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, LA鈥擳he Alexandria Museum of Art announces a ribbon cutting and reception to celebrate the temporary installation of the Solomon Northup commemorative bronze statue 鈥淗ope Out of Darkness鈥� on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
The statue, created by Wesley Wofford, is traveling along Northup鈥檚 path this year to raise awareness and funds for its permanent installation. Commissioned by The Solomon Northup Committee for Commemorative Works, it will ultimately be installed at the Marksville Courthouse where Northup gained his freedom. Wofford gained notoriety for his monuments after creating 鈥淗arriet Tubman: Beacon of Hope鈥� installed in Cambridge, Maryland, just a few miles from where she was born.
Founded in the summer of 2022 by Reverend James Theus, the committee is a cross-section of people from communities in central Louisiana as well as in Northup鈥檚 native New York. Committee members include President, Allen Holmes; Founder and Vice President, Rev. James G. Theus; Legal Advisor, Charles Riddle III, Esq.; Secretary, Nealie Hale; Project Manager, Melissa Howell (a direct descendent of Northup); Executive Director of Avoyelles Commission of Tourism, Wilbert Carmouche; LA District 28 House Representative, Hon. Daryl Deshotel; Founder of Marksville Main Street, Jacques Goudeau; LA District 26 House Representative, Hon. Ed Larvadain III; and Member, Larry Wilmer.
The committee鈥檚 mission is to create the opportunity for all persons who encounter Wofford鈥檚 statue of Solomon Northup to experience a profound, even visceral response, to the depravity of slavery in all forms and places, past and present, through the transformative 鈥淥ut of Darkness鈥� for a renewed life of freedom again. They seek to honor the native New Yorker鈥檚 life and work, who was wrongfully enslaved as a free citizen in the Red River region of Louisiana, rescued, and later authored the written work, Twelve Years A Slave.
The statue comes to AMoA from the Whitney Plantation and will travel after its stay in Alexandria to Haverstraw, NY, and Saratoga Springs, NY. 鈥淗ope Out of Darkness鈥� will be on view at the Alexandria Museum of Art until April 22.
To assist with the cost of the permanent installation, donate to The Solomon Northup Committee for Commemorative Works at .
Wesley Wofford, FNSS - Artist鈥檚 Statement
As the viewer sees 鈥淗ope Out of Darkness鈥� from a distance, the sculpture emanates a free American citizen, leading the way to a more equitable future with a raised torch. But as one moves closer and experiences the sculpture in the round, the viewer will discover the pathos and tragedy of Solomon Northup鈥檚 story. They will realize he was in fact kidnapped, enslaved, and eventually liberated after twelve horrific, long years. The viewer will empathize with Northup鈥檚 pain and feel his courageous endurance that led a wrongfully enslaved man to freedom once again.
The papers in Solomon Northup鈥檚 upraised hand represent many things, such as the papers required to be held by black Americans to move about the country, the letters sent north in an effort to free Northup, the legal documents written to free him, and his own memoir. They also represent black American stories purged from the history books, education, and the elevation of all citizens through knowledge.
The manacles in Northup鈥檚 opposite hand represent his time in captivity and the indignities he and many others suffered during long years of enslavement. Northup has escaped these shackles through perseverance, and they no longer bind him, but instead, he holds them and will use them to help break the chains for others. As viewers move around the piece, they will discover his scarred back, illustrating how he was beaten until his clothes were tattered rags. These scars will be with him for the rest of his life, and they represent not shame, but endurance. One of his shoes is worn through and dangling, taken directly from his memoir 鈥� 鈥淏esides, I had lost one shoe, the sole having come entirely off, leaving the upper only dangling to my ankle鈥�.
The pedestal Northup is standing on is split to represent the duality of his life. He is courageously rising up from enslavement with a posture of triumph and struggle. The engraved side is rusted corten steel, formal but not perfect, and represents the thin veneer of his precious freedom. On the other side, craggy and difficult, Northup rises from the mire, surrounded by the struggle of those who never attained freedom. Within the mud are 12 actual handprints of men, women, and children from across the country- each representing personal stories of resilience and the ongoing fight for equality.
鈥淗ope Out of the Darkness鈥� stands as a reminder that our freedoms are rooted in uncomfortable truths we must continually face. Solomon Northup鈥檚 steadfast perseverance will echo for generations inspiring others to overcome their own struggles no matter how insurmountable they may appear.
Contact
Olivia Helmer
Curator
318-443-3458
olivia@themuseum.org
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.