Southern University at Shreveport

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Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana


Motto	Opportunity Starts Here
Established	1967
Type	Public, Co-ed
Chancellor	Dr. Ray Belton
Location	Shreveport, Louisiana
Sports teams	Jaguars
Colors	Blue & Gold
Mascot	Jaguars
Website	www.susla.edu

Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana or Southern University at Shreveport, a campus of the Southern University System, opened for instruction on September 19, 1967.

Initially designated a two-year commuter college to serve the Shreveport-Bossier City area, its primary emphasis was to provide the first two years of basic college courses. Today, the college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees.

On October 28, 1974, the Louisiana Board of Regents, then called the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, granted to the institution approval for six associate's degree programs in business, humanities, medical office assistant, natural sciences, office administration and social sciences. In 1978, it added an associate's degree in medical laboratory technology.

[edit] History

Governor John H. McKeithen signed this Act on June 27,1964, and the Institution was opened for instruction on September 19, 1967. The definitive designation of Southern University at Shreveport as a “unit” of the Southern University System reflects historical precedence. On October 28, 1974, the Louisiana Coordinating Council for Higher Education (now Board of Regents) granted to the Institution its approval of six associate degree programs in Business, Office Administration, Natural Sciences, Medical Office Assistant, Social Sciences, and Humanities. The Board’s approval resolved any conflict of definition in the historical statement of purpose. Therefore, today, applying the terminology of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern University at Shreveport is a unit of the Southern University System, rather than a branch or extension of the Baton Rouge campus.

Furthermore, in 1977, the Board of Regents’ Master Plan for Higher Education in Louisiana cited. “… Southern University should begin immediately to plan programs and services of the type appropriate to a comprehensive community college in order to contribute to the future economic development of the greater Shreveport area.” Therein, the Institution was charged to expand its one- and two-year offerings in keeping with the manpower needs of the Shreveport area and to cooperate with nearby vocational-technical schools where possible. The Master Plan defined research activities as “appropriate to further the role of the Institution as a comprehensive community college, with lower level undergraduate instruction and public service receiving top priority.”

By April 1978, Southern University at Shreveport was granted approval to begin awarding the associate degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. With the thrust toward instruction in paraprofessional or occupational education opportunities, the Institution began exploring the nature of the comprehensive community college.

In 1981, the Federal Justice Department mandated that the Southern University System enter into a Consent Decree that led to several major changes for the Institution. When the Consent Decree was ordered on September 8, 1981, inconclusive issues remained concerning post-secondary education in the Caddo-Bossier area. As a result, a panel of experts was appointed to study the situation and by March 15, 1982, all parties involved entered into an Addendum to the Consent Decree (Civil Action No. 80-3300, Section “A” of the United States District Court), a move that had tremendous impact on Southern University at Shreveport. Several enhancement procedures were mandated in the addendum by the court, including new administrative positions, the utilization of an assisting agency in developing long-range plans and programs, the creation of a six-year institutional plan, the piloting of off-campus extension sites, and the interchange of students and faculty with Bossier Parish Community College.

For seven years, the Institution participated in this Consent Decree. All activities, as described in the Decree, had to be monitored on a bi-monthly basis through reports submitted to the Louisiana Board of Regents. Southern University at Shreveport complied with every portion of the mandate. The Board of Regents approved fifteen new programs for implementation at the Institution during this time period. Southern University at Shreveport was the only state institution commended for the manner in which its proposals were presented to and defended before the Board of Regents. These new programs helped the Institution to promote its development as a comprehensive community college.

The Consent Decree, in part, involved the acquisition of a satellite campus site, “preferably in an area of the city that was amenable and accessible to the diverse multi-cultures served by the Institution”. A downtown location was deemed best, primarily because of the large number of business sites and office workers employed in that area. After conducting assessments of the kinds of educational training needs projected by the downtown employee population, the Institution chose to bid on portions of 610 Texas Street in 1987. The Southern University Board of Supervisors, the State Board of Regents, and the Division of Administration approved the bid by October 1987.

Southern University at Shreveport held its first classes at the downtown site, the Metro Center, in Spring, 1988. Specific educational programs are housed at the Metro Center in order to place them in close proximity to the business community. Sections of general education and computer classes are also taught at the Center.

In 1999 for the first time in the history of higher education in the State of Louisiana, a two-year college board was organized. This board controls all two-year colleges except those under the Southern University and Louisiana State University systems. Because of the unique situation that places Southern University at Shreveport under the Southern University Board of Supervisors, it became necessary to investigate the appropriateness of the assigned name (Southern University at Shreveport-Bossier City). As a result, the Board and other leaders chose to align the name with the pattern of other campus names in the Southern University System. Thus, Southern University thought it feasible to name the Shreveport campus, Southern University at Shreveport, which coincided with Southern University at Baton Rouge and Southern University at New Orleans. This kept the name of the school identifiable in reference to its location, and reinforced when the acronym SUSLA was assigned to the Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana campus.

[edit] External links

Public universities in Louisiana
Grambling • LSU • LSU-Alexandria • LSU-Eunice • LSU Health Sciences-New Orleans • LSU Health Sciences-Shreveport • LSU Law • LSU-Shreveport • Louisiana Tech • McNeese • New Orleans • Nicholls • Northwestern State • Southeastern • Southern • Southern Law • Southern-New Orleans • Southern-Shreveport • UL-Lafayette • UL-Monroe