In 1959, the Louisiana Legislature authorized the establishment of LSUA as a two-year commuter college under the governance of the LSU Board of Supervisors. LSUA registered its first students in September of 1960. The first degree program, an Associate in Nursing degree, was initiated in the Division of Nursing in 1964.
The additional academic divisions of Liberal Arts, Business Administration, and Sciences were created in 1967. In 1974, LSUA was accredited by the Commission on 吃瓜直播s of the Southern Association of 吃瓜直播s and Schools (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. This accreditation was reaffirmed in 1984, 1994, and 2004.
Only one associate degree was available at LSUA from 1964 to March 1986, when the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science transfer degrees were approved. Over the next 15 years, several associate degree and certificate programs were added that the university continues to offer including:
From 1976 through Spring 2003, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical 吃瓜直播 offered the upper-level course work for select bachelor's degree programs on the LSUA campus through a program known as LSU Senior 吃瓜直播. Initially, the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Bachelor of General Studies were offered. The Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education was added in 1982-83.
鈥淚鈥檝e written a lot of different genres, but in everything I鈥檝e written, someone dies.鈥�
And that is how LSUA graduate Ashley Weaver became a well-known author of soon to be seven books in the Amory Ames mystery series.
Having written since a young age, Weaver always had a dream of becoming an author, but when she first enrolled in LSUA she was on the path to becoming an educator. However, once she took an English class at the University, she changed her major, which laid the groundwork to becoming a published author upon her graduation from LSUA.
Her first book, however, was not penned at LSUA or even after graduation. Weaver completed her first full-length novel in high school where her friends would offer critiques over the lunch table. Since then, she has grown to be not only the author of the Amory Ames series, but also a nominee for an Edgar Award for her first book Murder at the Brightwell. The Edgar Awards are the equivalent of the Oscars for the mystery book world and while she didn鈥檛 take home the prize for Best First Novel, she did have the chance to attend the ceremony while sitting among such writers as Stephen King.
Weaver鈥檚 love for mysteries began at a young age with books such as Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and Encyclopedia Brown. She says that she always felt as if mysteries are unique because they allow the reader to take part in the story as they try to solve the crime along with the detectives.
Her books allow the reader to follow Amory Ames and her husband Milo in 1930鈥檚 England as a wealthy couple who have a knack for finding, and solving, mysteries. Aside from the mysteries, readers also get to explore the Ames鈥� marriage, which isn鈥檛 always on solid footing. Even though the books are written from Amory鈥檚 point of view, Weaver says she enjoys writing both of her main characters even as she mentions wouldn鈥檛 want to be married to Milo.
When writing her books, Weaver explains that she doesn鈥檛 know who the killer will be until well into the writing process. She says she begins with writing random scenes and later rearranges and fills in between. Along the way, she gives all of the characters a motive to have committed the crime and eventually decides who makes the best fit before going back to make sure her new found killer makes sense. She says that if she doesn鈥檛 know who the killer is, then hopefully the reader won鈥檛 either.
Weaver already has six books of the Amory Ames series on store shelves with the seventh one finished and available in September 2019. In addition to Murder at the Brightwell, she is also the author of Death Wears a Mask, A Most Novel Revenge, Intrigue in Capri, The Essence of Malice, and An Act of Villainy. She will begin work on the eighth book of the series soon. All books are available in local bookstores, libraries, and Amazon as well as in audio format and large print.
On June 5, 2001, following approval by the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors and the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Louisiana Legislature passed legislation (Senate Bill 853) allowing Louisiana State University at Alexandria to offer baccalaureate degrees. In December 2002, SACSCOC approved a substantive change request from LSUA, thereby accrediting the university to award both associate and baccalaureate degrees.
In Fall 2003, LSUA was reorganized into colleges and departments rather than divisions. The 吃瓜直播 of Arts and Sciences is comprised of the departments of Arts, English and Humanities; Behavioral and Social Sciences; Biological Sciences; and Mathematics and Physical Sciences. The 吃瓜直播 of Professional Studies is comprised of the departments of Allied Health, Business Administration, Education, and Nursing.
LSUA began offering four baccalaureate degrees in Fall 2003: Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of General Studies, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, and Bachelor of Liberal Studies. Because there were students at LSUA who had completed upper-level course work through LSU Senior 吃瓜直播, LSUA produced its first bachelor's degree graduates in December 2003.
A Bachelor of Science in Psychology, approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors in March 2005, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, approved by the LSU Board in June 2006, are now offered. In 2008 the university began offering Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, Communication Studies, and History, along with Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Nursing.
In addition to the Department of Education offering courses that lead to an Associate of Arts in The Care and Development of Young Children and the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, courses are offered for alternative certification in the following areas: Elementary Education, Grades 1-5; Health and Physical Education, Grades K-12; and Secondary Education, Grades 6-12 for the areas of biology, English, history, and mathematics. Students who major in biology, English, history, or mathematics may declare Secondary Education as a minor in these areas of study, earning certification to teach that subject in Grades 6-12. Add-on certifications are available for Early Childhood Education (PK-3) and Special Education in area of existing certification(s).
The Oaks, the university’s first student housing complex, opened in the fall of 2007. The complex, which includes four apartment buildings and a community center.
LSUA hired its first athletic director in January 2007 and began competing in NAIA men’s baseball and women’s fast-pitch softball in Spring 2008. In January 2010, LSUA’s new on-campus baseball-softball complex was unveiled in an opening day dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The complex is located on the north side of campus adjacent to the Fitness Center and features seats transferred from the famed Alex Box Stadium on the Baton Rouge campus.
LSUA added five sports in 2014 including men’s and women’s basketball and soccer teams along with women’s tennis. LSUA joined the Red River Athletic Conference in 2014. The RRAC includes Bacone 吃瓜直播 (Okla.), Huston-Tilloston University (Texas), Jarvis Christian 吃瓜直播 (Texas), Langston University (Okla.), LSU-Shreveport, Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas), Paul Quinn 吃瓜直播 (Texas), Texas 吃瓜直播, University of St. Thomas (Texas), University of Texas-Brownsville, University of the Southwest (New Mexico) and Wiley 吃瓜直播 (Texas) in addition to LSUA.
The university’s newest building, Mulder Hall, was opened in August 2011. The building is a 70,000 square-foot facility that provides 18 classrooms, 4 academic department office suites, 52 faculty offices, 2 conference rooms, a computer lab and a writing lab, a painting and drawing studio, a ceramics studio, a photography suite, and a black box theater that seats 175 people.