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 - The Louisiana State University of Alexandria 吃瓜直播 of Business releases its July 2022 issue of the CENLA Economic Dashboard which includes a mid-year report on the central Louisiana economy.
鈥淓conomic indicators for central Louisiana have been mixed the first half of the year,鈥� said Dr. Randall Dupont, Dean of the 吃瓜直播 of Business. 鈥淎lthough there is good news on the employment front, rising interest rates, inflation, and energy costs are slowing the economy,鈥� he added.
Employment levels in central Louisiana reached new post-pandemic highs for Alexandria and Natchitoches in the Spring. By mid-year, Alexandria had added 1,062 jobs while Natchitoches added 656, representing increases of 1.7% and 4.1%, respectively. The backlog of job openings has been filled to some degree by additional workers returning to the labor force, driving unemployment rates to record lows.
鈥淐entral Louisiana saw record low unemployment rates in April,鈥� said Dupont. The unemployment rate for the 11-parish area reached a low of 3.2%, while Natchitoches and the Alexandria MSA reported unemployment rates of 3.0% and 2.6%. 鈥淯nemployment rates such as these have not been seen in a decade or more,鈥� Dupont noted.
However, Dupont says the employment picture may be changing in the second half of the year, according to unemployment claim data. Initial unemployment claims bottomed in February and have risen every month since. By late June, initial claims had risen 61%. Continued unemployment claims followed suit in late April and had risen 20% by June. Nevertheless, hiring remained tight in the central Louisiana labor market. The Alexandria MSA had the tightest metropolitan labor market in the state this year, averaging about four jobs for each unemployed.
While employment has remained strong, consumer spending growth has slowed compared to the first half of last year. Consumer spending in Rapides through June 2022 remained at the same level as 2021, meaning there was no growth. Alexandria saw a 1% increase in spending year-to-date, while Pineville and Natchitoches experienced 13% and 18% spending growth during the same period. While the rate of growth may have slowed, only one of the twelve tax jurisdictions in the CENLAEconomic Dashboard reported a decrease in consumer spending compared to last year.
Online sales, on the other hand, grew at a faster pace than last year. Whereas Rapides had no change in total consumer spending so far in 2022, online sales within the parish grew 11% compared to the same period in 2021. Vernon recorded a 5% increase in online sales, while Grant saw a 6% increase. Overall, online sales in central Louisiana increased 13%, with Natchitoches leading the region with a 26% increase.
Regarding housing, higher mortgage rates have slowed the housing market causing lumber prices to fall -27% from a year ago. The average number of active listings in Alexandria and Leesville increased by 10% in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. Natchitoches saw a -35% decline in listings. The average number of days a house stayed on the market fell by -14% in Alexandria, -25% in Leesville, and -11% in Natchitoches in 2022 compared to 2021. The average listing price fell -7% and -2.6% in the Natchitoches and Alexandria markets, respectively, but was up 2.4% in Leesville / Fort Polk.
鈥淭ravel and tourism indicators were mixed,鈥� said Dupont. With gas prices up 53% since January, some travel-related businesses in central Louisiana are feeling the impact. For the first half of 2022, hotel occupancy tax revenues were down -3% in Avoyelles and -7% in Vernon, while Rapides saw an 8% increase. A temporary, out-of-town boost in the workforce accelerated hotel occupancy tax revenue in Natchitoches by 30% through mid-year. Nationwide, year-to-date air passenger traffic remains -13% below 2019 levels, the last 鈥渘ormal鈥� year for airline traffic.
Through June, 226 new businesses have been created in Rapides compared to 269 in 2021, representing a -16% decline. The decline in local business applications corresponds with the decline in statewide business applications. New business applications in Louisiana through June 2022 were down -17%, 46,532 compared to 55,858 in 2021.
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 July 2022 CENLA Economic Dashboard, .
Written by Dr. Randall Dupont | LSUA 吃瓜直播 of Business
Image credit - LSUA Division of Strategic Communications
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.