In 1959, the Louisiana Legislature authorized the establishment of LSUA as a two-year commuter college under the governance of the LSU Board of Supervisors. LSUA registered its first students in September of 1960. The first degree program, an Associate in Nursing degree, was initiated in the Division of Nursing in 1964.
The additional academic divisions of Liberal Arts, Business Administration, and Sciences were created in 1967. In 1974, LSUA was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. This accreditation was reaffirmed in 1984, 1994, and 2004.
Only one associate degree was available at LSUA from 1964 to March 1986, when the Associate of Arts and Associate of Science transfer degrees were approved. Over the next 15 years, several associate degree and certificate programs were added that the university continues to offer including:
From 1976 through Spring 2003, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College offered the upper-level course work for select bachelor's degree programs on the LSUA campus through a program known as LSU Senior College. Initially, the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Bachelor of General Studies were offered. The Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education was added in 1982-83.
The Louisiana State University of Alexandria College of Business has released its October 2020 issue of the CENLA Economic Dashboard.
“While consumer spending is down due to Hurricane Laura and a reduced federal supplement to unemployment compensation, significant gains have been made in construction and employment,” said Dr. Randall Dupont, Dean of the LSUA College of Business and author of the monthly Dashboard.
Construction permits valuing $4.7 million were issued in Rapides Parish in September compared to $2.8 million in August, an increase of 71%. Most of the increase came from residential construction, said Dupont. Residential construction permits were up 268% in Alexandria from $629,000 in August to $2.3 million in September. Pineville saw a similar increase with overall permits up 311% from $1 million in August to $4.2 million in September.
For the fifth straight month, the Alexandria MSA had the lowest unemployment rate in the state among major metropolitan areas at 6.1%, with a state averaging 7.6%. LaSalle again had the lowest unemployment in the state at 4.7%. Alexandria continues to have the tight labor market. In August, there were 4,800 job openings in the Alexandria MSA and only 3,900 unemployed. That’s a ratio of less than one-to-one and compares favorably to the statewide ratio of two unemployed for every opening. Statewide total employment is 7%, or 133,000 jobs, below January’s level with leisure, hospitality, and education accounting for 52% of the reduction.
In Central Louisiana, initial unemployment claims in September rose 9% from August largely due to Hurricane Laura. The week following the hurricane, initial claims rose 565 from 703 to 1,348. However, by the week of October 3rd initial claims fell to 597, the lowest level since the start of the pandemic. Likewise, initial unemployment claims in Louisiana increased 33% in September to 18,006 from 13,560 in August, while continued claims fell 13% in September. Continued claims reached a new pandemic low on October 3rd with 195,424 filings.
The housing market continues be strong in the Alexandria metro area, said Dean Dupont. Compared to September of last year, active listings are down 51%, pending listings are up 56%, median days on the market are down 24%, and the median listing price is up 22%. “These are all signs of a strong market and low interest rates are driving sales,” said Dupont.
Travel related measures were also strong in August, with hotel occupancy increasing 49% over July as a result of the hurricane. While the hurricane may have helped boost occupancy, year-to-date hotel occupancy remains 24% below last year. Total passenger traffic at Alexandria International airport (AEX) averaged 65% of traffic last September compared to only 32% nationwide. AEX had the highest percentage passenger throughput rate in the state when compared with 2019.
“Applications for small businesses in Louisiana continue to outperform last year which is a positive sign for the economy to grow in the coming months,” Dupont added. Through the end of September, 66,930 business applications have been filed in Louisiana compared to 44,000 for the same period in 2019, representing a 52% increase. Of that total, 19,020 of the applications filed have a high-propensity for turning into a business with a payroll, including 9,100 which are already planning to pay wages.
All eight jurisdictions in Central Louisiana reported lower tax revenues in September, reflecting lower consumer spending in August. Rapides reported a 9.2% decrease while Alexandria saw a 7.7% decrease. The lower consumer spending and thus tax revenue is a result of the reduction in the federal supplement to unemployment compensation and the impact of Hurricane Laura.
Year-to-date revenue for most jurisdictions remains comparable to last year’s level, with the exception of Pineville which is up 13.4% for the year. Vehicle sales in Rapides, Evangeline, and St. Landry underperformed in August by 16% to 26% compared to July and following an extraordinary summer.
The CENLA Economic Dashboard is a service of LSUA to help business and community leaders monitor the economic pulse of central Louisiana.
To view the October edition the CENLA Economic Dashboard, click here.
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On June 5, 2001, following approval by the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors and the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Louisiana Legislature passed legislation (Senate Bill 853) allowing Louisiana State University at Alexandria to offer baccalaureate degrees. In December 2002, SACSCOC approved a substantive change request from LSUA, thereby accrediting the university to award both associate and baccalaureate degrees.
In Fall 2003, LSUA was reorganized into colleges and departments rather than divisions. The College of Arts and Sciences is comprised of the departments of Arts, English and Humanities; Behavioral and Social Sciences; Biological Sciences; and Mathematics and Physical Sciences. The College of Professional Studies is comprised of the departments of Allied Health, Business Administration, Education, and Nursing.
LSUA began offering four baccalaureate degrees in Fall 2003: Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of General Studies, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, and Bachelor of Liberal Studies. Because there were students at LSUA who had completed upper-level course work through LSU Senior College, LSUA produced its first bachelor's degree graduates in December 2003.
A Bachelor of Science in Psychology, approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors in March 2005, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, approved by the LSU Board in June 2006, are now offered. In 2008 the university began offering Bachelor of Arts degrees in English, Communication Studies, and History, along with Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Nursing.
In addition to the Department of Education offering courses that lead to an Associate of Arts in The Care and Development of Young Children and the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, courses are offered for alternative certification in the following areas: Elementary Education, Grades 1-5; Health and Physical Education, Grades K-12; and Secondary Education, Grades 6-12 for the areas of biology, English, history, and mathematics. Students who major in biology, English, history, or mathematics may declare Secondary Education as a minor in these areas of study, earning certification to teach that subject in Grades 6-12. Add-on certifications are available for Early Childhood Education (PK-3) and Special Education in area of existing certification(s).
The Oaks, the university’s first student housing complex, opened in the fall of 2007. The complex, which includes four apartment buildings and a community center.
LSUA hired its first athletic director in January 2007 and began competing in NAIA men’s baseball and women’s fast-pitch softball in Spring 2008. In January 2010, LSUA’s new on-campus baseball-softball complex was unveiled in an opening day dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The complex is located on the north side of campus adjacent to the Fitness Center and features seats transferred from the famed Alex Box Stadium on the Baton Rouge campus.
LSUA added five sports in 2014 including men’s and women’s basketball and soccer teams along with women’s tennis. LSUA joined the Red River Athletic Conference in 2014. The RRAC includes Bacone College (Okla.), Huston-Tilloston University (Texas), Jarvis Christian College (Texas), Langston University (Okla.), LSU-Shreveport, Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas), Paul Quinn College (Texas), Texas College, University of St. Thomas (Texas), University of Texas-Brownsville, University of the Southwest (New Mexico) and Wiley College (Texas) in addition to LSUA.
The university’s newest building, Mulder Hall, was opened in August 2011. The building is a 70,000 square-foot facility that provides 18 classrooms, 4 academic department office suites, 52 faculty offices, 2 conference rooms, a computer lab and a writing lab, a painting and drawing studio, a ceramics studio, a photography suite, and a black box theater that seats 175 people.