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.
The Louisiana State University of Alexandria has been awarded a $432,033 grant by the Board of Regents of the State of Louisiana. The grant is part of the Departmental Enhancement Program and will be utilized for enhancing the biology curriculum through undergraduate research productivity.
Dr. Nathan Sammons and Dr. Carol Corbat, both professors in the LSUA Department of Biological Sciences, co-authored (with contributions from all of the faculty within the Department) the grant proposal submitted last fall for review by a discipline-based panel of out-of-state consultants. Of the 173 proposals submitted to the Board of Regents, LSUA was pleased to be ranked second, just behind Tulane University.
鈥淚鈥檓 still so stunned,鈥� said Corbat. 鈥淚 never in the world thought we鈥檇 receive this award the first year we applied.鈥�
The grant is to be awarded over the next five years and, per the Board of Regents final report, will enhance the undergraduate research program at LSUA through curriculum modification, infrastructure changes to support cellular-molecular biology research, and the creation of a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE).
The Department faculty will spend the first year developing the curriculum logistics and purchasing research equipment. Implementation of the programs will begin in year two.
The upgrade to equipment in the Department will provide more opportunities for students and faculty to have research published in high-profile research journals. Current LSUA equipment has been a hindrance because of its age. The instrumentation to be purchased is the 鈥淣ext Generation鈥� of its kind which includes the ability to sequence and quantify DNA at a high level of precision.
The revamp in the undergraduate curriculum seeks to attract those students who aren鈥檛 initially research driven.
鈥淭he goal is to reach a new demographic. As a University, we will always have students who know they want to do research before they ever come to campus. We want to attract those students who don鈥檛 realize this is something they can do, or have interest in, until they get here,鈥� said Sammons.
The first step in implementing this new curriculum includes a modification to the introductory biology course which will incorporate a research component. Students can then choose to take a research intensive path throughout the rest of the degree program.
Another one of the driving factors for the creation of this advanced program derives from data.
鈥淒ata has shown that increasing the opportunities students have for undergraduate research, increases student success. This includes higher graduation rates, deeper engagement in science, and the continuation to advanced degrees,鈥� said Sammons.
The grant funding will have a significant impact on the students and faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences, but also the University as a whole.
Per the consultant鈥檚 comments, 鈥淚t (the proposal) directly supports the departmental and institutional missions to provide quality instruction, experiential learning, and innovative teaching to LSUA students, to ensure student success and to provide a robust academic environment.鈥�
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.