Louisiana State University
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 temporarily increased approximately 5% 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 thirteen American universities designated as a
land-grant,
sea-grant and
space-grant research center. In order to reverse decades of underfunding, the University recently launched the "Forever LSU" campaign, the most ambitious fundraising drive in its history.
| Forever LSU Campaign |
LSU is famous for its "stately oaks" as mentioned in the lyrics of the LSU alma mater. They are one of the many reasons it was declared by Thomas Gaines in his The Campus as a Work of Art as one of the most beautiful campuses in America. |
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.
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1]
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*
College of Art and Design*
Honors College*
E.J. Ourso College of Business*
Manship School of Mass Communication*
School of the Coast and Environment*
College of Basic Sciences*
College of Education*
College of Engineering*
College of Arts and Sciences*
College of Music and Dramatic Arts*
School of Veterinary Medicine*
College of AgricultureLSU's main library collection, numbering almost 3 million volumes, is housed in Troy H. Middleton Library on the main quadrangle of the University. It is both a general use library and a U.S. Regional Depository Library, housing publications from the federal government, United Nations, and U.S. Patent Office. The
LSU Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL), the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) and
LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network, a state-wide consortium of academic and special libraries.
The Libraries'
Special Collections division is housed in Hill Memorial Library. Special Collections comprises more than 200,000 volumes of published works, 10 million manuscript items, 200,000 historic photographs, 16,000 reels of newspaper microfilm, hundreds of oral histories, and other diverse materials for research. It includes the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, a the Rare Book Collection, the University Archives, the E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection, the U.S. Civil War Center, and the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History.
* 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, the highest award in collegiate journalism, 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. In 2005 it was named the best student magazine in the nation by the Society of Professional Journalists.
* 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.
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.
Flagship Agenda Action Plan
# Increase research productivity by hiring a significant number of new, high-quality faculty and improving technology infrastructure. # Increase number and quality of graduate students and programs through targeted investments and program review.# Increase quality of undergraduate students and programs by raising admissions standards, improving recruitment, and reviewing courses of study.# Increase quality of campus life by increasing diversity, inclusiveness, and facilities investments.# Increase funding to support the previous actions through more state and private support.
See main article: LSU TigersLSU 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.
LSU Athletics is represented by its mascot,
Mike V, a live bengal tiger.
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 include the
Tulane University Green Wave,
Auburn University Tigers (War Eagle),
University of Alabama Crimson Tide, and
University of Arkansas Razorbacks.
Academia
*
Jimmy Andrews, M.D., founder of the American Sports Medicine Institute
*
Dolores Spikes, president of the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
Arts, Entertainment, and Humanities
*
John Ed Bradley, novelist
*
Bill Conti,
Academy Award-winning composer
*
Aaron Copland, Composer
*
Christina Cuenca,
Miss Louisiana USA 2006
*
Jennifer Dupont,
Triple Crown winner,
Miss Louisiana Teen USA 1998,
Miss Louisiana USA 2000,
Miss Louisiana (
America) 2004
*
Carl Fontana, jazz trombonist
*
Julie Giroux,
Emmy Award-winning composer
*
Rex Reed, New York author and film critic
*
Joanne Woodward,
Academy Award-winning actress
*
Oympia Vernon, novelist
*
Will Wright,
The Sims creator
*
Paul Groves,
Metropolitan Opera*
Jeffrey Wells,
Metropolitan Opera*
Shon Sims,
New York City Opera*
Edward Scott Hendricks,
Houston Grand Opera,
Central City Opera, and
Wolf Trap Opera Company*
Chad Shelton,
Houston Grand Opera,
Central City Opera, and
Wolf Trap Opera Company*
Better Than Ezra, Rock Band
Business and Economics
*
Lodwrick M. Cook, co-chairman of the Board of
Global Crossing Inc.
*
Reinosuke Hara, vice chairman of the Board of
Seiko Instruments, Inc.
*
Harry J. Longwell, Sr., vice-president of
ExxonMobil U.S.A.
*
Thomas Ryder, Chairman and CEO of
Reader's Digest Magazine
*
Clarence Cazalot, President and CEO of
Marathon Oil Corporation
*
Kip Knight, Vice-President Marketing of
eBay*
Richard Frost, CEO of
LA-Pacific*
David Steiner, CEO of
Waste Management*
Brent McDougall, Auditor
Government, Politics, and Activism
*
Eduardo Aguirre, current U.S. Ambassador to
Spain and
Andorra*
Donna Brazille, political strategist (notably for
Al Gore's 2000 Presidential Campaign)
*
John Breaux, former
United States Senator *
James Carville, political strategist (notably for
Bill Clinton's 1992 Presidential Campaign)
*
Edwin Edwards, former governor of
Louisiana*
Maxime Faget, Engineering & Development Director,
NASA*
Carlos Roberto Flores, former president of
Honduras*
M.J. "Mike" Foster, Jr., former governor of Louisiana
*
Paul M. Hebert, Civilian Judge during
Nuremberg War Trials*
Hubert Humphrey, 38th
Vice President of the United States*
Mary Landrieu, United States
Senator*
Russell B. Long, former United States Senator
Military
*General
Claire Chennault, Organiser and commander of World War II's American Volunteer Group (the AVG also known as the Flying Tigers) which fought for China against the Japanese before the United States of America entered the war.
*General
John A. Lejeune, Namesake of
Camp Lejeune,
North Carolina*
Lt. Gen. Charles Campbell , commander
8th ArmySports
*
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (formerly named Chris Jackson), retired
NBA player (formerly of the
Denver Nuggets, the
Sacramento Kings and the
Vancouver Grizzlies)
*
Charles Alexander, Two-time
All-American and All-
SEC (
1977 and
1978) running back, selected in the first round of the
1979 NFL Draft by the
Cincinnati Bengals, played for seven seasons
*
Kenderick Allen, NFL defensive lineman,
New York Giants*
Eric Andolsek, former
Detroit Lions football player who died in
1992*
Seimone Augustus, two-time women's college basketball player of the year (
2005 and
2006), and first player chosen in the
2006 WNBA Draft (
Minnesota Lynx)
*
Albert Belle (formerly named Joey Belle), retired
Major League Baseball Player
*
Mike Bianco, former
LSU baseball player and current head baseball coach at
Ole Miss*
Ricky Blanton, basketball player (
1984-
1989), first-team All-
SEC seletion in
1989, played in
1986 Final Four, drafted by the
Phoenix Suns in the
1989 NBA Draft, played in the
NBA with the
Chicago Bulls, former head men's basketball coach at
Nicholls State University*
Paul Byrd, member of
1991 College World Series champions, current
Major League Baseball pitcher, selected to
1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game*
Dana "Pokey" Chatman, former LSU All-American women's basketball player, and head coach of the Lady Tigers basketball team (
2004-present)
*
Billy Cannon, All-America (1958, 1959)
Heisman Trophy Winner (1959)
AFL (1960-1969) AFL Championship with the
Houston Oilers (1961) All AFL Running Back (1961) All AFL Tight End (1967)
NFL (1970)
*
Michael Clayton, NFL wide receiver,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
Alvin Dark,
Major League Baseball player and manager,
1948 Rookie of the Year, three-time all star, and
World Series-winning manager (
Oakland Athletics,
1974)
*
Travis Daniels, NFL cornerback,
Miami Dolphins*
Domanick Davis, NFL running-back,
Houston Texans*
Rohan Davey, NFL quarterback,
Arizona Cardinals*
Tommy Hodson, Four-year starter at quarterback for LSU from
1986 to
1989, four-time All-
SEC quarterback, played in the
NFL--appearing in games with the
New England Patriots and
New Orleans Saints*
Bert Jones, NFL All-Pro quarterback, 1976 NFL MVP,
Baltimore Colts* Eric Edwards, NFL tight end,
Arizona Cardinals*
Alan Faneca, NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman, and superbowl champion
Pittsburgh Steelers*
Brad Hawpe,
Major League Baseball player with the
Colorado Rockies*
Dalton Hilliard, Three-time All-
SEC running back, led the
New Orleans Saints in rushing in
1988 and
1989, selected to
1989 Pro Bowl*
Bradie James, NFL linebacker,
Dallas Cowboys*
Tory James, NFL cornerback,
Cincinnati Bengals*
Eddie Kennison, NFL wide receiver,
Kansas City Chiefs*
Nick Krall,
Major League Baseball Coordinator of Major League Scouting
Cincinnati Reds*
Chad Lavalais, NFL defensive tackle,
Atlanta Falcons*
Todd Linden,
Major League Baseball player with the
San Francisco Giants*
Durand "Rudy" Macklin,
1981 SEC basketball Player of the Year,
1981 All-American, led LSU to
1981 Final Four*
Anthony McFarland, NFL football player, former first round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
*"Pistol"
Pete Maravich, member of the
Basketball Hall of Fame*
Eric Martin, Former
All-American (1983) and Two-time All-
SEC wide receiver, led the
New Orleans Saints in receptions and/or yards every year from
1987 to
1993*
Matt Mauck, NFL quarterback,
Tennessee Titans*
Adrian Mayes, NFL safety, Arizona Cardinals
*
Ben McDonald, former Golden Spikes Award winner (college baseball player of the year), Major League Baseball player
*
Warren Morris,
Major League Baseball player, hit game-winning
home run in the bottom of the 9th inning against the
University of Miami to win the
1996 College World Series*
Shaquille O'Neal, NBA center,
Miami Heat (formerly of the
Los Angeles Lakers and
Orlando Magic)
*
Chad Ogea, Member of
1991 College World Series champion, former
Major League Baseball pitcher, won two games in
1997 World Series for the
Cleveland Indians*
Bob Pettit, All-America (1952, 1953, 1954)
NBA (1954-1965) NBA champion with St. Louis Hawks (1958); NBA MVP (1956, '59); 10-time All-NBA First Team (1955-64)
*
Marcus Randall, NFL safety, Tennessee Titans
*
Don Redden, extremely popular member of the
1986 Final Four basketball team who died of a heart abnormality in
1988*
Josh Reed, NFL wide receiver,
Buffalo Bills*
Jerry "Ice" Reynolds, former
NBA player, selected in the first round of the
1985 NBA Draft by the
Milwaukee Bucks*
Mark Roman, NFL safety,
Green Bay Packers*
Mike Sirotka, former
Major League Baseball pitcher for the
Chicago White Sox*
Marcus Spears, NFL defensive lineman, Dallas Cowboys
*
Stromile Swift, former All-American and SEC Player of the Year, NBA player,
Houston Rockets*
Jim Taylor, Hall of Fame NFL fullback,
Green Bay Packers*
Y.A. Tittle, Hall of Fame NFL quarterback,
San Francisco 49ers,
New York Giants*
David Toms, professional golfer, winner of 2001 PGA Championship
*
LaBrandon Toefield, NFL running back,
Jacksonville Jaguars*
Todd Walker, Major League Baseball player,
Chicago Cubs*
Harvey Williams, All-
SEC running back in
1990, selected in first round of
1991 NFL Draft by the
Kansas City Chiefs, played running back and tight end in the
NFL, rushed for over 1,100 yards for the
Oakland Raiders in
1995*
John S. Williams, retired NBA player (formerly of the
Washington Bullets,
Los Angeles Clippers, and
Indiana Pacers)
*
David Woodley, Quarterback who led the
Miami Dolphins to
Super Bowl XVII in
1983, died in 2003
*
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
*
Louisiana State University System*
LSU Home Page and assorted pages within that domain
*
LSU Athletics*
LSU Faculty Handbook*
Louisiana Board Of Regents*
LSU Detailed ProfileResearch
*
Office of Research and Graduate studies*
Index of Research Centers, Institutes, Labs, and Programs*
Pennington Biomedical Research Center*
Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices*
Eric Voegelin Institute for American Renaissance Studies
