SHREVEPORT – In 1996, a scholarship opened the door to an accounting degree for Hardy Foreman, and now he wants others to have the same opportunity.
Foreman’s generous gift will create the Hardy and Alyson Foreman Endowed Scholarship in Accounting at LSU Shreveport. The scholarship will be open to LSUS sophomores, juniors and seniors majoring in accounting. Recipients can hold the scholarship for more than one year if they meet academic criteria.
Foreman says his experiences at LSUS -- from the professors who helped him find his niche in accounting to the social activities where he met his wife, Alyson D. Foreman – shaped his life. He remains connected and committed to the university. He’s active in the LSUS Alumni Association and serves as president of the LSUS Foundation Board of Directors. His involvement earned him the nickname “Mr. LSUS.”
“I am so thankful for Hardy,” said Laura Perdue, president and CEO of the LSUS Foundation. “He gives so generously of his time and treasure. Every university wants the likes of Hardy as a donor and alumni because of his passion for the institution.”
Foreman grew up in rural Sabine Parish south of Shreveport. Like many LSUS students, he worked, saved and scrimped to afford college.
“My parents were the very definition of ‘working poor’,” Foreman says. “I was the recipient of the S. Berton Heard Scholarship for the last three years of college. That helped me and my family tremendously. When I graduated from college, I was pretty much debt free.”
The scholarship covered tuition, but like many LSUS students, Foreman worked to cover the other costs of a college education. He attended classes on campus in the morning, then worked at a bank in the afternoons and evenings, all while commuting to and from his family home in Sabine Parish.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1999, he entered the LSUS MBA program and reversed his schedule, working during the day and then going to classes at night. After earning enough hours, he took the certified public accounting exam, received his CPA license in 2002, and launched his career.
Foreman is now senior tax partner with the Shreveport office of national accounting firm CRI Advisors, LLC. He has helped numerous LSUS students and graduates follow a career path in accounting.
“Most of our hires come from LSUS,” Foreman said.
He and Alyson have three children. Benjamin just started college at Tulane University, while Kate and Sarah Margaret are in high school in Shreveport. He’s dedicated to family time but remains committed to community involvement. He’s active in Junior Achievement of Northwest Louisiana and on the boards of the BPCC Foundation and Robinson Film Center. The Foreman family is also active at First United Methodist Church in Shreveport.
“I’m so blessed,” Foreman said. “I always told myself that if I was able to give back to others, I would. This scholarship is my opportunity to make good on that promise.”
