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 and the LSUA Foundation extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and loved ones of former LSUA Foundation board member, and CLECO executive, Mike Madison. Madison passed away on Tuesday, March 31, 2022.
Mr. Madison, served as President and Chief Executive Officer at CLECO while also serving on the LSUA Foundation Board of Directors. During this time, he was instrumental in facilitating, along with then-Chancellor David Manuel, a gift of $600,000 for the CLECO/Scott O. Brame Endowed Chair in Business. This gift enabled the LSUA Foundation to apply for matching Board of Regents funds and leverage the gift to a $1,000,000 Chair. This was one of many things that Mr. Madison did to help our community.
Madison graduated from Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then attended the University of Oklahoma where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. After graduating, Mike began his career with the Public Service Company of Oklahoma in 1971 as an engineer for the generation division of business. He held a number of positions at Central and Southwest Corporation subsidiaries (now known as American Electric Power) including the Executive of the British Utility Seeboard and went on to retire as President of SWEPCO in 2003. Upon his retirement, Mike was hired as Chief Operating Officer of CLECO Corporation in Pineville, LA. After two years, he was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer. Mike was instrumental in the development and design of a power plant that now holds his name, Madison Unit 3. It is because of his vision and dedication that the highest honor in the electrical industry, the Edison Award was awarded to CLECO in June of 2011. In 2012, Mike retired from CLECO and went on to serve with the Board of Directors for Blackhill Corporation, in Rapid City, SD, until 2021.
Mike held many other positions and titles during his career, including President of the Committee of 100, an organization of leading business executives helping to develop Louisiana's economy. He was also a director of the Cenla Advantage Partnership, a privately funded economic development organization taking a new approach to developing central Louisiana's economy. Mike also served as a board member of the Edison Electric Institute, the Christus St. Francis Cabrini Hospital, the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, the Better Business Bureau, Capital One Bank, the Council for a Better Louisiana, the LSUA Foundation, and he was a member of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection, Restoration, and Conservation.
Funeral Services honoring the life of Michael Howard Madison were held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, April 4, 2022, at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, Shreveport, Louisiana. Mr. Madison was laid to rest on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, in Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mike was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 26, 1948.
He is survived by his wife, Terri Patton Madison; daughters, Holly Farmer and husband, Urban, April Lutz and husband, Chris; grandchildren, Briar Stott, Madison Stott, Hunter Farmer, and Colton Lutz; sisters-in-law, Glenda Madison, Debbie Lancaster and Tammy Castillo and husband, Richard; and numerous nieces, nephews and great-nieces, and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Harry Howard Madison; mother, Wilma Jeane Madison; sister, Victoria Sanders; and brother, Gary Madison.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations may be made to The Simple Church, 601 Benton Road, Bossier City, LA 71111, the University of Oklahoma Gallogly ³Ô¹ÏÖ±²¥ of Engineering, 202 West Boyd Street, Room 107 Norman OK, 73019, or a charity of the donor's choice.
Written by Melinda Anderson, LSUA Chief of Staff to the Chancellor
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.