LSU in Shreveport

History
Louisiana State University in Shreveport originated with Act 41 of the 1964 Louisiana Legislature, which authorized the establishment of a two-year commuter college in Shreveport. On February 6, 1965, the LSU Board of Supervisors formally established Louisiana State University in Shreveport as a division of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College System. The campus is a 200-acre tract located on Highway 1 in south Shreveport.

LSUS began its first session on September 21, 1967, offering basic freshman courses and extending the advantages of a great university system to the residents of northwest Louisiana. Sophomore courses were added in 1968.

Following approval by the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, Act 66 of the Louisiana Legislature authorized baccalaureate degree-granting status. Subsequent approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors resulted in the decision to add junior-level courses in 1973 and senior-level courses in 1974. The first class was graduated in 1975. The University was first accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in December 1975. Many baccalaureate degrees have since become available in the Colleges of Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts, and Sciences. The Master of Education degree program began in 1978, the Master of Business Administration degree program in 1979, the Specialist in School Psychology degree program in 1982, the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts degree program in 1983, and the Master of Science in Systems Technology degree program in 1988. Continuing education programs are offered, as are seminars and workshops in specialized fields.

Mission
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY IN SHREVEPORT is a comprehensive urban university committed to freedom of inquiry and to an environment in which people can teach, learn, and discover as well as enrich their lives. As the only public senior university in the largest metropolitan center in the region, the University increasingly helps determine the quality of life in the area. In serving the needs of this region and the state of Louisiana we emphasize programs that aid the economic, social, and cultural development of the area through outstanding teaching, research, and public service.

Teaching
At all levels of instruction, LSUS maintains high academic standards and emphasizes personal interaction between students and qualified, experienced faculty. A comprehensive library, including the unique Noel collection, supports learning in three kinds of programs:

•  Undergraduate programs that provide grounding in business, education, the liberal arts, and the sciences.
• Graduate programs that address the community's needs for technically skilled professionals and the individual's desires for advanced liberal education.
• Continuing-education and public-service programs that permit life-long learning and professional development for the region's diverse population.

Public Service
In fulfilling its commitment to public service, the University helps the metropolitan area and surrounding communities by providing:

• Assistance to local businesses, governments, and schools in developing leadership and solving technical problems, assistance is available in three forms:
• consultation with individual faculty members
• mentorship programs, such as the one established between the Department of English and local high schools
• seminars and workshops, such as those offered by the Small Business Development Center, and other professional development programs
• Expanded educational opportunities by means of cooperative degree programs with other colleges and universities
• Greater awareness of history and current issues by means of public forums, such as those offered by the American Studies Program
• Cultural and intellectual enrichment through several educational facilities serving the public and the university alike:
• the Noel Memorial Library, whose Noel Collection promises to become a nationally prominent resource for scholars
• KDAQ, a public radio station, which has one of America's largest coverage areas
• the Museum of Life Sciences, which encourages interest in environmental issues
• the Pioneer Heritage Center, which focuses on the cultural history of the region
• Opportunities to satisfy vocational and avocational needs in a broad spectrum of non-credit courses, off campus as well as on campus, through the Division of Continuing Education and Public Service

Responsibility
As a senior university, LSUS recognizes its responsibility to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds in a changing metropolitan area. In carrying out this responsibility, the University ensures that each graduate:

• explores a portion of human knowledge under the leadership of highly qualified and experienced faculty
• learns to think creatively and critically to solve problems in human and scientific contexts
• refines skills in oral and written communication to enhance professional growth and interpersonal relationships
• examines contemporary issues of professional ethics in each program
• conducts independent projects and communicates the results to others
• uses current technology in pursuing knowledge and developing professional skills
• demonstrates competence in a chosen field through examinations, applied research, field experience, and/or community service

Mission: Student Affairs
The Student Affairs Division helps students establish personal autonomy, form satisfactory personal relationships, and set goals for their years at the University and after. The Division offers services to support students from the time they enter the University until the time they leave:

• counseling on admissions and processing of applications for admission and financial aid
• personal counseling
• social activities
• career counseling and placement assistance
• records maintenance and transcript service

Mission: Business Affairs
The Business Affairs Division ensures that the University uses the financial and physical resources entrusted to it with effectiveness, efficiency, and complete accountability. The Division carries out its mission in two ways:

• by using sound fiscal management practices in conducting University business
• by maintaining a physical environment that is pleasing to the eye, safe for everyone, free of barriers, and conducive to learning

Law and tradition have assigned the University System a three-fold purpose: developing to the highest level the intellectual and professional capacities of its citizens through resident instruction; enriching instruction and establishing new frontiers of knowledge through research and scholarship; and providing all Louisianians with information useful in advancing the state's economy and culture through extension services.
 
The LSU System is composed of eight major administrative units, each headed by a chancellor, located throughout the state. Three of these--LSU in Baton Rouge, the University of New Orleans, and LSUS--provide undergraduate and graduate instruction. Two-year campuses are located in Alexandria and Eunice. The LSU Law Center, located on the Baton Rouge campus, is a separate division of the LSU System. The Center for Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development, with headquarters in Baton Rouge, administers a system of agricultural experiment stations and the Cooperative Extension Service throughout Louisiana. The statewide responsibilities of the Louisiana Health Sciences Center-Shreveport include the operation of two schools of medicine, one in New Orleans and one in Shreveport, as well as a dental school, a school of allied health professions, a nursing school, and a school of graduate studies.
 

The LSU in Shreveport Foundation was established in 1983 as the University Associates. Its name was changed in 1990 to better identify the organization as the official foundation for the university. The Foundation is a nonprofit and tax-exempt organization, and all contributions are deductible to the full extent of the law.

The Foundation fosters private financial support for the university, manages investments and serves as trustee for funds and other assets contributed. Resources raised through the Foundation provide scholarships, support research and faculty development, and afford discretionary funds to fuel continued growth and success for LSUS. The Foundation is governed by its own elected board of directors. Additional information about the Foundation may be obtained from the Office of Development, located on the second floor of the Administration Building, (318) 797-5179.

The campus, located at One University Place on 200 acres of land between East Kings Highway and Louisiana Highway 1, is being developed in accordance with a master plan. The Science Building, the Library and the Physical Plant Complex were completed in 1967, followed by Bronson Hall in 1973, the University Center in 1979, the Business Administration-Education Building in 1980, the Health and Physical Education Building in 1982, the Administration Building in 1986, and the University Court Apartments in 1993. Noel Memorial Library opened in 1994.

 
University Facilities
Administration Building houses the administrative offices of the Chancellor, Business Affairs, Academic Affairs, Admissions and Records, University Computing Services, and Student Affairs. It is a two-story structure located on the southwest side of the campus.

William H. Bronson Hall is a four-story building containing classrooms; faculty offices; administrative offices for the College of Liberal Arts, the Division of Continuing Education and Public Service, and various departments; seminar rooms; language laboratories; the Communications Center; and other special-use rooms.

Business Administration-Education Building houses classrooms for both the College of Business Administration and the College of Education as well as faculty offices. This three-story facility also houses a curriculum resource center, a faculty research reference area, and laboratories for the Departments of Accounting and Psychology, the College of Business, and university computer classes.

Health and Physical Education Building, housing the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, is a two-story facility that contains an indoor swimming pool; 5 handball/racquetball courts; basketball, tennis, volleyball, and badminton courts, an exercise science laboratory; a dance studio, a weight training room, one Wallyball court, mat room, Olympic Lifting Development Center; classrooms; computer lab, and faculty offices.

Multi-Purpose Classroom Building, formerly the Library Building will provide improved space for Continuing Education, the Pioneer Heritage Center, Campus Bookstore, and a new Computer Resource lab. Estimated renovation is targeted for Fall 2000.

Physical Plant Complex includes administrative offices that house facility maintenance and custodial functions, a workshop, maintenance yard and a central heating/cooling plant that serves all major campus buildings.

Public Radio Network Facilities include broadcast studios and administrative offices for the regional network: KDAQ, KLSA, KBSA, and KLDN.

Science Building, a three-story facility, contains laboratories for chemistry, physics, and biological sciences; classrooms; and faculty and administrative offices for the College of Sciences. A 300-seat lecture auditorium is adjacent to this building. The Science Building received a complete renovation in 1998.

Shipping and Receiving houses campus mail and freight operations.

University Center houses dining facilities, a lounge, exhibit rooms, conference facilities, a large auditorium, student activity rooms, student government offices, and the bookstore.

Other parts of the campus are described below as University Services.
 

Librarians help individuals find information and offer classroom lectures on using specific reference materials. "Quick Guides" provide additional information on frequently used materials and services.

Museums and Galleries
The Museum of Life Sciences operates from a new modern building located between the original library building and KDAQ. It houses more than 25,000 dried or liquid-preserved scientific specimens: mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects and other arthropods, and plants. The museum also has the best assemblage in the world of plants from northwestern Louisiana.

Valuable donations include 7,000 topographic maps and important collections of animals from Africa, South America, Mexico, and India. The Museum documents the diversity of flora and fauna of northwestern Louisiana and makes its holdings available to students, faculty, and visiting scientists; to other museums on loan; and to other institutions through an exchange system. The museum promotes local research and disseminates knowledge through scholarly scientific journals and other publications. The Museum's own publication, The Bulletin of the Museum of Life Sciences, is distributed world-wide to scientists and institutions. Informative programs and museum tours continue to increase in popularity and are the core of a vital public service for the Ark-La-Tex.

The Pioneer Heritage Center, founded in 1977 as a joint project of LSUS and the Junior League, is a history laboratory offering a glimpse of how people in northwest Louisiana lived during the pioneer years from the 1830's to the early 20th century.

Located on the northeast side of the campus, the Pioneer Heritage Center consists of the Caspiana House, a raised cottage built in 1856 on the Hutchinson's Caspiana Plantation 15 miles south of the campus; the 1850 Thrasher House, a log double-pen "dog trot," moved 35 miles from near Castor, Louisiana; a detached kitchen; a typical late 19th-century board- and-batten shotgun house from the Webb Plantation; the 1903 doctor's office from the Caspiana Plantation; the Webb Commissary (circa 1900) from the Webb Plantation; and the log single-pen blacksmith shop (circa 1870) from the Jack W. Grigsby farm in DeSoto Parish. Both Caspiana House and Thrasher House are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Trained volunteers offer tours and lectures that use these structures and related artifacts to demonstrate the region's early folk architecture and social history. The authenticity of everything in the Center is ensured by many primary sources: original letters, diaries, ledgers, plantation records, successions, interviews, photographs, and other archival materials from the period.

The University Center Art Gallery, governed by a committee composed of Student Activities Board members and Fine Arts faculty, introduces the student body and community to various styles of art. Besides annually exhibiting the works of students and faculty, the Gallery often displays works by artists from elsewhere in the region and from across the nation. Gallery hours are usually 8 A.M. to 4 P.M., Monday through Friday, but may vary with the University schedule.

On-Campus Housing
University Court Apartments, located on the north side of the campus, are a complex of 15 two-story buildings containing 140 apartments. The apartments can accommodate over 450 students in four-bedroom, two-bedroom, and efficiency units. The former features large living areas, private bedrooms, and full kitchens. Included in the complex are an outdoor pool, a jacuzzi, sand volleyball and basketball courts, and a clubhouse. The area is surrounded by an eight-foot fence with electronic access.

Public Radio
The University operates four radio stations affiliated with National Public Radio and Public Radio International and licensed to the LSU Board of Supervisors. KDAQ (89.9FM) originates from studios on campus and broadcasts to over 2,000,000 residents of the Ark-La-Tex. KLSA (90.7FM), which signed on in December of 1986, originates on the LSUS campus and serves more than 600,000 residents in the Central Louisiana Region. KBSA (90.9 FM) serves El Dorado, Arkansas. KLDN (88.9 FM) has offices in the Museum of East Texas in Lufkin, Texas, and serves Lufkin, Diboll, Nacogdoches, and Livingston, Texas. Broadcasting 24 hours a day, the stations provide listeners a broad selection of programs: news and information, humor, classical music, jazz, and blues. This cultural service of the University is supported by underwriters, corporations and foundations, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and listeners.

University Computing Services
Comprehensive computing services are provided for students, faculty, staff, and administrators. An IBM ES 9000 Model 120, located in the Administration Building, provides interactive processing from several campus locations for support of both academic and administrative activities.

Additionally, the university has access to the IBM 3090 and IBM 3084 computers at LSU in Baton Rouge for remote batch and on-line processing. Also available in some laboratories and classrooms are microcomputers that provide access to the campus local area network and to the Internet. The most commonly used computer languages and statistical and utility packages are available for instruction, research, or production. Short courses and seminars keep the academic community informed of software and hardware developments.

University Police
The University employs a staff of full-time commissioned and apprentice officers who maintain campus security around the clock. In or out of uniform, these officers possess all authority granted to peace officers under state laws. Each commissioned officer has graduated from the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program or has had equivalent training or experience. When they see or learn of crimes, officers ordinarily arrest the persons and turn them over to the local police.

University police also handle registration of motor vehicles and investigate traffic accidents. Questions concerning the operation and parking of vehicles should be directed to an officer when the vehicle is registered. Detailed traffic regulations are printed in the Student Handbook and in brochures available at the time of vehicle registration.

University Development
The Office of Development coordinates all fund raising for the university and supports the LSU in Shreveport Foundation. The Office oversees two other departments:

• The Office of Media and Public Relations organizes and directs a campus news bureau and interacts with editors of newspapers and magazines, with staff of radio and television stations, and with other individuals or groups in the dissemination of University related news. The Office also publishes and circulates LSUS News, an on-campus newsletter, Speakers Roster, the LSUS Partnership Report, the Chancellor's Report, LSUS fact sheets, and a campus calendar. The office provides consultation for other University publications, as well.
• The Alumni and Community Relations Office directs the activities of the University's alumni association, including scholarship programs and the alumni annual fund. The office maintains the alumni master file and supports the work of the Alumni Board of Directors.