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 ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥s of the Southern Association of ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥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 ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ offered the upper-level course work for select bachelor's degree programs on the LSUA campus through a program known as LSU Senior ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥. 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.
Louisiana State University of Alexandria held its annual Employee Recognition Dinner on Tuesday, April 13 to celebrate the hard work and dedication of faculty and staff.
The most prestigious award distribute Tuesday was the Bolton Award for Teaching Excellence. Established in 1989, the estate of Mrs. James C. Bolton provides funds to the University for an award to recognize excellence in teaching at LSUA.
The Bolton Award for Teaching excellence is presented annually to the full-time faculty member who best exemplifies the University’s commitment to teaching, service, and professional development. The recipient of this honor is recognized with a cash award and a plaque for his or her outstanding contributions to the University.
The Bolton Award for 2020-2021 was presented to Dr. Cynthia Thomas. Thomas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology with a Ph.D. in Personality Psychology and Developmental Psychology from Howard University.
Also presented at the recognition dinner were eight endowed professorships. The professorships are established though private donations to the LSUA Foundation and matched through the Board of Regents Support Fund to establish a $100,000 professorship endowment.
Tuesday’s endowed professorships and winners are:
Capital One Endowed Professorship in Business – Laura Carroll
Jack and Sue Ellen Jackson Endowed Professorship in Education – Susan Myrick
Cliffe E. Laborde, Sr. Endowed Professorship in Education – Dr. Prakash Ghimire
Rapides Regional Medical Center Endowed Professorship in Radiologic Technology – Tess Myers
Huie Dellmon Trust Professorship in Science – Dr. Susan Bowers
Richard Bryan Gwartney Endowed Professorship – Dr. Elizabeth Beard
Howard and Eloise Mulder Endowed Professorship #2 – Dr. Tanya Lueder
Howard and Eloise Mulder Endowed Professorship #3 – Beth Whittington
Endowed professors receive a salary stipend as well as additional funds for professional development or travel activities. They are usually awarded for a two-year term.
The Outstanding Faculty Scholarship award is given to a faculty member who exemplifies outstanding research and scholarship. This year’s winner is Dr. Guoye Ke, Assistant Professor of Mathematics.
The Outstanding Faculty Service award recipient is Melissa Laborde, APR. Laborde is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and currently serves as the Faculty Senate President.
Faculty members who received promotion during the last year were also recognized. From the Department of Nursing, both Angela Bordelon and Deborah Wood were promoted to Associate Professor. Wood was also awarded tenure.
Dr. Carol Corbat was recognized as the Outstanding Faculty Mentor. This award is presented annually to the professor who has demonstrated excellence in coaching and guiding his or her students through hands-on experience to develop their own research projects.
Additionally, Dr. Abbey Bain, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Student Engagement, received the award for Staff Senate Boss of the Year. The award goes to a LSUA faculty or staff member who is nominated by their direct reports and is awarded to those who exhibit outstanding supervisory skills.
The Outstanding Staff Service Award program began in the 1970-71 academic year as a means of recognizing and rewarding superior performance and outstanding contributions to the University by non-teaching employees. The recipient of this honor receives a plaque and cash award for his or her service to LSUA.
This year’s recipient of the Staff Outstanding Service Award is Ethan Lipsey. Ethan is the Director of First Year Experience and is an LSUA alumnus.
Several new awards were established this year including the Service Above Self Award by LSUA Chancellor, Dr. Paul Coreil. The Award was distributed to three individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty throughout the past year to ensure the safety of LSUA students. The three winners were Chief Donald Collins (LSUA Police Chief), Daniel Manuel (Coordinator of Title IX, Disability Services, and Safety & Risk Management) and Kevin Vercher (Director of Facility Services).
New Student Choice Awards were also included in this year’s program. The awardees are nominated by current LSUA students. The winners are:
Faculty Disability Services Advocate - Deborah Wood.
Life Changing Class – Dr. Jessica Ringo
Outstanding Staff Service – Dr. Cynthia Sandoval
The evening also included honoring Service Learning employees as well as all employees who have five, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years of service to LSUA. Those who have retired in the previous year are also honored.
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 ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ 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 ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ 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 ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥, 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 ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ (Okla.), Huston-Tilloston University (Texas), Jarvis Christian ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ (Texas), Langston University (Okla.), LSU-Shreveport, Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas), Paul Quinn ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ (Texas), Texas ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥, University of St. Thomas (Texas), University of Texas-Brownsville, University of the Southwest (New Mexico) and Wiley ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ (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.