Information about Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Louisiana State University Seal Louisiana State University Seal
Established	1859
Type	Public, Co-ed
Endowment	$593 million (2006)[1]
Chancellor	Sean O'Keefe
Staff	1,308
Students	33,587
Undergraduates	28,423
Postgraduates	5,164
Location	Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Coordinates: )
Campus	Urban 2,000+ acres (8.1 km²)
Sports teams	Tigers
Colors	Purple & Gold
Nickname	Fighting Tigers
Mascot	Mike VI, a Bengal/Siberian mixed tiger
Website	www.lsu.edu

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, coeducational 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, which temporarily increased approximately 5% to host students from New Orleans displaced by Hurricane Katrina, 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. In order to reverse decades of underfunding, the university recently launched the Forever LSU campaign, the most ambitious fundraising drive in its history.

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 Col. William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent. A year later, Sherman resigned his position over conflicts with the state. 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, due to the invasion of the Red River Valley by the federal 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 and had been used to start the war when fired at Fort Sumter, SC. They are still currently on display in front of LSU's Military Science building.^[2]

Additionally, 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.

Then, 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.

On April 30, 1926, formal dedication of the present LSU campus took place, following the school's history 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. 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.

Recently, the LSU System has existed without major difficulties, but 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, and 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.^[3] 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.

Also, 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. Additionally and to the chagrin of some professors, he was awarded tenure.^[4]

In 2007, long time LSU System president William Jenkins announced his retirement, and John Lombardi, previously the president of the University of Massachusetts, was named his replacement.

Colleges & 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 LSU 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

Campus

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, and most were built between 1925 and 1940. Thomas Gaines' 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 (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 1.5 GeV synchrotron radiation facility ^[5].

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 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 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.
• 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 both 2001 and 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.

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.

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.

Athletics

Main article: LSU Tigers

LSU is a member of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the Southeastern Conference^[6]. It fields teams in 20 varsity sports (9 men's, 11 women's). Its official team nickname is the 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), and its school colors are purple and gold. 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 1958 and 2003.^[7]

In 2006, the Tigers defeated Notre Dame in the Sugarbowl, 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, and Mike VI is now on campus and was introduced to fans at the Florida game on October 6th 2007. It was announced in March 2007 that Mike V has 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.

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).

LSU's Tiger Stadium is considered to be one of the most action packed venues in all of college football. Nicknamed "Death Valley" for the excruciating levels of sound from fans, the stadium 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 after Tennessee's Neyland Stadium and Georgia's Sanford Stadium, holding 92,400 fans. Tiger Stadium is generally considered one of the loudest and most electrifying college football atmospheres 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. Tiger Stadium was the site of the legendary "Earthquake Game" against Auburn in 1988. LSU won the game, 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 reaction registered on a seismograph in the LSU Geology Department and is the only stadium ever to do so. Also, in 2007 when the No. 1 ranked Tigers played the No. 9 ranked Florida Gators, it was recorded that the noise level was 122 decibels when the tigers made a come-from-behind win in the final minutes of the game.

Rivals include the traditional intra-state rival Tulane Green Wave, SEC West rivals Ole Miss Rebels, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks and the SEC East rival Florida Gators.

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Louisiana State University alumni

With strong academic and successful athletics programs, LSU has seen many of its former students go on to local and national prominence.

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. Also notable is James Carville,^[8]senior political adviser to Bill Clinton. Billy Cannon played Halfback for LSU and is the only LSU player to win the Heisman Trophy (in 1959).

Louisiana State University Laboratory School

Main article: Louisiana State University Laboratory School

The university operates the Louisiana State University Laboratory School, a Kindergarten through 12 public school.

See also

• Louisiana State University System

References

External links

• LSU.edu - official site
• LSU Sports.net - Athletics - official site
• LSU Student Government
• LSU Student Media
• The Daily Reveille - daily campus newspaper
• KLSU - FM 91.1 - LSU radio station
• Index of Research Centers, Institutes, Labs, and Programs

•  • [ e] Public colleges and universities in Louisiana
Research universities	Louisiana State University • Louisiana Tech University • University of Louisiana at Lafayette • University of New Orleans
Comprehensive universities	Grambling State University • Louisiana State University at Alexandria • Louisiana State University in Shreveport • McNeese State University • Nicholls State University • Northwestern State University • Southeastern Louisiana University • Southern University • Southern University at New Orleans • University of Louisiana at Monroe
Specialized centers	LSU Health Sciences Center-New Orleans • LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport • LSU Law Center • Southern Law Center
Community and technical colleges	Baton Rouge Community College • Bossier Parish Community College • Delgado Community College • L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College • Louisiana Delta Community College • Louisiana State University at Eunice • Louisiana Technical College • Nunez Community College • River Parishes Community College • South Louisiana Community College • Southern University at Shreveport • Sowela Technical Community College

•  • [ e] Southeastern Conference
Eastern Division	Florida (Gators) • Georgia (Bulldogs & Lady Bulldogs) • Kentucky (Wildcats) • South Carolina (Gamecocks) • Tennessee (Volunteers & Lady Vols) • Vanderbilt (Commodores)
Western Division	Alabama (Crimson Tide) • Arkansas (Razorbacks & Lady'Backs) • Auburn (Tigers) • LSU (Tigers & Lady Tigers) • Mississippi (Rebels) • Mississippi State (Bulldogs & Lady Bulldogs)