Scholarship, Stewardship, and the Sea: Mike Callais’ LSU Legacy

Charles “Mike” Callais (B.S., Business Management, 1984) is, in every way, the product of the great men who came before him. His love of education, desire to serve his community, and respect for the environment are values that were instilled in him by his father, and his grandfather before him, for his entire life. So, it is especially fitting that he would create a scholarship that combines all three — the Callais Scholarship for the Advancement of Louisiana’s Coastal and Marine Industries.

“My dad is the one who most influenced me. He was an entrepreneur and successful businessman and he stressed to us the importance of giving back, using your time, talents, and treasures to give back and tohelp make a difference in your world and the people around you,” Callais said.

This needs-based, automatically renewable scholarship will help incoming freshmen in the coastal environmental science program to be able to focus on their academics and research as they gain the skills needed for challenging jobs in Louisiana and beyond. And, Callais is no stranger to those environmental challenges.

Callais and his wife, Blanche Bouvier Callais, live in Cut Off, Louisiana, a small Cajun community of about 6,000 people located in coastal Lafourche Parish, a parish that is experiencing significant land loss in its wetlands through erosion, land subsidence, and saltwater intrusion. Here, the community, its culture, and its economy are greatly intertwined with the sea. Callais’ grandfather worked as a shrimp fisherman, his father helped his grandfather on the boat while he was in school, and Callais himself worked in the offshore oil boat business until about seven years ago. In 2018, he was elected to the Greater Lafourche Port Commission in Port Fourchon, which services more than 95 percent of the Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater oil production.

Currently, the port commission is in the process of deepening its channel. However, instead of disposing of the dredged material offshore, the commission is using it to build up the coast and reverse some of the effects of erosion.

“We are trying to be good stewards of the coast,” Callais said, “The port really tries to do good things in the most environmentally friendly way.”

In addition to balancing the economic and environmental needs of coastal Louisiana on the port commission, Callais participates in several service organizations — including the

Knights of Columbus, the Rotary Club of Golden Meadow, and his church — and serves on several boards, including United Community Food Bank, the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, and Lady of the Sea General Hospital.

He hopes this scholarship will serve as an extension of his desire to see his community flourish — academically, environmentally, and economically.

“We wanted to try to help a person who’s interested in trying to help the coast — to help further their education. I hope a deserving student who needs the help to be able to get that degree will be successful,” he said. 

With the Callais Scholarship for the Advancement of Louisiana’s Coastal and Marine Industries, the great legacy that began with Callais’ grandfather and father continues now and into the future, leaving a lasting impact that will guide generations to come.