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Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College

File:LSU Seal.JPG
Type	Public, Co-ed
Established	1859
Endowment	$593 million (2006)
Chancellor	Sean O'Keefe
Students	33,587
Undergraduates	28,423
Postgraduates	5,164
Location	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Campus	Urban 650 acres (2.6 km²)
Sports teams	Tigers
Colors	Purple & Gold
Nickname	Fighting Tigers
Mascot	Mike V, a Bengal tiger
Website	www.lsu.edu

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. LSU includes nine senior colleges and three schools, in addition to specialized centers, divisions, institutes, and offices. Enrollment, which temporarily increased approximately 5% to host students from New Orleans displaced by Hurricane Katrina, stands at more than 33,000 students, and there are 1,300 full-time faculty members.

LSU is one of only thirteen American universities designated as a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant research center. In order to reverse decades of underfunding, the university recently launched the Forever LSU campaign, the most ambitious fundraising drive in its history.

History

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College had its origin in certain land grants made by the United States government in 1806, 1811, and 1827. It was founded as a military academy and is still today steeped in military tradition as seen in the school's nickname, "The Ole War Skule". In 1853, the Louisiana General Assembly established the Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana near Pineville, Louisiana. The institution opened January 2, 1860, with Col. William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent. A year later, Tecumseh resigned his position over conflicts with the state. The school then closed June 30, 1861,because of the American Civil War. It reopened on April 1 but was again closed on April 23, 1863, due to the invasion of the Red River Valley by the federal army. The losses sustained by the institution during the war were heavy.

The seminary reopened October 2, 1865, only to be burned October 15, 1869. On November 1, 1869, the institution resumed its exercises in Baton Rouge, where it has since remained. In 1870, the name of the institution was changed to Louisiana State University.

Louisiana State Agricultural & Mechanical College was established by an act of the legislature, approved April 7, 1874, to carry out the United States Morrill Act of 1862, granting lands for this purpose. It temporarily opened in New Orleans, June 1, 1874, where it remained until it merged with Louisiana State University in 1877.

The first Baton Rouge home of LSU was in the quarters of the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind. In 1886, the federal garrison grounds (now the site of the state capitol) were formally declared the domicile of the University. Land for the present campus was purchased in 1918, construction started in 1922, and the move began in 1925; it was not, however, until 1932 that the move was finally completed. Formal dedication of the present campus took place on April 30, 1926. After some years of enrollment fluctuation, student numbers began a steady increase, new programs were added, curricula and faculty expanded, and a true state university emerged.

LSU was hit by scandal in 1939. James Monroe Smith, appointed by Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long as president of LSU, was charged with embezzling a half-million dollars. In the ensuing investigation, at least twenty state officials were indicted, and two committed suicide as the scandal enveloped Governor Richard W. Leche, who received a 10-year federal prison sentence as a result of a kickback scheme. Paul M. Hebert, Dean of LSU's law school at the time, then assumed interim presidency of in Monroe's place.

On June 8, 1964, LSU admitted its first undergraduate African-American students.

In 1978, LSU was named a sea-grant college, the 13th university in the nation to be so designated and the highest classification attainable in the program.

In 1992, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the LSU Honors College.

In 2005, former NASA head Sean O'Keefe became LSU's seventh chancellor. Students have nicknamed him the "Space Chancellor" or "Rocket Man." Administrators were accused of hiring O'Keefe without proper consideration from faculty, students, and other concerned parties. Additionally and to the chagrin of some professors, he was awarded tenure.

Campus

The LSU main campus occupies a 650-acre (2.6 km²) plateau on the banks of the Mississippi River; overall, LSU is located on 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) of land just south of downtown Baton Rouge. The campus boasts more than 250 principal buildings. Many of the buildings are built in the style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, and are marked by red pantile roofs, overhanging eaves, rolling arches, and honey-colored stucco. Thomas Gaines' The Campus as a Work of Art praises LSU's landscaping as "a botanical joy" in its listing among the 20 best campuses in America. The live oak trees on campus have been valued at $36 million. Through the LSU Foundation's "Endow an Oak" program, individuals or groups are able to endow live oaks across campus.

Other campuses in the LSU system include the LSU Agricultural Center, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, University of New Orleans, LSU Shreveport, LSU at Eunice, LSU Alexandria, and the LSU Health Sciences Centers: LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans (LSU Dental School, which is a part of LSUHSC NO is one of the few dental schools in the United States to have its own separate campus), Health Care Services Division (Public Hospital System), and LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport.

Libraries

LSU's main library collection, numbering almost three million volumes, is housed in Troy H. Middleton Library on the main quadrangle of the University. It is both a general use library and a U.S. Regional Depository Library, housing publications from the federal government, United Nations, and U.S. Patent Office. The LSU Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL), the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) and LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network, a state-wide consortium of academic and special libraries.

The Libraries' Special Collections division is housed in Hill Memorial Library. Special Collections comprises more than 200,000 volumes of published works, 10 million manuscript items, 200,000 historic photographs, 16,000 reels of newspaper microfilm, hundreds of oral histories, and other diverse materials for research. It includes the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, a Rare Book Collection, the University Archives, the E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection, the U.S. Civil War Center, and the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History.

Publications

• The Daily Reveille, the university's student-run newspaper, is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters. In 2003 the Reveille received the Pacemaker award, the highest award in collegiate journalism, from the Associated College Press.
• The Southern Review is a venerable quarterly journal that Robert Penn Warren first published in 1935. It publishes fiction, poetry, and essays, with an emphasis on southern culture and history.
• The Legacy is a student-run magazine that publishes a variety of feature-length stories. In both 2001 and 2005 it was named the best student magazine in the nation by the Society of Professional Journalists.
• The LSU RESEARCH magazine informs readers about university research programs.
• "Apollo's Lyre" is a poetry and fiction magazine published each semester by the Honors College.
• The Gumbo is the university's yearbook, given free to returning students.
• The LSU Today magazine keeps faculty and staff updated with university news.
• LSU Press is a nonprofit book publisher dedicated to the publication of scholarly, general interest, and regional books. It publishes approximately 80 titles per year. John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces is its most well-known publication.

Flagship Agenda

In 2003 Chancellor Mark Emmert spearheaded the creation of the Flagship Agenda, a plan to reverse the low morale, lack of competitiveness, and lack of available resources that had plagued LSU during the early 1990s. Its focus is to have LSU better serve Louisiana and the world by increasing student quality and research productivity, thereby vaulting LSU into placement as one of the finest public universities in the country. Because the improvements put a higher financial strain on students, the agenda has had some controversy. However, many people involved with the university agree that the agenda's implementation has been successful. Sean O' Keefe, who in 2005 left his post as head of NASA to become LSU's new chancellor, pledged to continue the agenda until its conclusion in 2010, which will coincide with LSU's 150th anniversary.

Flagship Agenda Action Plan

1. Increase research productivity by hiring a significant number of new, high-quality faculty and improving technology infrastructure.
2. Increase number and quality of graduate students and programs through targeted investments and program review.
3. Increase quality of undergraduate students and programs by raising admissions standards, improving recruitment, and reviewing courses of study.
4. Increase quality of campus life by increasing diversity, inclusiveness, and facilities investments.
5. Increase funding to support the previous actions through more state and private support.

Athletics

LSU is a member of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 20 varsity sports (9 men's, 11 women's). Its official team nickname is the Tigers; and Lady Tigers for women's teams that have a male counterpart (the term "Bayou Bengals" is also heard at times, but not officially recognized), and its school colors are purple and gold. LSU's mascot refers to its Confederate heritage, drawing from the fame of two Louisiana brigades whose fierce fighting earned them the nickname "the Louisiana Tigers." Based on winning percentage, the University's athletics program is consistently one of the best in the nation.

In 2006, the Tigers defeated Notre Dame in the Sugarbowl, 41-14. They also beat Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama, ULL, Tulane, Fresno State, and Arizona. Their two losses were to the national champion Florida Gators, and to Auburn. LSU ended the season with the 10th ranked offense and 3rd ranked defense. Their quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, had the third best passer rating. He decided to skip his senior year to go to the NFL. He is expected to be the number one overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. Free safety LaRon Landry and WR Dwayne Bowe are also expected to be first round draft picks.

LSU Athletics is represented by its mascot, a Bengal tiger named Mike V. The tiger was named after Mike Chambers, LSU's athletic trainer in 1936, when Mike I was bought for $750 from the Little Rock (Ark.) Zoo. Mike I was introduced on October 21, 1936. Mike V has reigned since 1989. It was announced in March 2007 that Mike V has entered into the first stage of retirement. Among other things, this means that the student mascot will no longer try to get Mike to roar before home football games.

LSU's arenas include Tiger Stadium (football, also known as "Death Valley"), Pete Maravich Assembly Center (basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics, also known as the PMAC), Carl Maddox Fieldhouse (indoor track), Bernie Moore Stadium (outdoor track), Tiger Park (softball), and Alex Box Stadium (baseball).

Important rivals include the Tulane Green Wave, Ole Miss Rebels, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Arkansas Razorbacks.

In 1996, a federal court ruled that LSU violated the civil rights of female athletes with "arrogant ignorance" of their needs. This ruling is based on Title IX of the Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race or gender.

Notable alumni

With strong academic and successful athletics programs, LSU has seen many of its former students go on to local and national prominence.

Probably the most notable one was Shaquille O'Neal who played basketball for LSU. He received many honors such as 2-time SEC Player Of The Year and he was also a two-time first team All-American. Also notable are Will Wright, creator of The Sims, and James Carville, political consultant to Bill Clinton.

See also

• Louisiana State University System

References

1. 2006 National Association of College and University Business Officers Endowment Study (PDF)
2. Mary Hebert Remembering the Scandals Louisiana State University 1995
3. Steve Clark Over The Hump The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report 2005
4. SPORTS PEOPLE: COLLEGE SPORTS;Bias Found at L.S.U. In Title IX Ruling Associated Press 1996

External links

• LSU Home Page
• LSU Athletics
• Louisiana Board Of Regents
• LSU Institutions
• LSU Student Government

Research

• Office of Research and Graduate studies
• Index of Research Centers, Institutes, Labs, and Programs
• Pennington Biomedical Research Center
• Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices

• East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
• Educational institutions established in 1860
• Louisiana State University
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Universities and colleges in Baton Rouge