, staff, community leaders, and area citizens who cleaned up and repainted the campus. Since then, Deborah has continued to work with the ULM staff on maintaining the beauty of campus.
After hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated Louisiana, Deborah opened a Relief Center for more than 1,200 students affected by the hurricanes. As the coordinator, she managed ULM's hurricane hotline, answered e-mails and ensured each student received the counseling and financial resources necessary during that unprecedented time. With Deborah's assistance, a certified trauma Therapist trained Monroe mental health professionals to help victims and others affected by the hurricane. She also raised a significant amount of funds for students affected by the hurricanes. College of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Lamar Pritchard said, "Many Louisiana students were able to continue their educations at ULM due to Deborah's tireless efforts."
Also with Deborah's assistance, ULM hosted another trauma-related training in January 2006. The counseling workshops in 2005 and 2006 were successful thanks to Deborah's support, said Denise Pani, staff counselor at the ULM Counseling Center. "She is passionate about helping those with mental health needs, and she is very encouraging."
Deborah has been a primary organizer of the President's Gala, which benefits ULM's School of Visual and Performing Arts. She has also been instrumental in the Presidential Lyceum Series, which has drawn such diverse speakers as Doris Kearns Goodwin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Deborah was primarily responsible for attracting the Louisiana Center for Women and Government conference to ULM, and she has served on the City of Monroe Recreation Board and Arts Council.
Hailed as a "campus champion" of Your Health Matters, ULM's new employee wellness program, Deborah provided guidance on programming issues, employee incentive ideas, and helped students network with various agencies. "Beyond being a role model who personally tracked her daily physical activity, she was, and continues to be, a strong advocate for engaging the employees in this initiative," says Dr. Mark Doherty, kinesiology associate professor and director of Your Health Matters.
ULM's First Lady was named Business & Professional Person of the Year by the Monroe/West Monroe Business and Professional Women in October 2007. She was named Guest of Honor at the Philippine-American Association of Northeast Louisiana (PAANEL) annual Christmas affair in December 2007.
Whether she's working in her office in the Library, volunteering on a committee, or comforting a student sitting alone in the Student Union Building, she's profoundly impacting the university and greater community.
Assistant Dean Dr. Martha Burns Anderson says, "Deborah has placed "first lady" in a category that stands alone. Her commitment, hard work, vision, collaboration and passion are unparalleled."