Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

Just a very brief message of thanks to the many people that worked together last Friday to help keep us all safe. As I'm sure you've seen in the news, a threat was made during our Commencement ceremony on December 12 that prompted the evacuation of our main campus. UNO Police engaged additional support from the New Orleans Police Department, the Levee District Police, and the FBI, leading to the quick apprehension of the individual alleged to have made the threat. I am deeply grateful to all our law enforcement officials that worked together quickly and seamlessly to coordinate and communicate a response while most of us were still celebrating our December graduates at the Lakefront Arena.

In the aftermath we have continued to debrief and to identify opportunities to better communicate in future emergency situations, particularly with our on-campus residents and with external partners that share our campus. We also have asked our UNO Campus Police officers to increase their vigilance across campus, particularly in and near the Privateer Enrollment Center as well as the Administration Building. Should you ever be concerned about suspicious activity on campus, please never hesitate to contact the UNO Police Emergency Number - 504-280-6666. Thank you.

With UNO Pride,

Kathy E. Johnson, Ph.D. 
President, University of New Orleans