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Louisiana State University
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Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, coeducational, Level l Research University located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. LSU includes nine senior colleges and three schools, in addition to specialized centers, divisions, institutes, and offices. Enrollment stands at more than 32,000 students, and there are 1,300 full-time faculty members.
LSU is one of only twenty-one American universities designated as a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research center.
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Encyclopedia
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, coeducational, Level l Research University located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. LSU includes nine senior colleges and three schools, in addition to specialized centers, divisions, institutes, and offices. Enrollment stands at more than 32,000 students, and there are 1,300 full-time faculty members.
LSU is one of only twenty-one American universities designated as a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research center.
History
Grants made by the United States government in 1806, 1811, and 1827 gave rise to Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. It was founded as a military academy and is still today steeped in military tradition, as seen in the school's nickname "The Ole War Skule." 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 Colonel William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent. A year later, Sherman resigned his position after Louisiana became the sixth state to secede from the Union, on January 26, 1861. The school then closed June 30, 1861, because of the American Civil War. It reopened on April 1 but was again closed on April 23, 1863, because of the invasion of the Red River Valley by the Union Army. The losses sustained by the institution during the war were heavy. Following the war, General Sherman donated two cannons to the institution. These cannons had been captured from Confederate forces who had used them to start the war when fired at Fort Sumter, SC. They are still displayed in front of LSU's Military Science building.
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 and 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. This prompted the final name change for the university to the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.
On April 30, 1926, formal dedication of the present LSU campus took place, following the school's history at the federal garrison grounds (now the site of the state capitol) where it had been located since 1886. Prior to this, LSU utilized the quarters of the Institute for the Deaf, Mute, and Blind. 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. 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.
LSU was hit by scandal in 1939. James Monroe Smith, appointed by Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long as president of LSU, was charged with embezzling a half-million dollars. In the ensuing investigation, at least twenty state officials were indicted. Two committed suicide as the scandal enveloped Governor Richard W. Leche, who received a 10-year federal prison sentence as a result of a kickback scheme. Paul M. Hebert, Dean of LSU's law school at the time, then assumed interim presidency of in Smith's place.
Beginning in 1964, LSU admitted its first undergraduate African-American students. This admission policy was instituted on June 8, 1964. In 1969, mandatory ROTC for freshmen and sophomores was abolished. However, LSU maintains Air Force and Army ROTC.
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.
The seventh chancellor of LSU, former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, assumed his position in 2005. Administrators were accused of hiring O'Keefe without proper consideration from faculty, students, and other concerned parties. To the chagrin of some professors, O'Keefe was also awarded tenure.
In 2007, long-time LSU System president William Jenkins announced his retirement, and John V. Lombardi was named his replacement. He was previously the president of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and LSU rival University of Florida. The press carried reports that O'Keefe's future with the University was uncertain, and he resigned on January 16, 2008.
Colleges and schools
- Agriculture
- Art & Design
- Arts & Sciences
- Basic Sciences
- E.J. Ourso College of Business
- School of the Coast and Environment
- Continuing Education
- Education
- Engineering
- Graduate School
| Honors College Paul M. Hebert Law Center Library & Information Science Manship School of Mass Communication Music & Dramatic Arts School of Social Work University College Veterinary Medicine Louisiana State University School of Medicine Louisiana State University School of Dentistry |
Campus
The LSU main campus occupies a 650-acre (2.6 kmē) plateau on the banks of the Mississippi River; overall, LSU is located on 2,000 acres (8.1 kmē) 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 pantiled roofs, overhanging eaves, rolling arches, and honey-colored stucco. Most were built between 1925 and 1940. Thomas Gaines' The Campus as a Work of Art praises LSU's landscaping as "a botanical joy" and lists it 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 (LSU School of Dentistry, which is a part of LSUHSC NO is one of the few dental schools in the United States to have its own separate campus), Health Care Services Division (Public Hospital System), and LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. In addition, LSU owns and operates the J. Bennett Johnston, Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD), which is a 1.3 GeV synchrotron radiation facility .
Several LSU buildings, including the Student Union and the Pennington Research Center, were designed by the Baton Rouge architect John Desmond, who also taught architecture part-time at LSU.
Libraries
LSU's main library collection, numbering almost three 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 are 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 and 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 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.
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, the highest award in collegiate journalism, from the Associated College Press.
- Southern Review is a respected literary quarterly journal that Robert Penn Warren first published in 1935. It publishes fiction, poetry, and essays, with an emphasis on southern culture and history.
- Legacy is a student-run magazine that publishes a variety of feature-length stories. In both 2001 and 2005, it was named the best student magazine in the nation by the Society of Professional Journalists.
- 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.
- Gumbo is the university's yearbook, given free to returning students.
- 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 among its best-known publications.
- New Delta Review is a prominent literary magazine.
Flagship agenda
In 2003 Chancellor Mark Emmert spearheaded the creation of the National Flagship Agenda, a plan to reverse the low morale, lack of competitiveness, and lack of available resources that had plagued LSU during the early 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, which will coincide with LSU's 150th anniversary. On 2008 January 16 O'Keefe resigned effective 2008 June 1.
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.
Athletics
LSU, with school colors purple and gold, is a member of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 20 varsity sports (9 men's, 11 women's). The school colors of purple and gold originated from the city's Mardi Gras tradition. Yellow, purple, and green are the official colors of the celebration; Tulane took the traditions remaining color, green, as their offical color.Its official team nickname is the Fighting Tigers; and Lady Tigers for women's teams that have a male counterpart (the term "Bayou Bengals" is also heard at times, but not officially recognized). LSU's mascot refers to its Confederate heritage, drawing from the fame of two Louisiana brigades whose fierce fighting earned them the nickname "the Louisiana Tigers." Based on winning percentage, the University's athletics program is consistently one of the best in the nation.
LSU Tigers football began in 1893, with national championship wins in the 1958, 2003 and 2007 seasons. LSU won their first BCS National Championship in 2003 with a 21-14 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. The LSU Fighting Tigers won their second BCS National Championship in 2007 with a 38-24 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
In 2006, the Tigers defeated Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, 41–14. They also beat Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama, ULL, Tulane, Fresno State, and Arizona. Their two losses were to the national champion Florida Gators, and to Auburn. LSU ended the season with the 10th ranked offense and 3rd ranked defense. Their quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, had the third best passer rating. He decided to skip his senior year to go to the NFL. He was the number one overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. Free safety LaRon Landry, WR Dwayne Bowe, and WR Craig Davis also went in the first round.
LSU Athletics is represented by its mascot, a Bengal tiger named Mike the Tiger. The tiger was named after Mike Chambers, LSU's athletic trainer in 1936, when Mike I was bought for $750 from the Little Rock (Ark.) Zoo. Mike I was introduced on October 21, 1936. Mike V reigned from 1990–2007. It was announced in March 2007 that Mike V had entered into the first stage of retirement. He remained housed in his on-campus habitat until his death due to kidney failure on May 18, 2007 at age 17. The latest in the line is two years old, weighs 300 pounds and was acquired from an Indiana big-cat sanctuary. Previously known as Roscoe, "Mike VI" is a Bengal-Siberian mix and was officially named Mike on September 8th, 2007. He was introduced to fans at the home game against Florida on October 6th 2007.
LSU's arenas include Tiger Stadium (football, also known as "Death Valley"), Pete Maravich Assembly Center (basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics, also known as the PMAC), Carl Maddox Fieldhouse (indoor track), Bernie Moore Stadium (outdoor track), Tiger Park (softball), and Alex Box Stadium (baseball). The new Alex Box Stadium was officially opened in a home game against Villanova on Friday, February 20th 2009.
Fight song
LSU's official fight song is "Fight for LSU." During LSU football games, it is only played when the team runs onto the field, whenever a field goal or extra point is scored, and at the end of each half (though at the end of the first half a recording is played since the band is already on the sidelines and unable to perform it live). There are, however, multiple other songs that are synonymous with LSU. "Pregame Entrance/Touchdown for LSU" begins with those four powerful notes familiar to most college football fans. This song is played by The Golden Band from Tigerland before the game begins, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and any critical moment in the fourth quarter when Tiger Stadium needs to get even more "amped up." Other school songs that may be mistaken for the official fight song are "Hey Fightin' Tigers" and "Tiger Rag."
Tiger Stadium
Although originally to be nicknamed "Deaf Valley" for its excruciating levels of sound, the nickname "Death Valley" caught on instead. It is legendary for the crowd noise generated by fans. It is the sixth largest college football stadium in the nation and third largest stadium in the SEC, holding 92,400 fans. The Tiger Stadium atmosphere is generally considered one of the loudest and most electrifying college football experiences in the country. During a nationally televised game against Auburn in 2003, ESPN recorded a noise level of 117 decibels at certain points in the game. In 2007 when the No. 1 ranked Tigers played the No. 9 ranked Florida Gators, the noise level registered at 122 decibels when the Tigers made a come-from-behind win in the final minutes of the game.
A similar sound level resulted in the legendary "Earthquake Game" against Auburn in 1988. LSU won 7–6 when quarterback Tommy Hodson completed a game-winning touchdown pass to running back Eddie Fuller in the waning seconds of the game. The crowd's roar registered on a seismograph, shaking the ground as much as a small earthquake. No other stadium has ever produced such a reading.
Rivals
Rivals include the traditional intrastate rival Tulane Green Wave, SEC West rivals Ole Miss Rebels, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks and the SEC East rival Florida Gators. LSU and Arkansas play annually in football the Friday after Thanksgiving alternating sites between Baton Rouge and Little Rock. The winner of the game is awarded the "Golden Boot," a gold plated trophy that is formed in the shape of the two states. LSU and in-state rival Tulane battle for the "Tiger Rag", a flag divided evenly between the colors of the two schools.
Notable alumni
With strong academic and successful athletics programs, LSU has seen many of its former students go on to local and national prominence.
Several LSU athletes have gone on to recognition for their prominence in their respective sports. Pete Maravich played basketball for LSU and was three-time consensus first team All-American and 1970 National 'Player of the Year'. Shaquille O'Neal also played basketball for LSU and received many honors, including being named twice as a first team Men's Basketball All-American and twice as the SEC Player Of The Year. Billy Cannon played Halfback for LSU and is the only LSU player to win the Heisman Trophy (in 1959). JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders Quarterback number 1 draft pick of 2007.
Others have gone on to national and international prominence in politics and academics. Such notables include James Carville, who was the senior political adviser to Bill Clinton, and Donna Brazile, the campaign manager of the 2000 presidential campaign of Vice-President Al Gore. Randy Moffett, president of the University of Louisiana System (ULS) and formerly president of Southeastern Louisiana University received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in 1980.
Louisiana State University Laboratory School
The university operates the Louisiana State University Laboratory School, a Kindergarten through 12 public school.
See also
External links
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