Centenary College of Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts
and science
s college
in Shreveport, Louisiana
. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South
, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges. Centenary College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
west of the Mississippi River
. The lineage of the college dates back to 1825, when the College of Louisiana was opened in Jackson
, Louisiana
. The school enjoyed early success, but struggled financially until Centenary College of Clinton
, Mississippi
(founded 1839) agreed to merge with the Jackson campus, creating Centenary College of Louisiana in 1845. The college prospered until the beginning of the American Civil War
. Three lines, written in a large bold hand, cover the entire page of the faculty minute-book dated October 7, 1861: "Students have all gone to war--College suspended, and God Help the Right!" During this time, the Jackson campus was used as a Confederate hospital for the garrison of Port Hudson
, and was sacked upon arrival of Union
troops in 1863. The old campus is presently operated and preserved as a state historic site by the Louisiana Office of State Parks.
Never regaining the footing it had in the 1840s and 1850s, the college moved to Shreveport in 1908 and immediately enjoyed success. Mansfield Female College, the first women's college founded west of the Mississippi (1855), merged with Centenary in 1930. President George Sexton
outlined campus growth and prosperity in the 1920s and 1930s, including the architectural design that largely remains today. During that time, Centenary was a football
powerhouse, whose fame included wins over Louisiana State University
, University of Texas at Austin
, and University of Notre Dame
.
The academic reputation of Centenary has remained strong since the 1920s. Centenary is now regularly found at the top of its category in the annual college and university rankings
published by U.S. News and World Report magazine. In 2007, Newsweek
named Centenary the "Hottest Liberal Arts School You Never Heard Of" in its "25 Hottest Universities" feature. In 2009, Forbes
ranked it 90th of America's Best Colleges
.
and well-maintained grounds. According to IMDB.Com, the film, The Initiation of Sarah
, starring Jennifer Tilly was filmed using Centenary as fictional Temple Hill University. In 2010, the campus was used to film portions of the television series The Gates
, using several of Centenary's buildings as the fictional Gates Academy.
composite ACT
score of incoming students was 26. Full-time faculty numbered 96, 94 percent of whom held a terminal degree in their field.
Centenary hosts six social fraternities and sororities
. For the women there is Chi Omega
and Zeta Tau Alpha
. For the men there is Theta Chi
, Kappa Alpha Order
, Kappa Sigma
, Tau Kappa Epsilon
, and Alpha Phi Alpha
, who has a joint charter from Centenary and Louisiana State University in Shreveport
. The school hosts chapters of several academic honor organizations, including Sigma Alpha Iota, Omicron Delta Kappa
, Alpha Chi, Kappa Pi, and Sigma Tau Delta
.
Radio station
KSCL
91.3FM broadcasts from the campus, a progressive
community radio station dedicated to community events and alternative music
, from college rock
and jazz
to local Cajun
music and zydeco
.
The Conglomerate, Centenary's independent press, is a weekly publication that circulates 20 issues per academic year. The paper is staffed entirely by students, and is paid for by student fees and advertisement. Originally called The Maroon and White, the paper changed its name to The Conglomerate in 1923.
The Centenary Film Society is a student-led organization under faculty advisory that is dedicated to introducing both independent and foreign films to the student body as well as the surrounding community.
Centenary is currently a member of the NCAA
Division III's American Southwest Conference
(ASC). Prior to July 2011, the college was a member of The Summit League in NCAA Division I. Centenary was the smallest Division I school in the country. Centenary will be moving to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
(SCAC) beginning in the 2012-2013 season.
The school is well-known for its basketball
prominence in the late 1970s being the college for NBA great Robert Parish
, and golf
ability—in the early 1980s PGA Tour
golfer Hal Sutton
played there. The school sport's nickname is the gentleman
; the women's sports' nickname is the lady
. Prior to adopting the Gentleman nickname, Centenary's football team was known as the Old Ironsides and had a reputation as a fearsome and powerful team with a penchant for playing rough. To clean up their image, they selected the Gentleman nickname.
Recently, a student driven initiative asked for a mascot
to compliment to the Ladies and Gents. From Centenary's website, "In recent years, Centenary has examined the role and impact of the mascot through informal SGA student/faculty forums, alumni surveys and questionnaires, the campus diversity climate assessment and so on. At the end of last school year, a Mascot Inquiry committee was formed by SGA to discuss this ongoing issue. The students have been asking for a mascot that inspires enthusiasm. We respect the student’s request for the addition of a mascot for the school and want to create an identity that embodies our history, tradition and uniqueness." The new mascot was announced at halftime of the Men's Basketball game 6 December 2007. The winner was Catahoula
and Rick DelaHaya, Director of Marketing, surprised the crowd by bringing out a Catahoula named Skeeter (SKEE-Tur) which the College has rescued from an animal shelter in Houston, Texas. Officially, the school has two mascots in the Gentlemen/Ladies and the Catahoulas, though all sports teams are still known as the Gents and Ladies. It seems that support for the Catahoulas mascot has dropped in recent years.
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
s college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South
Associated Colleges of the South
The Associated Colleges of the South is a consortium of 16 liberal arts colleges in the southern United States. It was formed in 1991.-Members:*Birmingham-Southern College - Birmingham, Alabama...
, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges. Centenary College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
History
Centenary College of Louisiana is the oldest chartered liberal arts college in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The lineage of the college dates back to 1825, when the College of Louisiana was opened in Jackson
Jackson, Louisiana
Jackson is a town in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,130 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The school enjoyed early success, but struggled financially until Centenary College of Clinton
Clinton, Mississippi
Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 23,347 at the 2000 United States Census.-History:...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
(founded 1839) agreed to merge with the Jackson campus, creating Centenary College of Louisiana in 1845. The college prospered until the beginning of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Three lines, written in a large bold hand, cover the entire page of the faculty minute-book dated October 7, 1861: "Students have all gone to war--College suspended, and God Help the Right!" During this time, the Jackson campus was used as a Confederate hospital for the garrison of Port Hudson
Siege of Port Hudson
The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....
, and was sacked upon arrival of Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
troops in 1863. The old campus is presently operated and preserved as a state historic site by the Louisiana Office of State Parks.
Never regaining the footing it had in the 1840s and 1850s, the college moved to Shreveport in 1908 and immediately enjoyed success. Mansfield Female College, the first women's college founded west of the Mississippi (1855), merged with Centenary in 1930. President George Sexton
George Sexton
Lighting and museum designer, George Sexton, was born in the late 1940s in New England, USA.-Life:Sexton began studying at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1966 and received his Bachelor of Architecture Degree in 1971...
outlined campus growth and prosperity in the 1920s and 1930s, including the architectural design that largely remains today. During that time, Centenary was a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
powerhouse, whose fame included wins over Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, and University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
.
The academic reputation of Centenary has remained strong since the 1920s. Centenary is now regularly found at the top of its category in the annual college and university rankings
College and university rankings
College and university rankings are lists of institutions in higher education, ordered by combinations of factors. In addition to entire institutions, specific programs, departments, and schools are ranked...
published by U.S. News and World Report magazine. In 2007, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
named Centenary the "Hottest Liberal Arts School You Never Heard Of" in its "25 Hottest Universities" feature. In 2009, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
ranked it 90th of America's Best Colleges
Forbes Magazine's List of America's Best Colleges
In 2009 Forbes Magazine, along with The Center for College Affordability and Productivity, compiled a list of America's Best Colleges based on "the quality of the education they provide, the experience of the students and how much they achieve".- 2009 List :...
.
Campus
Centenary is south of downtown Shreveport in the historic Highland Area. The campus is noted for its distinctive Georgian architectureGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
and well-maintained grounds. According to IMDB.Com, the film, The Initiation of Sarah
The Initiation of Sarah
The Initiation of Sarah is a "re-imagined" remake of a 1978 horror film, The Initiation of Sarah. It premiered on ABC Family on October 22, 2006 as part of their "13 Nights of Halloween" special.-Plot:...
, starring Jennifer Tilly was filmed using Centenary as fictional Temple Hill University. In 2010, the campus was used to film portions of the television series The Gates
The Gates (TV series)
The Gates is an American supernatural crime drama television series that aired on the ABC network from June 20, 2010 to September 19, 2010. The show was canceled after its first season due to its poor ratings.-Plot:...
, using several of Centenary's buildings as the fictional Gates Academy.
Major buildings
- Magale Library is the most visible landmark on campus.
- Hargrove Memorial Band Shell is a 2,000-seat outdoor theater and host of traditional campus events, including the annual Summer Band Concert Series.
- Hurley Music Building is home to the Hurley School of Music.
- Jackson Hall is home to the Frost School of Business.
- Anderson Choral Building houses a state-of-the-art auditorium and practice facilities designed for various ensembles, including the Centenary Camerata, a choir dedicated to high level performances of choral works from the Middle Ages to the 21st century, and the Centenary College Choir, a choral group that has performed on six continents and received seven consecutive invitations to perform at the White House for two presidents.
- Feazel Instrumental Hall house state-of-the-art orchestral music space.
- The Marjorie Lyons Playhouse, named for the wife of Louisiana RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
Charlton LyonsCharlton LyonsCharlton Havard Lyons, Sr., also known as Big Papa Lyons , was a Shreveport oilman who in 1964 waged the first determined Republican bid for the Louisiana governorship since Reconstruction. Lyons also made a strong but losing bid for the United States House of Representatives in a special election...
, is home to the Department of Theatre and Dance and hosts several productions each year. - Mickle Hall, constructed in 1949-50, has been renovated to offer cutting-edge science classrooms and labs.
- The Samuel Peters Research Center houses the only Jack London museum east of San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. - The geodesic Gold Dome sports arena is host to numerous events, including basketball, volleyball and gymnastics competitions.
- Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College offers exhibitions throughout the year and hosts area school children for morning visits and arts education activities.
- The Centenary Fitness Center contains a competition-size swimming poolSwimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, an indoor running track, gymGymThe word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium, exercise and free-weight equipment areas and racquetballRacquetballFor other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
courts as well as specially equipped rooms for dance, aerobics, and classroom instruction.
Academics
The university offers 22 majors and 9 interdisciplinary minors in the traditional liberal arts, sciences and fine arts, and two graduate programs in education and business administration. Across all disciplines, Centenary stresses close interaction between students and faculty members. Undergraduate research is particularly emphasized.Student life
, the university enrolled 905 undergraduate and 107 graduate students. Fifty-nine percent of the first-year students came from the state of Louisiana, while 3 percent came from outside the United States. The medianMedian
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
composite ACT
ACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
score of incoming students was 26. Full-time faculty numbered 96, 94 percent of whom held a terminal degree in their field.
Centenary hosts six social fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. For the women there is Chi Omega
Chi Omega
Chi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....
and Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha is a women's fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. The Executive office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana...
. For the men there is Theta Chi
Theta Chi
Theta Chi Fraternity is an international college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 as the Theta Chi Society, at Norwich University, Norwich, Vermont, U.S., and was the 21st of the 71 North-American Interfraternity Conference men's fraternities.-Founding and early years at Norwich:Theta...
, Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
, Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
, Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent...
, and Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
, who has a joint charter from Centenary and Louisiana State University in Shreveport
Louisiana State University in Shreveport
Louisiana State University in Shreveport is a branch of the Louisiana State University System in Shreveport, Louisiana. Opened in 1967, LSUS is the only public four-year university in the Shreveport-Bossier metro area....
. The school hosts chapters of several academic honor organizations, including Sigma Alpha Iota, Omicron Delta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa, or ΟΔΚ, also known as The Circle, or more commonly ODK, is a national leadership honor society. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, by 15 student and faculty leaders. Chapters, known as Circles, are located on over 300...
, Alpha Chi, Kappa Pi, and Sigma Tau Delta
Sigma Tau Delta
Sigma Tau Delta is an international collegiate honor society for students of English. It presently has over 800 active chapters located in Europe, the Caribbean, the United States, and 1 chapter in the Middle East , with more than 1,000 faculty sponsors...
.
Radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
KSCL
Kscl
KSCL 91.3-FM is the student-run College radio station broadcasting from the campus of Centenary College of Louisiana. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day to the cities of Shreveport, Bossier City, and other surrounding communities. KSCL was Shreveport's first public radio station. The station is...
91.3FM broadcasts from the campus, a progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
community radio station dedicated to community events and alternative music
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, from college rock
College rock
College rock is a term that was used in the United States to describe 1980s alternative rock before the term "alternative" came into common usage. The term's use of the word "college" refers to campus radio stations located at institutions of higher education in Canada and the United States, where...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
to local Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
music and zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
.
The Conglomerate, Centenary's independent press, is a weekly publication that circulates 20 issues per academic year. The paper is staffed entirely by students, and is paid for by student fees and advertisement. Originally called The Maroon and White, the paper changed its name to The Conglomerate in 1923.
The Centenary Film Society is a student-led organization under faculty advisory that is dedicated to introducing both independent and foreign films to the student body as well as the surrounding community.
Athletics
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division III's American Southwest Conference
American Southwest Conference
The American Southwest Conference is a college athletic conference, founded in 1996, whose member schools compete in the NCAA's Division III. The schools are located in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi...
(ASC). Prior to July 2011, the college was a member of The Summit League in NCAA Division I. Centenary was the smallest Division I school in the country. Centenary will be moving to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference , founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas...
(SCAC) beginning in the 2012-2013 season.
The school is well-known for its basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
prominence in the late 1970s being the college for NBA great Robert Parish
Robert Parish
Robert Lee Parish is a retired American basketball center. He was known for his strong defense and jump shooting, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003...
, and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
ability—in the early 1980s PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
golfer Hal Sutton
Hal Sutton
Hal Evan Sutton is an American professional golfer.Sutton was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. A promising golfer at the Centenary College of Louisiana, he was named Golf Magazines 1980 College Player of the Year...
played there. The school sport's nickname is the gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
; the women's sports' nickname is the lady
Lady
The word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman...
. Prior to adopting the Gentleman nickname, Centenary's football team was known as the Old Ironsides and had a reputation as a fearsome and powerful team with a penchant for playing rough. To clean up their image, they selected the Gentleman nickname.
Recently, a student driven initiative asked for a mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
to compliment to the Ladies and Gents. From Centenary's website, "In recent years, Centenary has examined the role and impact of the mascot through informal SGA student/faculty forums, alumni surveys and questionnaires, the campus diversity climate assessment and so on. At the end of last school year, a Mascot Inquiry committee was formed by SGA to discuss this ongoing issue. The students have been asking for a mascot that inspires enthusiasm. We respect the student’s request for the addition of a mascot for the school and want to create an identity that embodies our history, tradition and uniqueness." The new mascot was announced at halftime of the Men's Basketball game 6 December 2007. The winner was Catahoula
Catahoula Leopard Dog
The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog or Catahoula cur is an American dog breed. It is named after Catahoula Parish in the state of Louisiana in the United States. The Catahoula is believed to have occupied North America the next longest after the dogs descended from Native American-created breeds...
and Rick DelaHaya, Director of Marketing, surprised the crowd by bringing out a Catahoula named Skeeter (SKEE-Tur) which the College has rescued from an animal shelter in Houston, Texas. Officially, the school has two mascots in the Gentlemen/Ladies and the Catahoulas, though all sports teams are still known as the Gents and Ladies. It seems that support for the Catahoulas mascot has dropped in recent years.
College of Louisiana (Jackson, LA)
- Jeremiah Chamberlain (1826–1829)
- Henry H. Gird (1829–1834)
- James ShannonJames ShannonJames Michael Shannon , also known as Jim Shannon, is a Democratic politician from Massachusetts. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and later as the Massachusetts Attorney General....
(1835–1840) - William B. Lacey (1841–1845)
Centenary College of Louisiana (Jackson, LA)
- David O. Shattuck (1844–1848)
- Augustus Baldwin LongstreetAugustus Baldwin LongstreetAugustus Baldwin Longstreet was an American lawyer, minster, educator, and humorist, known for his book Georgia Scenes.-Biography:...
(1848–1849) - Richard H. RiversRichard H. RiversRichard H. Rivers was a nineteenth century educator. He was president of Centenary College of Louisiana from 1849 to 1853 and president of La Grange College in Florence, Alabama after that...
(1849–1853) - John C. Miller (1855–1866)
- William H. Watkins (1866–1871)
- Charles G. Andrews (1871–1882)
- D. M. Rush (1882–1885)
- T. A. S. Adams (1885–1888)
- W. L. C. Hunnicutt (1888–1894)
- Charles W. CarterCharles W. CarterCharles W. Carter was an Alaskan politician and the eighth mayor of Juneau, Alaska, from 1913 to 1914. He was a citizen of Alaska by 1901...
(1894–1898) - Inman J. Cooper (1898–1902)
- Henry B. Carre (1902–1903)
- Charles C. Miller (1903–1906)
Centenary College of Louisiana (Shreveport, LA)
- William Lander Weber (1907–1910)
- Felix R. Hill (1910–1913)
- Robert H. Wynn (1913–1918)
- W. R. Bourne (1919–1921)
- George SextonGeorge SextonLighting and museum designer, George Sexton, was born in the late 1940s in New England, USA.-Life:Sexton began studying at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1966 and received his Bachelor of Architecture Degree in 1971...
(1921–1932) - Bishop Angie Smith (interim, 1932–1933)
- Pierce Cline (1933–1945)
- Joe J. Mickle (1945–1964)
- Jack Stauffer Wilkes (1964–1969)
- John Horton Allen (1969–1976)
- Donald A. Webb (1977–1991)
- Kenneth L. Schwab (1991–2009)
- B. David Rowe (2009–present)
Notable alumni
- Brady BladeBrady BladeBrady L Blade Jr. is an American rock, pop and country drummer, record producer and composer, who currently resides in Stockholm, Sweden....
- American drummer, music producer, founded record label Brick Top Recordings LLC, and owner of Blade Studios. - Calhoun AllenCalhoun AllenLittleberry Calhoun Allen, Jr. , was from 1970 to 1978 a two-term Democratic mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, the state's third largest city. From 1962-1970, he was the municipal public utilities commissioner. He also served some two months as a "District B" city council member after his election in...
(1921–1991) - Shreveport mayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
from 1970–1978, utilities commissioner from 1962–1970, and city council member (1991) - Algie D. BrownAlgie D. BrownAlgie Dee Brown was a Shreveport attorney and a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948-1972. He served under governors Earl Kemp Long, Robert F. Kennon, James Houston "Jimmie" Davis, and John J. McKeithen...
(Class of 1934, 1910–2004) - Member of the Louisiana House of RepresentativesLouisiana State LegislatureThe Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from 1948–1972 - Sherri Smith CheekSherri Smith CheekSherri Smith Cheek is a businesswoman from Shreveport, Louisiana, who is a second-term Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 38...
- Member of the Louisiana Sttate SenateLouisiana State LegislatureThe Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
since 2004 - John William CorringtonJohn William CorringtonJohn William Corrington was an American movie and television writer, novelist, poet and lawyer. He received a B.A. degree from Centenary College, in 1956 and his M.A. from Rice University in 1960, the year he took on his first teaching position in the English Department at Louisiana State University...
- poet and author; one of the early televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
writing pioneers - Scott Durbin - Member of the children's music group Imagination MoversImagination MoversImagination Movers is a child-centered rock band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2003. The lineup includes Rich Collins, Scott Durbin, Dave Poche, and Scott "Smitty" Smith. Members of the group were longtime friends and neighbors....
- D. L. Dykes, Jr.D. L. Dykes, Jr.David Leroy "D.L." Dykes, Jr. , was the senior pastor from 1955-1984 of the large First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana...
(1917–1997) - pastor of First United Methodist Church in Shreveport from 1955–1984; urged racial harmony in civil rights movementCivil rights movementThe civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
; known for opposition to "Religious Right" - Lenny FantLenny FantLeonard O'Neil Fant, known as Lenny Fant , was from 1957–1979 the men's basketball coach of the University of Louisiana at Monroe Indians . During his tenure, Fant compiled a ULM record of 326–221. His 326-game record was topped in 1999 by one of his understudies, ULM Coach Mickael E...
(Class of 1950) - basketball coach at the University of Louisiana at MonroeUniversity of Louisiana at MonroeThe University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
, 1957–1979 - Thomas Wafer FullerThomas Wafer FullerThomas Wafer Fuller was an educator and newspaperman from Minden, Louisiana,who served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate from 1896 to 1900....
(Class of 1890) - state senator, newspaper publisher, Webster ParishWebster Parish, LouisianaWebster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
school superintendent - Lovette HillLovette HillLovette L. Hill was the fourth head coach of the Houston Cougars baseball team from 1950 to 1974. Hill holds the record for the longest serving head baseball coach in University of Houston history. While at Houston, Hill compiled a 343–325–5 record with five first place finishes in the Missouri...
- former head baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
coach for the University of HoustonUniversity of HoustonThe University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of... - Cal HubbardCal HubbardRobert Calvin Hubbard was a professional American football player and later an umpire in Major League Baseball, and is a member of three major sports halls of fame...
- former professional football player, member of Baseball Hall of Fame and the Professional Football Hall of Fame - Edward KennonEdward KennonFrancis Edward Kennon, Jr. , usually known as Ed Kennon is a multi-millionaire Shreveport real-estate developer and a former Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the regulatory body for oil, natural gas, and utilities. He represented north Louisiana on the commission for...
- Shreveport-area developer and former member of the Louisiana Public Service CommissionLouisiana Public Service CommissionLouisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
(1973–1984) - Clyde LeeClyde Lee (American football)Clyde Lee was an American football player and coach in the United States. He served as the head football coach at the University of Houston from 1948 to 1954, guiding the Cougars to a 37–32–2 record. Lee played his college career at Centenary College from 1930 to 1932 under Homer Norton...
- former head football coach for the University of HoustonUniversity of HoustonThe University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of... - Max T. MaloneMax T. MaloneMax Tatum Malone is the president of Malone Oil and Gas Exploration Company in Shreveport and a former Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate, in which he served from 1996 until January 14, 2008...
- former state senator from Caddo and Bossier parishes, businessman - Mike Mann - innovator in LasikLASIKLASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...
surgery. - Fred C. McClanahan (1918–2007) - businessman, United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
officer, congressional candidate in 1960 - Taylor Frost Moore (Class of 1969) - Shreveport businessman; owner of the former Shreveport Captains - now Frisco RoughRidersFrisco RoughRidersThe Frisco RoughRiders are currently the Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball club. The team plays in the Texas League, assigned to the South Division. Prior to 2003, the franchise was based in Shreveport, Louisiana, and were known as the Shreveport Captains...
; coached Centenary baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team, Centenary athletic director (2003–2006). Brother, Loy Moore, former trustee, manages family real estate, timber, oil and natural gas holdings in Bossier and Claiborne parishes - Charlotte MoormanCharlotte MoormanMadeline Charlotte Moorman Garside was an American cellist and performance artist.She was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. She studied cello from age ten and won a scholarship to Centenary College where she took her B.A. in music in 1955. She received her M.A...
- avant-garde performance artist - W. Darrell OverdykeW. Darrell OverdykeWilliam Darrell Overdyke was an American historian known particularly for his work on 18th- and 19th-century plantation homes in his adopted state of Louisiana as well as the anti-immigration Know Nothing political party in the American South.-Background:Overdyke was born in Cherokee near...
(Class of 1928, 1907-1973) - historian, faculty member ca. 1929 until his death. - Robert ParishRobert ParishRobert Lee Parish is a retired American basketball center. He was known for his strong defense and jump shooting, and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003...
- National Basketball Association Hall of Fame Center, nicknamed "The Chief" - Robert G. PughRobert G. PughRobert Gahagan Pugh, Sr., known as Bob Pugh , was a prominent attorney in Shreveport, Louisiana, who, as his local bar association president in 1970–1971, initiated the first prepaid legal services plan in the United States...
(Class of 1946, 1924–2007) - Shreveport attorney, civic leader, and gubernatorial advisor - E.S. RichardsonE.S. RichardsonEdwin Sanders Richardson, Sr., principally known as E. S. Richardson , was an educator who served from August 14, 1936, until 1941 as the president of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish. Previously, Richardson was the superintendent of schools in his native Webster...
(Class of 1936, 1875–1950) -- former president of Louisiana Tech UniversityLouisiana Tech UniversityLouisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings... - Edward White RobertsonEdward White RobertsonEdward White Robertson was a United States Representative from Louisiana. He was also the father of Samuel Matthews Robertson. He was born near Nashville, Tennessee. Robertson moved with his parents to Iberville Parish, Louisiana in 1825...
(1823–1887) -- United States Representative from Louisiana - Virginia SheheeVirginia SheheeVirginia Kilpatrick Shehee is a Shreveport businesswoman and civic leader and the first female state senator from District 38. She won her seat in the 1975 general election by 23 votes over incumbent Cecil K. Carter, Jr. and served a single term until 1980. She was defeated in 1979 by fellow...
(Class of 1943, born 1923) -- first woman elected to the Louisiana State SenateLouisiana State LegislatureThe Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
; businessBusinessA business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
woman and philanthropistPhilanthropistA philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes... - Linus A. SimsLinus A. SimsLinus Arthur Sims was an educator and administrator who was the driving force behind the establishment of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. In 1925, Sims created Hammond Junior College, which became the former Southeastern Louisiana College in 1928...
- educator who founded Southeastern Louisiana UniversitySoutheastern Louisiana UniversitySoutheastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
in HammondHammond, LouisianaHammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University... - Hal SuttonHal SuttonHal Evan Sutton is an American professional golfer.Sutton was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. A promising golfer at the Centenary College of Louisiana, he was named Golf Magazines 1980 College Player of the Year...
- PGA TourPGA TourThe PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
golfer; captain of the 2004 U.S. Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
team - J. Smith YoungJ. Smith YoungJohn Smith Young was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana. He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, but grew up in Arkansas on a family plantation. He attended Centenary College, graduating in 1855. After several years managing the plantation, he earned a law degree...
(1834–1916) was a member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Louisiana
Faculty and staff
- Bill JoyceWilliam Joyce (writer)William Joyce is an American author, illustrator, and filmmaker. Newsweek has called him one of the top 100 people to watch in the new millennium. His illustrations have appeared on numerous New Yorker covers and his paintings are displayed at national museums and art galleries. He lives with his...
- Creator of Rolie Polie Olie cartoon series; noted children's author and illustrator. - Earle LaborEarle LaborEarle Labor is the official biographer of novelist Jack London and curator of the Jack London Museum in Shreveport. He is also Wilson Professor of American Literature at Centenary College of Louisiana...
- Official biographerBiographyA biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of novelist Jack LondonJack LondonJohn Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
; curator of the Jack London Museum in Shreveport. - W. Darrell Overdyke - Louisiana historian; alumnus
- Walter M. LowreyWalter M. LowreyWalter M. Lowrey was an historian affiliated with Centenary College, a Methodist-institution in Shreveport, Louisiana, who was also a founding member of the Louisiana Historical Association....
- Louisiana historian - Arthur C. MorganArthur C. MorganArthur C. Morgan was an American sculptor, mostly of Louisiana political and business figures. Morgan's work can be seen across his home state of Louisiana and in the Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, DC. He and his wife Gladys B...
- sculptor
Other
- Rose Van ThynRose Van ThynRozette Lopes-Dias Van Thyn, known as Rose Van Thyn , was a survivor of the World War II Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, who as a naturalized United States citizen residing in Shreveport, Louisiana, was involved for three decades in education about the Holocaust.-The Holocaust:In 1942, when...
(1921–2010) - Holocaust survivor; AttawayDouglas F. AttawayDouglas F. "Doug" Attaway, Jr., was president and publisher of the defunct Shreveport Journal , a daily newspaper in northwest Louisiana. He was chairman of the board of KSLA-TV, the Shreveport, Louisisana CBS affiliate from 1966 until the channel was sold to Viacom in 1979...
Fellow in Civic Culture; Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2002; Van Thyn Endowed Professorship