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.
ALEXANDRIA - Louisiana artist Morris Taft Thomas has donated $10,000 to the LSUA Foundation to establish a scholarship fund in honor of his late wife, Willola Johnson-Sigur Thomas.
Willola was a passionate teacher and coach who dedicated 33 years of her life to serving the Rapides Parish school system. Willola graduated from Morgan City High School while lettering in basketball, field, and track. She went on to earn a bachelor’s in health and physical education with a minor in social studies from Southern University in Baton Rouge. She later completed a Master of Education. She began her teaching career in 1959 as a physical education teacher and basketball coach in Ferriday, Louisiana, where her team won the district championship. Later, Thomas coached at Carter C. Raymond High School, Glenmora High School, Bolton High School, and Alma Redwine Elementary School. It is in view of this steep academic legacy that her husband, Morris Taft Thomas, established the scholarship.
To support LSUA students in education, nursing, physical therapy, and criminal justice, Thomas has pledged an initial contribution of $10,000 to establish the Willola Johnson-Sigur Thomas Memorial Scholarship
LSUA Financial Aid and Scholarship Committee will select the recipient(s) based on the criteria established by Thomas. Students must be residents of Central Louisiana, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5, and demonstrate financial need. Students are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 throughout their degree program.
The scholarship will not only benefit LSUA students but also honor Willola Johnson-Sigur Thomas and her passion for teaching and coaching.
Written by Adam Lord
Photo credit - Adam Lord | LSUA 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 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.