Mar 18, 2024  
2012-2013 General Catalog 
    
2012-2013 General Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

The University



As the flagship institution of the state, the vision of Louisiana State University is to be a leading research-extensive university, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development. Designated as a land-, sea-, and space-grant institution, the mission of Louisiana State University is the generation, preservation, dissemination, and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts. In implementing its mission, LSU is committed to:

  • offer a broad array of undergraduate degree programs and extensive graduate research opportunities designed to attract and educate highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students;
  • employ faculty who are excellent teacher-scholars, nationally competitive in research and creative activities, and who contribute to a world-class knowledge base that is transferable to educational, professional, cultural, and economic enterprises; and
  • use its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental, and social challenges.

(Mission Statement approved December 2006)

Historical Perspective

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College originated in grants of land made by the U.S. government beginning in 1806. In 1853, the Louisiana General Assembly established the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy near Pineville, Louisiana. The institution opened January 2, 1860, with General William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent. Because of the Civil War, the school closed June 30, 1861, and reopened on April 1, 1862, with Col. William Linfield as acting superintendent. He was succeeded in 1863 by Professor William A. Seay. Because of the invasion of the Red River Valley by the Federal Army, the institution was closed again on April 23, 1863.

The Seminary reopened October 2, 1865, with Col. David F. Boyd as superintendent. The Seminary was destroyed by fire on October 15, 1869, and reopened on November 1, 1869, in Baton Rouge, where it has remained. In 1870, the name of the institution was changed to Louisiana State University.

The Louisiana State Agricultural & Mechanical College, established by an Act of the Legislature in 1874, opened in New Orleans on June 1, 1874, where it remained until it merged with Louisiana State University on January 2, 1877. The two state institutions began their first joint session on October 5, 1877, under the name of Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College.

The first Baton Rouge home of the newly named institution took up residence at what was the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind. In 1886, the institution moved to the federal garrison grounds (now the site of the State capitol). Construction of the campus at its present site started in 1922, and the move, which began in 1925, was not completed until 1932. Formal dedication of the present campus took place on April 30, 1926.

LSU’s chief academic divisions were founded as follows: Law School, 1906; the Colleges of Agriculture, Arts & Sciences (renamed the College of Humanities & Social Sciences in 2010), Education, (renamed the College of Human Sciences and Education in 2012), 1909, Engineering, 1908; the Graduate School, 1909; Continuing Education, 1924; the College of Business Administration (renamed the E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration in 1996; renamed the E. J. Ourso College of Business in 2005), 1928, the College of Chemistry & Physics (renamed the College of Basic Sciences in 1982; renamed the College of Science in 2010), and the School of Music (renamed the College of Music & Dramatic Arts in 1998), 1931; Junior Division (incorporated into University College in 1999), 1933, University College (incorporated into General College in 1974 and reinstated in 1999), 1951; the School of Environmental Design (renamed the College of Design in 1979; renamed the College of Art & Design in 2001), 1965; the School of Veterinary Medicine, 1968; and the Graduate Division of Education (merged with the Graduate School in 1982), 1970. In 1977, the Hebert Law Center (formerly the Law School) was made an autonomous unit of the LSU System.

In 1978, LSU was named a sea-grant college—the 13th university in the nation to be so designated, and the highest classification in the program. In 2005, LSU was designated as a space-grant college.

LSU Today

Today LSU holds a prominent position in American higher education and is committed to meeting the challenge of pursuing intellectual development for its students, expanding the bounds of knowledge through research, and creating economic opportunities for Louisiana. LSU is in a state of dynamic transformation– changing and evolving to meet the needs of its students, faculty, and the people of Louisiana. Enriched by Louisiana’s natural and cultural distinctiveness, the community of learning at Louisiana’s national Flagship University prepares students to meet the environmental, social, economic, scientific, creative, and educational challenges that confront us locally and globally in the 21st century. LSU Flagship 2020: Transforming Lives underscores the University’s commitment to excellence at every level and focuses on the goals of learning, discovery, diversity, and engagement.

LSU is one of only 21 universities nationwide designated as a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant institution. It also holds the Carnegie Foundation’s designation as a Research University, reflective of LSU’s very high research activity.

LSU’s instructional programs include 192 undergraduate and graduate/professional degrees.

The University attracts about 13 percent of the state’s total enrollment in higher education, and LSU students come from many ethnic and religious backgrounds. The student body consists of nearly 29,000 students from 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. Although the average age of undergraduates is 21, many older students also pursue degrees at LSU. The student body is 51 percent women and 49 percent men.

Since its first commencement in 1869, LSU has awarded nearly 233,000 degrees. The University produces about 25 percent of Louisiana’s baccalaureate graduates, approximately 23 percent of the master’s graduates, and about 57 percent of the doctoral graduates. In 2010-11, LSU awarded 5,885 degrees.

The University is a member of the American Council on Education, an organization of accredited post-secondary educational institutions founded in 1918; the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, founded in 1962 to represent the major public universities and land-grant institutions; and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, a select group of leading public institutions of higher education.

The LSU System is comprised of 10 institutions on eight campuses in five cities, as well as 10 public hospitals in 10 cities. The System was established by an Act of the Louisiana Legislature on February 6, 1965 and includes LSU A&M; LSU Agricultural Center; the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center; LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans; LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport; LSU Eunice; LSU Alexandria; LSU Shreveport; Pennington Biomedical Research Center; and LSU Health Care Services Division.

The governing body of the LSU System is the Board of Supervisors, composed of 14 members appointed by the Governor to staggered, six-year terms and one student member elected to a one-year term by fellow LSU System student government leaders. Chief administrative officers of the LSU System are the President, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief of Staff, Vice President for Student and Academic Support Services, Vice President for Communications and External Affairs, Vice President for Health Affairs and Medical Education, Assistant Vice President and University Architect, Assistant Vice President for Budget, Finance, and Comptroller.

The LSU Agricultural Center, including the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station and the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service and International Programs, has more than 200 faculty members who hold joint appointments with LSU. The Experiment Station has research programs in Baton Rouge and at branch stations throughout Louisiana. The Extension Service disseminates results of research throughout the state through specialists, county agents, and home economists in every parish.

The Paul M. Hebert Law Center, originally established in 1906, became an autonomous unit of the LSU System in 1977. In 1979, it was renamed in honor of Paul M. Hebert, who served as dean from 1937 to 1977.

All references in this catalog to “Louisiana State University,” LSU,” or “the University,” are to be understood as meaning the institution in Baton Rouge (whose full name is Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College). Any reference to the LSU System or to any other institution(s) within the System will be clearly indicated.

Mission

As the flagship institution of the state, the vision of Louisiana State University is to be a leading research-extensive university, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development. Designated as a land-, sea-, and space-grant institution, the mission of Louisiana State University is the generation, preservation, dissemination, and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts.

In implementing its mission, LSU is committed to:

  • offer a broad array of undergraduate degree programs and extensive graduate research opportunities designed to attract and educate highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students;
  • employ faculty who are excellent teacher-scholars, nationally competitive in research and creative activities, and who contribute to a world-class knowledge base that is transferable to educational, professional, cultural, and economic enterprises; and
  • use its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental, and social challenges.

(Mission Statement approved December 2006)

Teaching

The University has more than 1,400 full-time and part-time faculty members. The Boyd Professorship—named in honor of two early University presidents, David and Thomas Boyd—is the highest professorial rank awarded. The William A. Read Professorship of English Literature and the Nicholson Professorship of Mathematics are comparable to the Boyd Professorship.

Other awards for outstanding achievement are Endowed Chairs, Endowed Professorships, LSU Foundation Professorships, Alumni Professorships, Distinguished Faculty Fellowships, and the annual Distinguished Research Master Award. Recognized authorities in various fields are appointed as consulting professors or visiting lecturers.

The University is committed to the principle that excellence in teaching depends upon qualified and conscientious instructors. LSU boasts a nationally and internationally recruited faculty—approximately 88 percent of whom have terminal degrees. Many faculty members are international authorities in their fields and bring esteem and recognition to the University. The recipients of such coveted awards as the Guggenheim and Fulbright fellowships, LSU professors represent an enviable array of knowledge.

Research

LSU is one of a small number of universities nationwide designated as a land-, sea-, and space-grant institution. The University’s success in the leveraging of state funds to obtain federal dollars places it among the best in the nation and represents a good investment of taxpayer’s money.

The University Libraries comprise the largest library in the state. The University has been issued 289 cumulative patents and received more than $15,000,000 in licensing revenues.

In addition to more than 40 institutes, centers for advanced study, and other specialized units headquartered at LSU, various state and federal governmental units maintain offices and laboratories on campus. At any given time, more than 2,500 sponsored research projects are in progress. Additionally, faculty and staff members and graduate students pursue numerous research projects that are not sponsored by outside agencies. External research funding at LSU reached $152.2 million in 2008-09. LSU’s awarded grants and contracts from federal, state, and private sources provide a significant boost to the Louisiana economy. Other research projects and instructional programs are undertaken through the LSU Agricultural Center, the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, and Pennington Biomedical Center.

Public Service

Government, education, business, and industry in Louisiana benefit daily from the outreach services provided by LSU. New technology is transferred from university laboratories to the community, providing a vital boost to the economy and helping to find answers to some of Louisiana’s most pressing environmental issues.

Several LSU divisions provide public services to the community and state.

  • The Applied Math Clinic, offered by the Department of Mathematics, works on mathematical modeling projects for local industries and provides “real-world” experience for advanced undergraduate math majors as a capstone experience.
  • The LSU Cartographic Information Center (CIC), ranked among the largest academic map libraries in the U.S., holds a vast collection of maps, aerial photographs, globes, journals, monographs, slides, and atlases. The center serves patrons from the LSU community, businesses, state and federal agencies, and the general public.
  • The J. Bennett Johnston Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures & Devices (CAMD) is a high-tech research center that serves the public by providing: an infrastructure for economic diversity within the state in the area of microfabrication; testing services for local area gas, oil, and chemical industries; a focus for material science research and development at LSU and within the state; and scientific outreach to students in elementary school through graduate school.
  • The LSU Center for Internal Auditing (LSUCIA) is an internationally recognized program that provides students with nationwide internships and career opportunities. The LSUCIA also provides executive training for professionals.
  • The LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio (CSS) provides a laboratory to develop new designs that reduce risks to social, economic, and natural resources, with a focus on adaptation through more sustainable regional and land-use planning. The CSS is a collaborative effort between the College of Art & Design, the College of Engineering, and the School of the Coast & Environment.
  • Continuing Education provides valuable learning opportunities by extending LSU’s resources beyond the campus through workshops, professional development courses, distance program courses, institutes, seminars, and conferences.
  • The Curriculum Theory Project is internationally recognized. Housed in the School of Education, the project supports research at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels concerning curricular issues.
  • The Disaster Science and Management (DSM) Program in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences partners with both governmental and nonprofit organizations in Louisiana to provide disaster planning services free-of-charge and internships to students and citizens interested in getting hands-on experience with disaster science and management.
  • The Division of Student Life & Enrollment matches community needs with student and faculty resources through its academic service-learning program, LSU PLUS, coordinated through University College; and the Student Community Outreach Center, coordinated through the Center for Student Leadership & Involvement.
  • The LSU Coastal Roots Program is a coastal wetland restoration project in south Louisiana led by the College of Human Sciences and Education in partnership with the College of Agriculture, the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, and the LSU Agricultural Center. This program engages fourth through twelfth graders in the growing of native plant seedlings that they then plant in coastal habitat restoration projects in south Louisiana.
  • Early Reading First is a U.S. Department of Education funded project through the College of Human Sciences and Education designed to improve emergent literacy skills of pre-kindergarten students in New Orleans Public Schools by enhancing the literacy practices of teachers.
  • The Earth Scan Laboratory is a satellite receiving station and image processing facility for environmental data from six unique earth observing sensor systems. The laboratory specializes in real-time access to satellite imagery and measurements of the atmosphere, oceans, and coastal areas within the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea region, data which is obtained directly from satellite transmissions many times each day. The mission of the laboratory is state emergency response, education, and research. During hurricane season, the laboratory provides detailed maps of hurricanes, their structure, location, and movement every 15 minutes to the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Response. Also provided is real-time imagery of hurricanes, tropical storm, and coastal/ocean events through the laboratory’s website: http://www.esl.lsu.edu.
  • LSU EnvironMentors is a national college access initiative supported by the National Council for Science and the Environment. The LSU Chapter has partnered with the College of Human Sciences and Education’s Gear Up program and Louisiana Sea Grant. The Chapter’s mission is to prepare high school students from underrepresented backgrounds for college degree programs in environmental and related science fields by matching them with mentors from the School of the Coast & Environment to participate in hands-on science education.
  • Executive Education has prepared individuals and organizations to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing workplace for nearly 50 years. Highly relevant courses are designed to provide an immediate impact and help business owners make best course of action decisions.
  • The LSU FACES Laboratory is a public service, research, and educational facility designated to assist law enforcement agencies in the positive identification of human remains, profile analysis, and trauma analysis. Since 1981, this laboratory unit of the Department of Geography & Anthropology, the only one of its kind in the state and region, has offered complete methods of identification through forensic anthropological autopsy and computer-generated techniques.
  • The Fitness Testing of Louisiana School Children program in the College of Human Sciences and Education’s School of Kinesiology is part of a five-university partnership facilitating fitness testing in Louisiana schools. This program provides professional development to teachers through support and guidance on best-practice interventions to increase physical activity and improve fitness and health of students in Jefferson, West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, and St. Charles parishes.
  • The primary goal of the French Education Project is to improve the teaching of French and francophone cultures with special emphasis on Louisiana’s francophone heritage. Among its offerings to K-12 teachers of French and science is the Virtual Museum, a collaborative effort between the College of Human Sciences and Education and the LSU Museum of Natural Science, which provides statewide access to LSU’s immense collection of natural science specimens and rich academic expertise.
  • GEAR UP Baton Rouge is a College of Human Sciences and Education outreach initiative that supports faculty’s work with area schools to provide postsecondary opportunities for at-risk youth.
  • The College of Humanities & Social Sciences Secondary Education concentrations (the Geaux Teach–Humanities Program) in history, English, Spanish, and French have been designed to provide students with the skills and experiences necessary to become successful educators in grades 6-12. This program, a collaborative with the College of Human Sciences and Education, pairs education and content courses with carefully selected field experiences in diverse settings under the professional mentorship of secondary teachers.
  • The Healthy Aging Studies Project is led by an interdisciplinary team collaborating to profile for creating healthy aging. Findings from the study of genetic and physiologic determinants of longevity and “healthy aging” benefit the state as it addresses aging issues.
  • The HopKins Black Box Theatre in the Department of Communication Studies functions as the department’s performance studies area classroom and research laboratory, in addition to offering a full season of public performances each year.
  • The LSU Hurricane Center is a multidisciplinary center addressing hurricanes and other hazards and their impacts on the natural, built, and human environments. Center faculty work closely with resource managers and emergency preparedness decision-makers, transferring the latest information and technology in areas such as storm prediction, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.
  • The Interdepartmental Program in Natural Science provides postbaccalaureate students with advanced content knowledge and the skills and experiences necessary to become successful educators in a variety of science and mathematics fields. This program pairs education and content courses with carefully selected field experiences.
  • The LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute utilizes various programs, seminars, and other means to address the challenges of entrepreneurship and to positively impact students, the regional economy, Louisiana, and the nation.
  • The College of Human Sciences and Education’s LASPACE/NASA Michoud Education Fellow Program provides K-12 educators an opportunity to explore the way science content and inquiry skills, mathematics, and communication skills are used by scientists, engineers, and skilled workers at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
  • The College of Agriculture’s Les Voyageurs student speakers bureau conducts programs for middle and high school age student groups on career opportunities and career decision-making in the agricultural and natural sciences.
  • The Louisiana Business & Technology Center (LBTC) operates an award-winning business incubator on LSU’s South Campus that is home to 25 start-up businesses. The LBTC offers flexible space, business equipment, and consulting services to those firms and outside clients through the LSU Small Business Development Center. Additionally, the LBTC operates the Louisiana Technology Transfer Office for the state of Louisiana that, through its offices at LSU and NASA/SSC, provides technical assistance to Louisiana companies through NASA and other federal laboratories. Graduate and undergraduate students work on projects through the LBTC.
  • The Office of Community Design & Development in the College of Art & Design, provides architectural, landscape, and interior design services, as well as community planning, technical assistance, and educational outreach to local communities, housing authorities, and community development corporations.
  • The Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, a division of the LSU Agricultural Center, is a statewide program that maintains agricultural agents and specialists in each of Louisiana’s 64 parishes.
  • The Louisiana Council of the AdvanceED/Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) for P-12 schools partners closely with the College of Human Sciences and Education, where it is housed. AdvanceED/SACS is committed to assisting public and nonpublic elementary, middle, and secondary schools and school systems in Louisiana in efforts to achieve accreditation so as to ensure quality instruction for students.
  • The Louisiana Geological Survey performs geological investigations that benefit the state of Louisiana by encouraging the economic development of the natural (energy, mineral, water, and environmental) resources of the state, protecting the state and its citizens from natural, geological, and environmental hazards, and ensuring the transfer of geological information.
  • The Louisiana State Improvement Grant (LaSIG) is a long-standing College of Human Sciences and Education program for K-12 education designed to improve outcomes for students with disabilities through awarding statewide personnel development grants to school districts.
  • The LSU Writing Project, a National Writing Project site established in 1984 and housed in the College of Human Sciences and Education, supports university/P-12 partnerships dedicated to improving the quality of P-12 student writing. Serving 10 parishes in the southern part of the state, the project hosts invitational summer writing institutes, rural open institutes, P-12 administrators’ writing retreats, and youth writing activities.
  • Louisiana State Youth Opportunities Unlimited (LSYOU) is a College of Human Sciences and Education program that assists Louisiana adolescents at high risk of dropping out in overcoming obstacles to their success.
  • The Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program (LaSIP) in the College of Human Sciences and Education provides professional development opportunities for teachers in West Baton Rouge Parish.
  • The Louisiana Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory provides a comprehensive animal disease diagnostic service to the agricultural and general communities.
  • The McKinley High Oral History Project resulted in taped interviews now housed in the East Baton Rouge Parish Carver Branch Library. These tapes document the history of Old South Baton Rouge. The tapes represent work stemming from a 10-year collaborative among the College of Human Sciences and Education, T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, School of Social Work, Service Learning Center, and the Old South Baton Rouge community. With impact locally and nationally, these oral histories highlight the important role the Old South Baton Rouge community played in the civil rights movement.
  • The Parkinson’s Research Program acknowledges the major benefits of physical activity for individuals with Parkinson’s disease and emphasizes the necessity of staying active for individuals from this population. The School of Kinesiology faculty in the College of Human Sciences and Education offer safe exercise protocols that can be performed by individuals with Parkinson’s at various stages of the disease and study ways to achieve more effective training techniques, which can help this population maintain or increase their level of function.
  • The Peripheral Neuropathy Exercise Intervention Project focuses on physical activity for health and wellness for people with peripheral neuropathy. The School of Kinesiology faculty in the College of Human Sciences and Education offer diagnostic services and provide information on peripheral neuropathy, as well as guide such interventions as Tai Chi, assisted walking, and infrared light therapy focused exercise.
  • Psychological Services Center offers assessment and treatment to adults and children for a variety of psychological and behavioral difficulties.
  • The Public Policy Research Laboratory combines the talents and disciplinary perspectives of mass communication scholars and political scientists. The lab offers an innovative approach to original public opinion research on behalf of policy makers, state and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, media outlets, and academicians. It is a partnership of the Manship School of Mass Communication’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs and the College of Humanities & Social Sciences.
  • The Real Estate Research Institute was established to encourage, support, and conduct research in real estate. Established in 1985, it is partially funded by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission.
  • The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs provides symposia, forums and research on the relationships between the media and social, economic and political issues.
  • The Relation Station Matchbox Interaction Lab in the Department of Communication Studies is used to videotape individuals and small groups of up to five performing experiential activities such as mock job interviews.
  • Through the Safe Routes to School program funded by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, School of Kinesiology faculty in the College of Human Sciences and Education encourages cycling and walking safety along with facilitating improvements to bicycle paths in the Old South Baton Rouge community for students attending Polk elementary and Buchanan Elementary public schools.
  • The School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Teaching Hospital & Clinics offers tertiary, secondary, and primary care services for animals of the pet-owning public and animal industries of Louisiana and surrounding states. Specialty services in large and small animal internal medicine and surgery, cardiology, dermatology, avian and exotic animal medicine, radiation and medical oncology, ophthalmology, radiology, pathology, and theriogenology are available.
  • The Office of Sea Grant Development communicates the results of marine and coastal research through practical assistance, educational programs, and various media products. Public service efforts are conducted through the Sea Grant Legal Program, Marine Extension Services, Advisory Services in Marine Recreation and Tourism, and the Communications Office.
  • The College of Science Secondary Education concentrations (the Geaux Teach Program) in biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and physics have been designed to provide students with the skills and experiences necessary to become successful educators. This program pairs education and content courses with carefully selected field experiences.
  • The Office of Social Service Research & Development assists social service agencies in the areas of research, program evaluation, program development, grant writing, technical assistance, information, specialized training, and advocacy activities.
  • The Spanish Education Project, established in the College of Human Sciences and Education in 2000, supports Spanish teacher education through educational guidance, information and materials, and workshops. Focus is on organizing and promoting cultural and artistic activities related to the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures.
  • Speech-Language Hearing Clinic offers diagnostic evaluation and management services for those with communication disabilities.
  • The LSU Stephenson Disaster Management Institute, which is housed in the E. J. Ourso College of Business, was established to help save the lives of people and animals by continuously improving disaster response management through research and education.

The University also offers numerous cultural and entertainment events, including lectures, musical performances, and plays, to the community each year. In the College of Music & Dramatic Arts, the Department of Theatre and Swine Palace present 15-20 theatrical productions, each of which runs over extended periods of time. The School of Music presents more than 300 recitals and concerts each year. These include fully staged operas; choral, band, jazz, and orchestral concerts; and faculty and student recitals. The LSU Performing Arts Academy, run by the College of Music & Dramatic Arts, offers private and group lessons in the areas of music, theatre, and dance. In addition, LSU’s museums—including the Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural Science, and the unique Rural Life Museum and Windrush Gardens—are open to all citizens. 

The Campus

The University is located on more than 2,000 acres in the southern part of the city, bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. The University’s more than 250 principal buildings are grouped on a 650-acre plateau that constitutes the main part of the campus.

Original campus architecture was based on the Renaissance domestic style of northern Italy (tan stucco walls, red tile roofs), with buildings that house most of the classrooms and administrative offices grouped around a double quadrangle and connected by colonnaded passageways. Architects of more recent campus structures have succeeded in blending contemporary design with the older style of architecture.

The city of Baton Rouge–capital of the state of Louisiana, an inland port, and a major petrochemical center–has a metropolitan area population of around 766,000. According to history, the city’s name is derived from a tall cypress tree that once stood at the present site of Louisiana’s Old State Capitol marking the boundary between the hunting grounds of the Houma and the Bayou Goula Indians. The early French explorers called the tree le baton rouge (the red stick).

Geographically, Baton Rouge is the center of South Louisiana’s cultural and recreational attractions with New Orleans about 80 miles to the southeast. Less than an hour’s drive north lie the gently rolling hills of the antebellum country of the Feliciana parishes. The fabled French-Louisiana country of bayous, marshes, and lakes—about an hour’s drive from the campus—offers opportunities for fishing, hunting, and other recreation.

Organizational Structure

The chief administrative officer of LSU is the chancellor; directly responsible to the chancellor are the executive vice chancellor and provost, the vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and chief financial officer, the vice chancellor and director of athletics, and the associate vice chancellor for communications and university relations. Reporting to the chancellor through the executive vice chancellor and provost are the vice chancellor for research and economic development, the vice chancellor for strategic initiatives, and the vice chancellor for student life and enrollment, and the chief information officer.

Office of the Chancellor

The chancellor is the chief administrative officer of the University and reports to the president of the LSU System.

Office of Academic Affairs

The executive vice chancellor and provost serves as both the chief academic officer and as the chief operating officer of the University. The executive vice chancellor and provost acts as chief administrative officer in the absence of the chancellor and represents the chancellor in both internal and external matters.

As chief academic officer, the executive vice chancellor and provost is responsible for the academic programs of the University. The administrative center for exercise of this responsibility is the Office of Academic Affairs.

The Council of Academic Deans and Directors, which serves in an advisory capacity to the executive vice chancellor and provost, meets monthly to review, deliberate, and make recommendations concerning academic matters.

The executive vice chancellor and provost works in tandem with the vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and chief financial officer to prepare and monitor the operating budget for the University. The executive vice chancellor and provost also chairs the University Planning Council; leads, with and for the chancellor, programmatic, budgetary, and facility planning for the University; exercises responsibility for space allocation; oversees faculty development programs and human resources issues; and superintends the University’s efforts in assessment, with responsibility for developing policies and programs to ensure that the University is fully accountable in all aspects of its operations.

Office of Communications & University Relations

The Office of Communications & University Relations is a full-service communications organization that proactively fashions, manages, and delivers consistent messages promoting LSU’s National Flagship Agenda; reaches key internal and external audiences; and helps LSU achieve international prominence. The office provides a full array of resources to all units of the University and helps focus LSU entities on a consistent course of action that promotes University goals among students, faculty, staff, parents, lawmakers, donors, the media, and business leaders across Louisiana and the nation.

The Office of Communications & University Relations is responsible for strategic goals designed to energize and support the fund-raising drives that will dramatically increase LSU’s endowment, while carrying on LSU’s long-standing educational objectives and promoting LSU’s climb to international academic prominence.

Communications & University Relations supplies communications, design services, marketing, media relations, radio/television/photography services, and Web and new media services to LSU and its component colleges.

Office of External Affairs

The Office of External Affairs oversees the unified voice of the University to all community and government leaders at the local, state, and national levels.

Office of Finance & Administrative Services

The vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and chief financial officer is responsible for a variety of business functions and institutional support services, including accounting, purchasing, cash management and disbursement, budgeting, facilities, risk management, human resources, personnel, police, safety, parking, traffic, transportation, auxiliary services, and trademark licensing.

Office of Institutional Advancement

The Office of Institutional Advancement is responsible for building long-term relationships between LSU and its various constituencies in order to stimulate greater understanding and financial support.

The primary function of the office is to assist in the cultivation of major donors to the University as well as coordination of the fundraising efforts of the three foundations that serve LSU–the LSU Foundation, Tiger Athletic Foundation, and the LSU Alumni Association. The office also manages university policies in regard to fundraising and acts as the liaison to all fundraising entities for the Chancellor. The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations reports to Institutional Advancement.

Office of Research & Economic Development

The vice chancellor for research and economic development is responsible for the overall research and economic development efforts of the University. The Office of Research & Economic Development (ORED) focuses on maximizing the University’s impact on the intellectual, economic and social development of Louisiana, the nation, and the world.

ORED’s mission includes creating a rich environment that promotes advanced research, creative scholarship, and economic development. The Office coordinates the research efforts of more than 1,200 faculty involved in approximately 2,500 sponsored research projects. The faculty-driven Council on Research assists ORED with its mission.

The economic development focus of the Office includes developing corporate partnerships, encouraging entrepreneurial activities, and driving Louisiana’s economy through spearheading intellectual property development and commercialization efforts; developing of corporate partnerships; and encouraging entrepreneurial activities.

ORED also coordinates the nonformula component of the budget and acts as liaison to the legislature in this area; in addition, it coordinates the LSU congressional/federal agenda, keeping our congressional delegation abreast of research issues at the University.

Office of Strategic Initiatives

The Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) focuses on particular components of the University’s overall strategic plan with an intense effort to pursue strategic initiatives that will produce:

  • systemic improvements in the mentoring of faculty, students, and staff, with an emphasis on achieving excellence at all levels;
  • coordinated efforts to enhance the receipt of external student awards (e.g., Rhodes, Marshall, and Goldwater Fellows);
  • coordinated efforts to enhance the receipt of external faculty awards (e.g., Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellows);
  • coordinated efforts to establish LSU as a leading provider of graduate degrees to underrepresented groups in a variety of disciplines;
  • coordinated efforts to enhance and improve the number of students from underrepresented groups who pursue and complete undergraduate degrees at LSU in the science, mathematics, engineering, and technology areas;
  • coordinated efforts with the Office of Academic Affairs to recruit outstanding faculty to the University, with special emphasis on faculty from underrepresented groups;
  • direct partnership initiatives (e.g., LAMP and joint faculty appointments) with other Louisiana institutions;
  • coordinated efforts to generate external awards, including funds and training grants, to support all of these efforts.

Achievement of the goals of this unit requires a close alliance with other units throughout the University. Such units include, but are not limited to, the Office of Academic Affairs; the Honors College; the Graduate School; the Colleges of Human Sciences and Education, Engineering, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Science; and the Center for Scientific, Technological, Engineering, & Mathematical Literacy. Collaborating units are represented on OSI’s Advisory Board, which provides advice to the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives on both policy and programmatic issues.

Office of the Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics

The vice chancellor and director of athletics manages a broad spectrum of intercollegiate sports programs for men and women. LSU is a charter member (1932) of the Southeastern Conference. LSU meets teams from other major universities in NCAA Division 1A competition in football, basketball (Men’s &Women’s), baseball, indoor and outdoor track and field (M&W), cross country (M&W), golf (M&W), tennis (M&W), swimming (M&W), women’s gymnastics, women’s volleyball, women’s soccer, and women’s softball.

LSU athletic teams have won 46 national championships and 119 Southeastern Conference championships since the beginning of the intercollegiate athletics program in 1893.

Student Life and Enrollment

The vice chancellor for student life and enrollment focuses on recruiting, admitting, retaining, and engaging students for success at LSU and into alumni life. Through programs, services and quality-of-life facilities, the division’s professionals enhance learning by fostering critical thinking and ethical responsibility to create a university experience that transforms lives.

Departments in the division include Career Services, Center for Academic Success, Campus Life, Dean of Students, Disability Services, First Year Experience, Greek Life, Orientation, Parent & Family Programs, Residential Life, Student Advocacy & Accountability, Undergraduate Admissions & Student Aid, and University Recreation. Visit us at www.lsu.edu/studentlife.

Office of Undergraduate Admissions & Student Aid

OFFICE 1146 Pleasant Hall
ADMISSIONS TELEPHONE 225-578-1175
ADMISSIONS FAX 225-578-4433
STUDENT AID TELEPHONE 225-578-3103
STUDENT AID FAX 225-578-6300
E-MAIL admissions@lsu.edu
WEBSITE www.lsu.edu

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions & Student Aid strives to provide excellent customer service in its efforts to actively recruit prospective students who have demonstrated academic and extracurricular excellence from a wide range of geographic and demographic backgrounds.

This office is considered the “front door to LSU.” The office staff welcomes students to the University through campus visits and tours, informative promotional mailings, various recruitment events, and counselor outreach programs. Campus tours are conducted every week day at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., except University holidays. Office hours for undergraduate admissions and student aid are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Admissions is responsible for processing freshman, transfer, re-entry, international, early start/dual enrollment/concurrent, athletic, and visiting student applications. The office is committed to making fair and timely decisions by evaluating prospective student’s likelihood of success at LSU based on established educational requirements and admission policies.

The Admissions Division uses the Internet to provide the most up-to-date information regarding admission to LSU. Prospective students can apply online, pay online, check their application status, communicate through e-mail, and learn about requirements as well as important deadlines.

Student Aid administers federally funded financial aid programs and university, state, and privately funded scholarships to assist students in meeting their educational costs. The federal programs include Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG), National SMART Grant, Work Study, Perkins Loans, Stafford Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Parent Loan for Undergraduate Student (PLUS), Graduate PLUS Loan for graduate and professional students. All programs are subject to regulations authorized by the U.S. Department of Education, as well as university policies, which are consistent with these federal regulations.

Scholarships are in the form of cash awards, full tuition and nonresident fee exemption, room and board scholarships, and employment opportunities to students who meet certain academic qualifications. Detailed information is available on the Web.

Office of the University Registrar 

OFFICE 112 Thomas Boyd Hall
TELEPHONE 225-578-1686
FAX 225-578-5991
WEBSITE www.lsu.edu/registrar

The Office of the University Registrar is responsible for maintaining timely and accurate records of academic progress and accomplishments of LSU’s students while ensuring the privacy, integrity, and security of those records.

The office strives to provide excellent customer service to students, faculty members, administrators, alumni, and the public in the areas of record keeping, course scheduling, course registration, information management, and data analysis. The Office of the University Registrar uses its central university position to add value to the information that it manages by participating in activities to recruit, retain, and graduate the most academically talented and diverse students possible.

Continuing Education

OFFICE 2148 Pleasant Hall
TELEPHONE 225-578-2500
FAX 225-578-4800
WEBSITE www.outreach.lsu.edu

LSU Continuing Education serves thousands of participants each year through credit and non-credit outreach programs that support, promote, and enhance LSU’s Flagship Agenda. Founded in 1924 to serve nontraditional students, Continuing Education provides flexible programs, using face-to-face and distance delivery methods. To address the diverse needs of lifelong learners, four distinct types of programs are offered: College Credit, Professional Development, Pre-College, and Personal Enrichment. Last year, through Continuing Education programs, LSU reached students of all ages in every Louisiana parish, every state in the nation, and 34 countries.

For more information about LSU Continuing Education programs, please see the chapter in this catalog entitled “Continuing Education .”

Equal Employment Opportunity

LSU provides equal opportunity for all qualified persons in admission to, participation in, or employment in the programs and activities which the University operates without regard to race, creed, color, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, or veteran’s status, as well as to implement a procedure to address complaints for those who believe they have been subjected to discrimination and/or harassment in violation of this policy.

Anyone having questions or complaints regarding equal opportunity at LSU should contact the Office of Human Resource Management, 304 Thomas Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803; telephone 225-578-8200.

Finances

LSU receives most of its funds from legislative appropriations. To view the current operating budget, please visit the Office of Budget & Planning website at http://www.bgtplan.lsu.edu/budget.htm.