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 吃瓜直播 of Business released its February 2021 issue of the CENLA Economic Dashboard.
鈥淎s expected consumer spending in December exceeded 2019 levels by double digits,鈥� said Dr. Randall Dupont, Dean of the LSUA 吃瓜直播 of Business and creator of the monthly dashboard.
Consumer spending for December as reflected in January sales tax collections exceeded December 2019 by 10 to 30% in Central Louisiana. Rapides and Pineville reported increases of 16%, while Alexandria and Evangeline recorded 10% and 20% increases, respectively. Ball, Boyce, Lecompte, and Woodworth all had gains ranging from 35 to 42% over last December.
鈥�2021 is off to a good start鈥�, said Dupont. According to debit and credit card transaction data, consumer spending in Rapides for the week ending January 31, 2021 was up 19.2% compared to January 2020, while statewide spending was up 9.5%. 鈥淗owever, not all businesses are benefiting from the increase in consumer spending,鈥� Dupont added. Small business revenue in Rapides was down 27% compared to a year ago due to fewer small businesses being open. All Central Louisiana parishes reported lower small business revenue ranging from a 14% decline in St. Landry to a 75% decline in Evangeline.
鈥淓mployment in Central Louisiana continues to outperform the state average,鈥� said Dupont. In December, the average unemployment rate in CENLA stood at 5.9% compared to 6.9% statewide. For the eighth straight month, Alexandria鈥檚 metro area had the lowest unemployment rate among the state鈥檚 major cities at 5.0% and the tightest labor market. 鈥淭here are three job openings for every two unemployed in Alexandria,鈥� Dupont said.
A new data point starting in this month鈥檚 CENLA Economic Dashboard is the number of new businesses established in Rapides. A total of 43 new businesses were established in January, down from 50 in January 2020, but significantly higher than the 28 started in 2018. In 2020, 402 new businesses were established in Rapides, a decrease of 6% from 2019.
To encourage more business creation, the LSUA 吃瓜直播 of Business and the City of Alexandria are partnering on a 10-week business startup training program, called Launchpad. The Launchpad program, which will run from March 1 until May 5, is designed to help individuals interested in creating their own business develop an effective business plan and create a sustainable business model. The program will be taught by LSUA business faculty and use Kauffman Foundation鈥檚 FastTrac庐 online content. Topics covered include market research, business model design, pricing strategy, legal strategy, distribution and sales, financial management and building the organization. Anyone interested in participating can email business@lsua.edu for more information.
The CENLA Economic Dashboard is a service of the LSUA 吃瓜直播 of Business to help business and community leaders monitor the economic pulse of central Louisiana.
To view the February 2021 CENLA Economic Dashboard, click .
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.