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Education

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Founded in 1900, the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute, now called the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has become the second-largest four-year public university in the state and a rapidly developing research center. UL Lafayette’s total economic impact in the Acadiana area is anywhere from $650 million to $700 million each year. The student population, undergraduate and graduate, at the university is in excess of 17,000, with students from 48 states and possessions and 95 foreign countries. UL Lafayette offers 80 bachelor’s degrees through 10 colleges and schools, including one of the most sophisticated computer science programs in the nation. UL Lafayette’s graduate school offers 29 master’s degrees and eight doctorates as well.

The university is part of the University of Louisiana system. Other members include Grambling State, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute opened in 1901, on what was then the outskirts of Lafayette, with 100 students and eight faculty members. Two years later, the first 18 students graduated. In 1921, SLII became Southwestern Louisiana Institute when it was designated as one of the state’s institutions of higher learning. University of Southwestern Louisiana became the new name of SLI in 1960 when it achieved university status. The name changed once again in 1999, when joining the state university system as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

UL has earned regional, national and international recognition for excellence in a variety of areas, from environmental biology to cognitive science and francophone studies. The College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions is the third-largest nursing program in the country. The university is also the only university in Louisiana that has a simulated neonatal, pediatric and labor delivery unit. The Master of Business Administration program was included in the 2005 edition of The Princeton Review’s “Best 143 Business Schools.”

UL Lafayette’s Mathematics Department is one of the top 100 university math departments in the nation, according to the National Science Foundation. The university is one of only 15 schools in the country to offer a petroleum engineering curriculum and reintroduced a graduate program in petroleum engineering in 2004. In addition, UL is featured in the 2006 edition of America’s Best Value Colleges, a Princeton Review/Random House college guidebook. The college has also been associated with some famous names, from current writer-in-residence Ernest Gaines to former professors artist Elemore Morgan Jr. and John Kennedy Toole, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces.

In regards to the science arena, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is one among 20 teams chosen worldwide to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2009 Solar Decathlon. In 2004, the University of Lafayette created the CajunBot, a six-wheeled ATV autonomous vehicle, in response to the U.S. Department of Defense mandate that one-third of all ground vehicles in the U.S. Armed Forces be replaced with robotic vehicles by the year 2015. Team CajunBot has competed in all three DARPA Grand Challenges and has received much national recognition. Now, CajunBot II, a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, has been created and used in the 2007 Urban Challenge. Other schools participating across the country include universities such as Stanford and MIT.

From the original 25 acres of donated land, UL has extended its campus almost 600 acres to include the University Research Park; Cajundome and Convention Center; University Hotel; and the state-of-the-art Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, with more than 1,500 works of art. The university’s latest extension is the $29 million Louisiana Immersive Technology Center in University Research Park. The center features an egg-shaped section that contains a six-sided “total immersion space,” where researchers can explore massive amounts of data that have been converted into 3-D images.

The university also experienced one of the biggest building booms in its history recently, with construction projects totaling around $130 million. Construction includes a $10 million building to house the Computer Science Department and Center for Advanced Computer Technology and Research.

The university campus itself is unique because of its draping oak trees and cypress swamp next to the Student Union. Also, the Walk of Honor, which is paved with bricks bearing the names of all UL Lafayette graduates arranged by class year, is a favorite feature found in the quad.

There are more than 150 clubs and organizations for students to join, including Student Government Association, University Program Council, Association of Future Alumni, as well as many honor societies. UL’s Bayou Bijou film series and Performing Arts Department activities add to the many cultural offerings on campus. Bayou Bijou features national and international independent and alternative films on Monday evenings during the spring and fall. Films are shown at the Bayou Bijou theater on the first floor of the UL Lafayette Student Union. The Performing Arts Department presents theater and dance performances by UL Lafayette students and faculty at Burke Hall Theatre throughout the year. And like any university, UL sports are a favorite pastime of the community. Whether it is Ragin’ Cajun baseball, softball, football or basketball, there’s always a game going on, and you can be sure to find a tailgating spot with good food and good friends!

For more information, call 337-482-1000 or visit the UL Lafayette Web site at www.louisiana.edu.

After 34 years, Dr. Ray Authement, the nation’s longest serving public university president, retired as UL Lafayette President after the 2007-2008 academic year. Dr. E. Joseph Savoie was named as his replacement to become the sixth president of the university.

Savoie is the former commissioner of higher education for the State of Louisiana. Prior to this, Savoie also served as the UL Lafayette vice president for University Advancement, the executive director of the Alumni Association, program director for the Union Program Council and student government advisor, as well as an adjunct assistant professor.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to help steer the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as it continues to move ahead, always focused on student success,” Savoie said.Additional Colleges and Universities

The Lafayette area offers a wide range of postsecondary educational opportunities for students. A community college and numerous vocational and technical schools and colleges augment the UL Lafayette experience and serve a variety of needs for thousands of students in Lafayette Parish. Programs of study offered range from nursing, business and computer programming to teacher preparation, cosmetology and emergency medical services, to name a few.

South Louisiana Community College, with its main campus located in Lafayette, is one of the top ten fastest growing two-year colleges in the U.S. Currently enrolling more than 3,500 students, the college is fully accredited and offers a broad array of transfer associate degrees and workforce programs. Courses are available day and evening through both on-site and online delivery for student convenience.

Contact individual schools for a list of their offerings.

• South Louisiana Community College 337-521-8896 www.southlouisiana.edu
• Louisiana Technical College 337-262-5122 www.ltc.edu
• Remington College 337-981-4010 www.remingtoncollege.edu
• University of Phoenix 225-615-3003 www.universityofphoenix.edu

Public Schools

The Lafayette Parish School System is comprised of 43 public schools, all accredited by the Louisiana Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The LPSS also has five “Schools of Choice,” six high school “academies,” French Immersion, gifted and alternative programs, and an arts academy. The student population is more than 30,000. Furthering educational excellence, the high schools designated as academies create career-themed learning communities for students and encourage real-world experience through course work and internships.

Private and Parochial Schools

Inspired by a rich and diverse cultural base, the citizens of Lafayette Parish enjoy a variety of private educational offerings. The oldest of these is the school system offered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette. Thirteen Catholic schools are located throughout Lafayette Parish. In addition, other private schools offer individual attention and excellent programs of study. For more information on Catholic schools, call the Diocese of Lafayette at 337-261-5543 or visit www.dol-louisiana.org/ocs.

• Academy of Business and Finance Acadiana High School
• Academy of Design Comeaux High School
• Academy of Engineering Northside High School
• Academy of Health Careers Lafayette High School
• Academy of Hospitality and Tourism W.D. Smith Career Center
• Academy of Information Technology Carencro High School
• Arts Academy N.P. Moss Annex
• Computer for Louisiana’s Kids With Informational Technology (CLK-IT) Lafayette Charter High School

For more information, call the Lafayette Parish School Board at 337-236-6800 or visit their Web site, www.lpssonline.com.