Louisiana State University

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Template:Infobox University Image:LSU Tower.jpg Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, or simply Louisiana State University (LSU) is a public, coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. LSU includes 9 senior colleges and 3 schools, in addition to specialized centers, divisions, institutes, and offices. Enrollment, which has increased approximately 5% recently to host students from New Orleans displaced by Hurricane Katrina, stands at more than 30,000 students, and there are 1,300 full-time faculty members. LSU is one of only six American universities designated as a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research center.

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Campus

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The LSU main campus occupies a 650-acre (2.6 km²) plateau on the banks of the Mississippi River; overall, LSU is located on 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) of land just south of downtown Baton Rouge. The campus boasts more than 250 principal buildings. Many of the buildings are built in the style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, and are marked by red pantile roofs, overhanging eaves, rolling arches, and honey-colored stucco. Thomas Gaines's The Campus as a Work of Art praises LSU's landscaping as "a botanical joy" in its listing among the 20 best campuses in America . The live oak trees on campus have been valued at $36 million. Through the LSU Foundation's "Endow an Oak" program, individuals or groups are able to endow live oaks across campus.

Other campuses in the LSU system include the LSU Agricultural Center, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, University of New Orleans, LSU Shreveport, LSU at Eunice, LSU Alexandria, and the LSU Health Sciences Centers: LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Health Care Services Division (Public Hospital System), and LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.[1]

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History

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College had its origin in certain land grants made by the United States government in 1806, 1811, and 1827 for use as a seminary of learning. In 1853, the Louisiana General Assembly established the Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana near Pineville, Louisiana. The institution opened January 2, 1860, with Col. William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent. The school closed June 30, 1861, because of the Civil War. It reopened on April 1, but was again closed on April 23, 1863, due to the invasion of the Red River Valley by the federal army. The losses sustained by the institution during the war were heavy.

The seminary reopened October 2, 1865, only to be burned October 15, 1869. On November 1, 1869, the institution resumed its exercises in Baton Rouge, where it has since remained. In 1870, the name of the institution was changed to Louisiana State University.

Louisiana State Agricultural & Mechanical College was established by an act of the legislature, approved April 7, 1874, to carry out the United States Morrill Act of 1862, granting lands for this purpose. It temporarily opened in New Orleans, June 1, 1874, where it remained until it merged with Louisiana State University in 1877.

The first Baton Rouge home of LSU was in the quarters of the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind. In 1886, the federal garrison grounds (now the site of the state capitol) were formally declared the domicile of the University. Land for the present campus was purchased in 1918, construction started in 1922, and the move began in 1925; it was not, however, until 1932 that the move was finally completed. Formal dedication of the present campus took place on April 30, 1926.

After some years of enrollment fluctuation, student numbers began a steady increase, new programs were added, curricula and faculty expanded, and a true state university emerged.

In 1978, LSU was named a sea-grant college, the 13th university in the nation to be so designated and the highest classification attainable in the program.

In 1992, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the LSU Honors College.

Visit About LSU for more information

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Colleges and Schools

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Libraries

The LSU campus has two main academic libraries. The first, Troy H. Middleton Library, is home to collections for the general academic interests and recreational reading of the student body.

The second is Hill Memorial Library. It is home to a major repository of documents from the State Legislature and has served in a major capacity for archival services following the problems of hurricane Katrina.

Hill Memorial Library is regarded as a fine example of Italian Renaissance architecture. It also has two basements, one for archival services (it was previously used to store microfilm, which was since moved to nearby Middleton Library) and the other houses "the crypt", which extends out under the courtyard and actually connects to the basement of Middleton. It is home to Louisiana's old statues formerly in the U.S. Capitol Building's Statuary Hall.

Among this collection are figures such as David White, Sean Cabrall, Dr. Christopher Castille and Brent Cockrell.

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The Flagship Agenda

In 2003 Chancellor Mark Emmert spearheaded the creation of the Flagship Agenda, a plan to reverse the low morale, lack of competitiveness, and lack of available resources that had plagued LSU during the 1990s. Its focus is to have LSU better serve Louisiana and the world by increasing student quality and research productivity, thereby vaulting LSU into placement as one of the finest public universities in the country. Because the improvements put a higher financial strain on students, the Agenda has had some controversy. However, many people involved with the university agree that the Agenda's implementation has been successful. Sean O' Keefe, who in 2005 left his post as head of NASA to become LSU's new chancellor, pledged to continue the Agenda until its conclusion in 2010.

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Flagship Agenda Action Plan

  1. Increase research productivity by hiring a significant number of new, high-quality faculty and improving technology infrastructure.
  2. Increase number and quality of graduate students and programs through targeted investments and program review.
  3. Increase quality of undergraduate students and programs by raising admissions standards, improving recruitment, and reviewing courses of study.
  4. Increase quality of campus life by increasing diversity, inclusiveness, and facilities investments.
  5. Increase funding to support the previous actions through more state and private support.
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Publications

  • The Daily Reveille, the University's student-run newspaper, is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters. In 2003 the Reveille received the Pacemaker award from the Associated College Press.
  • The Southern Review is a venerable quarterly journal that Robert Penn Warren first published in 1935. It publishes fiction, poetry, and essays, with an emphasis on southern culture and history.
  • The Legacy is a student-run magazine that publishes a variety of feature-length stories. It has been named Best Magazine in the Southwestern Journalism Congress for eight out of the last nine years.
  • The LSU RESEARCH magazine informs readers about University research programs.
  • "Apollo's Lyre" is a poetry and fiction magazine published each semester by the Honors College.
  • The Gumbo is the University's yearbook, given free to returning students.
  • The LSU Today magazine keeps faculty and staff updated with university news.
  • LSU Press is a nonprofit book publisher dedicated to the publication of scholarly, general interest, and regional books. It publishes approximately 80 titles per year. John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces is its most well-known publication.
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Athletics

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See main article: LSU Athletics

LSU is a member of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 14 varsity sports (5 men's, 7 women's, 2 coed). Its official team nickname is the Tigers and Lady Tigers (the term "Bayou Bengals" is also heard at times), and its school colors are purple and gold. Based on winning percentage, the University's athletics program is consistently one of the best in the nation. Its arenas include Tiger Stadium (football, also known as "Death Valley"), Pete Maravich Assembly Center (basketball, volleyball, gymnastics), Carl Maddox Fieldhouse (indoor track), Bernie Moore Stadium (outdoor track), Tiger Park (softball), and Alex Box Stadium (baseball). Important rivals in football include the University of Mississippi Rebels, University of Alabama Crimson Tide, and University of Arkansas Razorbacks.

Keeping with the Cajun character of South Louisiana, LSU support can be seen by its distinctive spelling of "Go Tigers" as "Geaux Tigers".

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National Team Championships (44)

Men's Basketball (1) 1935

Boxing (1) 1949

Football (3) 1908, 1958, 2003

Men's Golf (4) 1940, 1942

Men's Indoor Track (2) 2001, 2004

Women's Indoor Track (11) 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004

Men's Outdoor Track (4) 1933, 1989, 1990, 2002

Women's Outdoor Track (13) 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,1997, 2000, 2003

Baseball (5) 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000

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SEC Team Championships (108)

Baseball (13) 1939, 1943, 1946, 1961, 1975, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2003

Men's Basketball (9) 1935, 1953, 1954, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1991, 2000, 2006

Women's Basketball (2) 2005, 2006

Football (9) 1935, 1936, 1958, 1961, 1970, 1986, 1988, 2001, 2003

Men's Golf (15) 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1966, 1967, 1986, 1987

Women's Golf (1) 1992

Gymnastics (1) 1981

Men's Swimming (1) 1988

Men's Tennis (4) 1976, 1985, 1998, 1999

Men's Indoor Track (4) 1957, 1963, 1989, 1990

Women's Indoor Track (10) 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999

Men's Outdoor Track (22) 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1988, 1989, 1990

Women's Outdoor Track (8) 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996

Softball (5) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004

Volleyball (4) 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991

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Notable Alumni

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Academia

  • Jimmy Andrews, M.D., founder of the American Sports Medicine Institute
  • Dolores Spikes, president of the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
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Arts, Entertainment, and Humanities

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Business and Economics

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Government, Politics, and Activism

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Military

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Sports

  • As of the 2005-2006 seasons, there are:
    • 33 former LSU football players in the NFL
    • 4 former LSU basketball players in the NBA
    • 10 former LSU baseball players in MLB (24 in the Minors)
    • 7 former LSU women's basketball players in the WNBA
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See also

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External links

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Research

Template:Southeastern Conferencept:Louisiana State University

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