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.
ALEXANDRIA - Martin Sustainable Resources LLC and Martco LLC d.b.a. RoyOMartin and LSU alumni Roy O. Martin III and Kathy Kilpatrick Martin have committed $3.5 million to advance top capital priorities on three LSU campuses: 吃瓜直播鈥檚 Student Success Center, the LSU Interdisciplinary Science Building on the flagship campus in Baton Rouge and LSU Health Shreveport鈥檚 Center for Medical Education.
鈥淭his gift will provide foundational support for three of our top capital priorities,鈥� said LSU President William F. Tate IV, adding, 鈥淭he 吃瓜直播 Student Success Center, LSU Interdisciplinary Science Building, and LSU Health Shreveport Center for Medical Education are critical to closing infrastructure gaps, positioning LSU to achieve ambitious goals in the areas of student and faculty recruitment, research and community impact. The Martin family鈥檚 support of LSU is longstanding and broad, and we are grateful for their exemplary commitment to advancing the LSU System as a family of interconnected campuses.鈥�
Martin Sustainable Resources LLC and Martco LLC d.b.a. RoyOMartin, the premier manufacturer of wood products in the Gulf South, has committed $2 million to complete funding for the LSUA Student Success Center, which is the campus鈥檚 top Fierce for the Future Campaign priority. The $10 million center, slated to break ground in spring 2022, will be a central hub for student services that will serve as a front door to the university while ensuring that each LSUA student receives the level of individual support needed for success. Construction of this dedicated student space, which is a public-private partnership with the State of Louisiana, responds to the ongoing expansion of LSUA鈥檚 student body and pool of academic offerings 鈥� growth that has accelerated a need to make improvements to the campus鈥檚 overall appearance and add new facilities. Further, the services offered within the Student Success Center 鈥� spanning Admissions & Recruiting, Financial Aid, Advising, First-Year Experience, and a Career Development Center 鈥� will bolster LSUA鈥檚 retention efforts and connect students with career placement opportunities upon graduation.
Roy and Kathy Martin each earned two degrees from LSU鈥檚 flagship campus. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA, and she holds a bachelor's degree in music education and an MBA. The couple lives in Alexandria, La., where RoyOMartin is headquartered.
Roy O. Martin III said, 鈥淭he Martin and Kilpatrick families have been educated by the entire LSU System, from New Orleans to Shreveport and every campus in between. We have a deep appreciation for LSU as one of Louisiana鈥檚 most important, impactful assets. We are also deeply appreciative of LSU鈥檚 impact on our lives and, in turn, on the success of our business. That gratitude and our commitment to Louisiana鈥檚 future catalyzed our decision to make a system-wide gift this year. We are proud to support the entire family of LSU campuses now and in the future.鈥�
RoyOMartin is one of several wholly-owned subsidiaries of Martin Sustainable Resources L.L.C., a privately held equity investment company. The name RoyOMartin honors the business pioneer and Martin family patriarch, Roy O. Martin, Sr., who began the family鈥檚 first business with a small sawmill in Alexandria, Louisiana, in 1923 and soon thereafter bought a few acres of timberland. Martin Sustainable Resources L.L.C. is owned by several generations of Roy Sr.鈥檚 descendants. Its holdings are broad but focus primarily on land, timber, and mineral resources, with special emphasis on sustainable forests and forest-products manufacturing businesses. These holdings include the plywood and oriented strand board manufacturing facilities owned and operated in Louisiana by RoyOMartin and by RoyOMartin鈥檚 wholly-owned Texas subsidiary, Corrigan OSB, L.L.C. Martin Timberlands L.L.C. is one of the largest private landowners in the southern United States.
The Martins鈥� and RoyOMartin鈥檚 most recent investments in LSU are part of the System鈥檚 $1.5 billion Fierce for the Future Campaign, the largest campaign for higher education in the history of Louisiana. Fierce for the Future unites LSU鈥檚 campuses statewide in pursuit of a common goal: to generate solutions for the people in Louisiana that hold the promise of making profoundly positive impacts around the world.
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.