University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana
at Lafayette |
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| French nickname | l'Université des Acadiens |
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| Established | 1900 |
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| School type | Public |
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| President | Ray P. Authement |
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| Location | Lafayette, LA USA |
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| Campus | Urban |
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| Enrollment | 15,564 undergraduate
1,511 graduate
17,075 total enrollment |
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| Faculty | 713 |
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| Athletic teams | Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns® |
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| Colors | Vermilion and White |
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| Homepage | www.louisiana.edu |
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The
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a coeducational public research university also known as
UL Lafayette or
Louisiana-Lafayette, is located in
Lafayette,
Louisiana, in the heart of
Acadiana. It is the second largest university in Louisiana, and the largest campus within the
University of Louisiana System.
Founded in
1900 as an industrial institute, the university became known by its present name in
1999. The university is a member of the
Southeastern Universities Research Association and is categorized as a
Carnegie RU/H: Research University (high research activity), the only UL system campus to receive the latter doctoral distinction and among the top 5% of all U.S. colleges.
UL Lafayette is recognized for excellence in computer science and environmental biology. It offers Louisiana's only PhD in
Francophone studies and only doctoral degree in cognitive science. It is the only Louisiana university with a separate College of the Arts.
 |
Martin Hall, named for late state Sen. Robert Martin, who passed the bill founding the institution |
UL Lafayette's main
campus consists of 137
acres (554,000 m²) lined by
live oak trees planted in 1900. Its
quadrangle is encircled by a
Walk of Honor path which contains more than 80,000 bricks bearing the names of every graduate, beginning with the first graduating class of 1903. Also centered in the main campus is
Cypress Lake, a swamp-like microcosm of the nearby
Atchafalaya Basin, home to alligators, turtles, birds and fish.
The
athletic complex and
Cajundome sit on 243 acres (983,000 m²). Adjacent is the University Research Park of 148 acres (599,000 m²) which is home to the
National Wetlands Research Center, a
NASA Regional Application Center, and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nearby Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology has 51 acres (206,000 m²).
The university has a 600-acre
farm/
renewable resources laboratory with a 30-acre pond for
crawfish and
catfish culture in Cade, Louisiana. It also has a 48-acre
New Iberia Research Center in
New Iberia, Louisiana, which is among the world's largest private non-human,
primate breeding colonies.
|
Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum |
The Paul and Lulu Hilliard
University Art Museum permanent collection consists of more than 1,500 works of art, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, and photographs. This collection represents
18th,
19th and
20th century Louisiana, as well as the United States,
Europe and
Japan.
UL Lafayette has 10 colleges and schools, one of the largest honors program in Louisiana and offers 80
undergraduate degree programs, 29
master's degree programs, and 9
Doctor of Philosophy programs, which are
applied language and speech sciences,
biology,
cognitive science,
computer engineering,
computer science,
educational leadership,
English,
Francophone studies, and
mathematics.
Academics
A selective admissions university, UL Lafayette is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. All undergraduate programs at UL Lafayette that are eligible for
accreditation by professional agencies are accredited.
UL Lafayette is featured in the 2006 edition of
America's Best Value Colleges, a
Princeton Review/
Random House college guidebook, featuring fewer than 100 U.S. schools. The university was included in the 2005 edition of
The Best 357 Colleges and its
MBA program was included in the 2005 edition of
The Best 143 Business Schools, both by The Princeton Review. The university graduates about 1,100 students each fall and spring.
Colleges and departments
Arts:Architecture & Design, Fashion Design & Mechandising, Music, Performing Arts and Visual Arts
Business Administration:Accounting, Economics & Finance, Human Resources, Information Systems & Multimedia Lab, Management, Management of Information Systems, Marketing & Legal Studies, Micro Business Development, Small Business Development
Education:Counselor Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Foundations & Leadership, Kinesiology
Engineering:Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Engineering & Technology, Industrial Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering
General StudiesGraduate SchoolHonorsLiberal Arts:Cognitive Science, Communication, Communicative Disorders, Counselor Education, Criminal Justice, Cultural & Eco-Tourism, English, History & Geography, Latin American Studies, Louisiana Studies, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology/Anthropology
Nursing & Allied Health ProfessionsSciences:Biology, Chemistry, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Computer Studies, Advanced, Geology, Health Information Management, Mathematics, Military Science, Physics, Renewable Resources
University College *UL Lafayette students represent 53 states and possessions.
*709 are international students from diverse countries.
Academic achievements
A group of UL Lafayette students participating in the
Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment (CAPE) are building a small artificial
satellite, known as a
CubeSat, that will be launched into orbit from the
Republic of Kazakhstan in 2006. In 2004, UL Lafayette students and faculty produced
CajunBot, one of 25 autonomous vehicles that competed in the
U.S. Department of Defense DARPA Grand Challenge. CajunBot, which was featured on
CNN, uses
artificial intelligence and
GPS positioning to navigate a designated route while detecting and avoiding obstacles.
Campus life
*
Student Government Association*
The Vermilion is the university's weekly student newspaper and was established in
1904.
Greek life
UL Lafayette's sports teams, known as Louisiana's
Ragin' Cajuns, participate in
NCAA Division I (I-A for
football) in the
Sun Belt Conference. Sports media often refer to the university as
Louisiana-Lafayette.
*
1898 - State legislature approved the creation of an "industrial institute and academy."
*
1900 -
Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute (SLII) established.
*
1901 - SLII opened its doors on Sept. 18 with 100 students and eight faculty members.
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1903 - 18 students were the first to graduate from SLII.
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1920 - Began a four-year course culminating with a bachelor of arts degree.
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1921 - SLII was upgraded to the
Southwestern Louisiana Institute (SLI).
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1960 - SLI became the
University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL).
*
1984 - USL attempted to change its name to the
University of Louisiana, which only lasted a few days until overturned by a district court.
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1999 - USL was renamed the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette or Louisiana-Lafayette).
Presidents*1900-1938: Edwin Lewis Stephens
*1938-1941: Lether Edward Frazar
*1941-1966: Joel Lafayette Fletcher
*1966-1974: Clyde Lee Rougeou
*1974-present: Ray P. Authement
*
1954 - Within months of the "
separate but equal" decision by the
U.S. Supreme Court, SLI admitted 70 African American students, to become the first all white college in the
Deep South to achieve racial
desegregation.
*
1961 - Established the first university chapter of the
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for students.
*
1994 - Created North America's first
Francophone studies Ph.D. program.
UL Lafayette notable alumni have held posts as business bellwethers, government leaders, Olympic medalists, professional athletes, artists and entertainers. Also several distinguished faculty members have taught at the university.
*
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, official university website
*
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns®, official athletics website
*
UL Alumni Association, official alumni website
