University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Encyclopedia
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette
, Louisiana
, in the heart of Acadiana
. It is the largest campus within the eight-campus University of Louisiana System
and is the second largest university in the state of Louisiana.
Founded in 1900 as an industrial institute, the university developed into a four-year college in the 1920s and became known by its present name in 1999. Concurrently the university evolved into a national research and doctoral university as noted by its Carnegie
categorization as a RU/H: research university (high research activity). It offers Louisiana's only PhD in francophone studies
and the only industrial design
degree. The university has achieved several milestones in computer science
, engineering
and architecture
. It is also home to a distinct College of the Arts.
Campus:UL Lafayette's campus
consists of 137 acre
s (554,000 m²) lined by live oak
trees planted in 1900. Its quadrangle
is encircled by a "Walk of Honor" path which contains more than 80,000 bricks bearing the names of every graduate, beginning with the first graduating class of 1903.
Also centered in the main campus is Cypress Lake
, a swamp-like microcosm of the nearby Atchafalaya Basin
, home to alligators, turtles, birds and fish.
Athletic complex:The athletic complex and Cajundome
sit on 243 acres (983,000 m²). The complex also includes Cajun Field
, Blackham Coliseum
, Cajun Courts at the Culotta Tennis Center, and several other athletic facilities for training and competitions, fraternity and sorority rows, and the physical education and recreational facilities.
Research park:Adjacent to the athletic complex is the University Research Park of 148 acres (599,000 m²), which is home to the National Wetlands Research Center
, a NASA
Regional Application Center, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nearby Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology has 51 acres (206,000 m²).
Renewable resources labs:The university has a 600 acres (2.4 km²) farm
/renewable resources laboratory with a 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) pond for crawfish and catfish
culture in Cade, Louisiana. It also has a 48 acres (194,249.3 m²) New Iberia Research Center in New Iberia, Louisiana
, which is among the world's largest private non-human, primate
breeding colonies. The university also has a horse farm in the center of Lafayette
and several other farmlands around Acadiana
.
Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum
The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum permanent collection consists of more than 1,500 works of art, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and photographs. This collection represents 18th, 19th and 20th century Louisiana
, as well as the United States, Europe and Japan
.
Traveling shows featuring work from national and internationally known artists such as Mark Rothko
, James McNeil Whistler, Andrew Wyeth
, Christopher Rauschenberg, Robert Rauschenberg
, Deborah Butterfield
and Pablo Picasso
have been featured regularly. The museum also holds end-of-the-semester art shows featuring thesis work of graduating students of College of the Arts.
KRVS radio station
KRVS
88.7FM is a listener-supported public radio station facility currently licensed to UL Lafayette. KRVS operates on campus, located in Burke-Hawthorne Hall and plays local music such as Cajun
, Zydeco
, Swamp Rock, Swamp Pop
, Blues
, Jazz
, and a variety of other programs. KRVS currently broadcasts to 651,000 residents in the Acadiana
area of Louisiana
. KRVS also broadcasts live from Festival International
every April in support of local art and music.
RU/H: Research University (high research activity). UL Lafayette reported $51 million in external research funding from state, federal, private and self-generated funds for 2008. The university was rated one of the top 100 public research universities in the nation according to a 2010 report by The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
. Several research projects are in partnership with the National Wetlands Research Center housed in the university's research park.
, engineering
, computer science
fields as well as others, allowing use of its facilities to increase local business and furthering of the technological economy in Lafayette. Some of the UL Lafayette research projects using or supported by LITE include:
. All undergraduate programs at UL Lafayette that are eligible for accreditation by professional agencies are accredited. The UL Lafayette Honors Program is an active member of the Louisiana, Southern Regional, and National Honors Councils. The university graduates about 1,100 students each fall and spring.
The university offers 78 undergraduate degree programs, 27 master's degree
programs, and 8 Doctor of Philosophy
programs, which include applied language and speech sciences
, biology
, computer engineering
, computer science
, educational leadership, English
, francophone studies
and mathematics
. UL Lafayette has 10 colleges and schools:
The only Louisiana university with a separate College of the Art
s, it combines architecture, the visual arts and the performing arts. The college offers the only industrial design degree in Louisiana.
B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Originally named the College of Commerce, it was established in 1952 and renamed the College of Business Administration in 1980. In 2003 it was renamed the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration after a donor to the college's endowment.
College of Education
College of Engineering
General Studies
Graduate School
The school offers the only doctoral program in francophone studies in Louisiana. The school's doctoral program in cognitive science is in the process of being phased out.
College of Liberal Arts
College of Nursing & Allied Health Professions
Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
University College
The UL Lafayette Press is the largest academic publisher of Louisiana-related works and the second-largest academic publisher overall in the state. The press has been publishing since 1973 and previously imprinted under the Center for Louisiana Studies prior to 2009.
Louisiana History
The journal Louisiana History is published quarterly through UL Lafayette by the Louisiana Historical Association
. LHA was founded in New Orleans
in 1889.
Louisiana Center for Cultural & Eco-Tourism
The center's research division houses the world's largest collection of Cajun and Creole folklore, oral history, and folklife materials and some of the nation's largest microfilm collections of French and Spanish colonial records.
CajunBot
In 2004, UL Lafayette students and faculty produced CajunBot
, one of 25 autonomous vehicles that competed in the U.S. Department of Defense 2004 & 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge
s as well as the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. CajunBot, which was featured on CNN
and on the Discovery Channel
science series Robocars, used artificial intelligence
and GPS positioning to navigate a designated route while detecting and avoiding obstacles.
CAPE
A group of UL Lafayette engineering students participating in the Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment (CAPE) built a small artificial satellite
, known as a CubeSat
, that was launched into orbit from the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2007.
BeauSoleil
In January 2008, The UL Lafayette School of Architecture Design was selected to participate in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. The entry of the Louisiana Solar Home named BeauSoleil took first place in market viability and was awarded the "People's Choice".
Young Professional Organization Chapters:
UL Lafayette offers a variety of young professional organizations associated with fields of study that routinely perform public services and interact with as well as promote local economic and environmental growth, public service projects or awareness.
Academic National Organizations
Vermilion Newspaper
UL Lafayette publishes a weekly newspaper, established in 1904, named the Vermilion Newspaper . The newspaper is run by a student staff with faculty oversight and features local stories on music, art, business and campus events. The newspaper also works closely with the local newspaper The Lafayette Daily Advertiser
concerning printing of the publication. The newspaper has a running tradition of publishing an April Fool's edition in which humorous and parody stories are run as an Onion
-like satire. The Vermilion has earned many SPJ journalist awards for published work since its inception.
The Vermilion has changed formats many times in its inception, ranging from a magazine cover and layout, to a traditional newspaper format. It has also run various in-house projects chronicling the night life and cultural events in Lafayette in an attempt to connect students with the local culture.
L'Acadien Yearbook
Instituted in the first years of the University, L'Acadien yearbook is an annual publication chronicling the events and student life on campus. The Yearbook is staffed by students with a faculty oversight. The staff then holds a "Yearbook Day" in the Student Union passing out free yearbooks as soon as they are published. The staff holds positions that include graphic designers and journalists, among others.
Greek life
UL Lafayette has several social, Greek-letter fraternities and sororities that date back to 1920.
UL Lafayette's sports teams participate in NCAA
Division I (I FBS for football
) in the Sun Belt Conference
. National sports media often refer to the university as Louisiana–Lafayette.
The Ragin' Cajuns compete in 16 NCAA sports teams (8 men's, 8 women's teams), including baseball, basketball (men's and women's), cross country (men's and women's), football, softball, women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's golf, tennis (men's and women's), and track and field (men's and women's, indoor and outdoor).
The athletic program formally began in 1904 with a track and field program. In recent years, the softball team has been among the most successful of all Ragin' Cajun teams, having won nine regular season championships, nine conference tournament championships, and earning five appearances in the Women's College World Series
. The baseball, men's tennis, men's basketball, and football teams have won conference championships.
, Pulitzer nominee, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series; from entertainment Marc Breaux
, choreographer of movies such as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Richard Simmons
, TV fitness personality; from government: Kathleen Blanco
, former Louisiana governor (2004–2008), John Breaux
, former US senator (1987–2005), and Paul Hardy
, former Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
. Two military alumni Charles B. DeBellevue
and Jefferson J. DeBlanc
were recognized as flying ace
s; DeBlanc also was awarded the Medal of Honor
.
Also several distinguished faculty members have taught at the university, such as John Kennedy Toole
, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Confederacy of Dunces
, Ernest J. Gaines, nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature and a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Paul Prudhomme
, American celebrity chef, Elemore Morgan, Jr.
, internationally-known landscape painter, and Burton Raffel
, poet noted for his translation of Cervantes's Don Quixote.
Several football alumni have played in the National Football League
, including Jake Delhomme
(Cleveland Browns
), Brian Mitchell (retired), Brandon Stokley
(Denver Broncos
), Ike Taylor
(Pittsburgh Steelers
), Charles Tillman
(Chicago Bears
). Several baseball alumni have played in the Major Leagues, including Ron Guidry
, retired (New York Yankees
), who won the Cy Young Award. Kim Perrot
played for the Houston Comets
, helping them to win two WBNA
championships. Other alumni include Olympic track and field medalist Hollis Conway
and world-title trampolinist Leigh Hennessy
, who holds the record for winning the most US national championships for women. Two alumni were inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame
: Chris Cagle
and Weldon Humble.
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
, 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...
, in the heart of Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
. It is the largest campus within the eight-campus University of Louisiana System
University of Louisiana System
The University of Louisiana System is one of four public university systems in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its headquarters are in the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge.-History and diversification:...
and is the second largest university in the state of Louisiana.
Founded in 1900 as an industrial institute, the university developed into a four-year college in the 1920s and became known by its present name in 1999. Concurrently the university evolved into a national research and doctoral university as noted by its Carnegie
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
categorization as a RU/H: research university (high research activity). It offers Louisiana's only PhD in francophone studies
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
and the only industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
degree. The university has achieved several milestones in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. It is also home to a distinct College of the Arts.
History
Timeline
- 1900 - Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute (SLII) established.
- 1901 - SLII opened Sept. 18 with 100 students and eight faculty members.
- 1903 - 18 students were the first to graduate from SLII.
- 1920 - Began a four-year course culminating with a bachelor of arts degree.
- 1921 - SLII was changed into the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (SLI).
- 1960 - SLI became the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL).
- 1984 - USL attempted to change its name to the University of Louisiana, which only lasted less than a month until overturned by a district court.
- 1997 - University's privately-held assets reach $75 million.
- 1999 - USL was renamed the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Notable firsts
- 1954 - Within months of the Brown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, SLI admitted 70 African American students, to become the first all white college in the Deep SouthDeep SouthThe Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
to achieve racial desegregationDesegregationDesegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
. - 1961 - Established the first university chapter of the Association for Computing MachineryAssociation for Computing MachineryThe Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
(ACM) for students. It is name the ACM Alpha Student Chapter - 1962 - Offered the first master of scienceMaster of ScienceA Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in computer scienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
in the U.S. - 1994 - Created North America's first francophoneFrancophoneThe adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
studies Ph.D. program. - 2007 - The Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment (CAPE) successfully launches the State of Louisiana's first university student built satellite.
Campus and other facilities
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
consists of 137 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (554,000 m²) lined by live oak
Live oak
Live oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...
trees planted in 1900. Its quadrangle
Quadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
is encircled by a "Walk of Honor" path which contains more than 80,000 bricks bearing the names of every graduate, beginning with the first graduating class of 1903.
Also centered in the main campus is Cypress Lake
Cypress Lake (Lafayette, Louisiana)
Cypress Lake is a swamp-like lake in the heart of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus that started as a buffalo wallow. Today it is a unique university landmark that is a habitat for native irises, alligators, turtles, birds and fish, as well as a hangout for students and a point of...
, a swamp-like microcosm of the nearby Atchafalaya Basin
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north...
, home to alligators, turtles, birds and fish.
Athletic complex:The athletic complex and Cajundome
Cajundome
The Cajundome is a 13,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It is home to the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns basketball teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette Wildcatters of the Southern Indoor Football League and the Louisiana high school basketball state...
sit on 243 acres (983,000 m²). The complex also includes Cajun Field
Cajun Field
Cajun Field is a stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. Nicknamed The Swamp, it is the home field of the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns...
, Blackham Coliseum
Blackham Coliseum
Blackham Coliseum is a multipurpose arena in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was built on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus in 1949 as the home to the then-named SLI Bulldogs, now called the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball teams. It remained the home for the men's team...
, Cajun Courts at the Culotta Tennis Center, and several other athletic facilities for training and competitions, fraternity and sorority rows, and the physical education and recreational facilities.
Research park:Adjacent to the athletic complex is the University Research Park of 148 acres (599,000 m²), which is home to the National Wetlands Research Center
National Wetlands Research Center
The National Wetlands Research Center was founded in 1975 as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Biological Services. Its headquarters are located in Lafayette, Louisiana....
, a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Regional Application Center, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nearby Center for Ecology and Environmental Technology has 51 acres (206,000 m²).
Renewable resources labs:The university has a 600 acres (2.4 km²) farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
/renewable resources laboratory with a 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) pond for crawfish and catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
culture in Cade, Louisiana. It also has a 48 acres (194,249.3 m²) New Iberia Research Center in New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia is a city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747...
, which is among the world's largest private non-human, primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
breeding colonies. The university also has a horse farm in the center of Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
and several other farmlands around Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
.
The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum permanent collection consists of more than 1,500 works of art, including paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and photographs. This collection represents 18th, 19th and 20th century 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...
, as well as the United States, Europe and Japan
Japanese art
Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper and more recently manga, cartoon, along with a myriad of other types of works of art...
.
Traveling shows featuring work from national and internationally known artists such as Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
, James McNeil Whistler, Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
, Christopher Rauschenberg, Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations...
, Deborah Butterfield
Deborah Butterfield
Deborah Kay Butterfield is an American sculptor. She divides her time between a ranch in Bozeman, Montana and studio space in Hawaii...
and Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
have been featured regularly. The museum also holds end-of-the-semester art shows featuring thesis work of graduating students of College of the Arts.
KRVS radio station
KRVS
KRVS
KRVS is a radio station broadcasting a World Ethnic format. Licensed to Lafayette, Louisiana; it is currently owned by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and features programing from American Public Media, National Public Radio and Public Radio International.Programming covers various types...
88.7FM is a listener-supported public radio station facility currently licensed to UL Lafayette. KRVS operates on campus, located in Burke-Hawthorne Hall and plays local music such as Cajun
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
, 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...
, Swamp Rock, Swamp Pop
Swamp pop
Swamp rock is a musical genre indigenous to the Acadiana region of south Louisiana and an adjoining section of southeast Texas. Created in the 1950s and early 1960s by teenaged Cajuns and black Creoles, it combines New Orleans-style rhythm and blues, country and western, and traditional French...
, Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, 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...
, and a variety of other programs. KRVS currently broadcasts to 651,000 residents in the Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
area of 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...
. KRVS also broadcasts live from Festival International
Festival International
The Festival International de Louisiane is an annual music and arts festival held in Lafayette, Louisiana celebrating the French heritage of the region. The festival was first held in 1987 and has become very popular, attracting musicians, artists, and craftsmen from around the world...
every April in support of local art and music.
Research
The university is a member of the Southeastern Universities Research Association and is categorized as a CarnegieThe Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
RU/H: Research University (high research activity). UL Lafayette reported $51 million in external research funding from state, federal, private and self-generated funds for 2008. The university was rated one of the top 100 public research universities in the nation according to a 2010 report by The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
Wetlands research
The biology department has several distinguished professors who are contributing significantly to research on restoration of Louisiana's coastal wetlandsWetlands of Louisiana
The wetlands of Louisiana are water-saturated coastal and swamp regions of southern Louisiana.The Environmental Protection Agency defines wetlands as "those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal...
. Several research projects are in partnership with the National Wetlands Research Center housed in the university's research park.
LITE
In 2006 the university inaugurated the $29M technology initiative LITE Center, which offers the largest known three-dimensional-immersive auditorium for visualization of fully interactive 3D models and data sets for seismic analysis, computer-aided modeling, product stress test analysis and a host of other applications that require visualization of large data sets for scientists. The center collaborates with students in the architectureArchitecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
fields as well as others, allowing use of its facilities to increase local business and furthering of the technological economy in Lafayette. Some of the UL Lafayette research projects using or supported by LITE include:
- Visualization of geophysical, topographic, and LIDAR data; Kinsland/Geology, Borst/CACS
- LITE hosting Digital Media Stock Machine; Richard/Cinematic Arts Workshop
- CajunBotCajunBotCajunBot refers to the autonomous ground vehicles developed by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for the DARPA Grand Challenges. CajunBot was featured on CNN and on the Discovery Channel science series ....
/Robot in virtual and real environments; Lakhotia/CACS - Weather forecast simulations of extreme rainfall; Habib/Civil Engineering
- Software tools for creation of outdoor scenes from LIDAR data; Chu/CACS
- Virtual Reality Welder Trainer; Reiners/CACS, et al.
- 3rd Generation Omnidirectional Treadmill; Cruz-Niera/Computer Engineering, et al.
Academic profile
UL Lafayette is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
. All undergraduate programs at UL Lafayette that are eligible for accreditation by professional agencies are accredited. The UL Lafayette Honors Program is an active member of the Louisiana, Southern Regional, and National Honors Councils. The university graduates about 1,100 students each fall and spring.
The university offers 78 undergraduate degree programs, 27 master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
programs, and 8 Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
programs, which include applied language and speech sciences
Applied linguistics
Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of study that identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, computer engineering
Computer engineering
Computer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, educational leadership, English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, francophone studies
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. UL Lafayette has 10 colleges and schools:
Colleges and departments
College of the ArtsARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
The only Louisiana university with a separate College of the Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
s, it combines architecture, the visual arts and the performing arts. The college offers the only industrial design degree in Louisiana.
- The departments include: Architecture & Design, Fashion Design & Merchandising, Music, Performing Arts and Visual Arts
- The college has accreditation from the Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research (FIDER); the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB); the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), Commission on Accreditation; and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), Commission on Accreditation.
B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration
Originally named the College of Commerce, it was established in 1952 and renamed the College of Business Administration in 1980. In 2003 it was renamed the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration after a donor to the college's endowment.
- The departments include: Accounting, Economics & Finance, Human Resources, Information Systems & Multimedia Lab, Management, Management of Information Systems, Marketing & Legal Studies, Micro Business Development, Small Business Development
- The college has accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
College of Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
- The departments include: Counselor Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Foundations & Leadership, Kinesiology
- The college has accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
College of Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
- The departments include: Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Industrial Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering.
- The college has accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE).
General Studies
Bachelor of General Studies
A Bachelor of General Studies degree is an undergraduate degree, offered by many universities in the Western World. It is very similar to a Bachelor of Arts or Liberal Arts degree, although there are often fewer requirements for studies in humanities and social sciences...
Graduate School
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
The school offers the only doctoral program in francophone studies in Louisiana. The school's doctoral program in cognitive science is in the process of being phased out.
College of Liberal Arts
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...
- The departments include: humanities resource center, cognitive science, communication, communicative disorders, counselor education, criminal justice, cultural & eco-tourism, english, history & geography, Latin American studies, Louisiana studies, modern languages, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology/anthropology
- The college has accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); and the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
College of Nursing & Allied Health Professions
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
- The departments include: undergraduate nursing, graduate nursing, dental hygiene, dietetics
- The college has accreditation from the American Dietetic Association, Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).
Ray P. Authement College of Sciences
- The departments include: biology, chemistry, cognitive science, computer science, computer studies, geology, health information management, informatics, mathematics, military science, physics, renewable resources
- The college has accreditation from the American Chemical Society (ACS).
University College
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
- The departments and programs include: DOORS Program, ENTRÉE Program, 60-Plus Program, Summer Visitor Program, High School Dual Enrollment Program, Post Baccalaureate, On Site Program
Rankings
- "Best 373 Colleges" 2011, The Princeton ReviewThe Princeton ReviewThe Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
- "Best 300 Business Schools" 2011, The Princeton ReviewThe Princeton ReviewThe Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
- "Best Colleges 2011," Tier 2 designation in the national universities college category, U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
college rankings - "America's Best Colleges 2010" "from the student's point of view", ForbesForbesForbes 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...
Magazine. - "Best Southeastern Colleges" 2010, The Princeton Review
Academic achievements
University pressThe UL Lafayette Press is the largest academic publisher of Louisiana-related works and the second-largest academic publisher overall in the state. The press has been publishing since 1973 and previously imprinted under the Center for Louisiana Studies prior to 2009.
Louisiana History
The journal Louisiana History is published quarterly through UL Lafayette by the Louisiana Historical Association
Louisiana Historical Association
The Louisiana Historical Association is an organization of professional historians and interested laypersons dedicated to the preservation, publication, and dissemination of the history of the U.S. state of Louisiana, with particular emphasis at the inception on territorial, statehood, and the...
. LHA was founded in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
in 1889.
Louisiana Center for Cultural & Eco-Tourism
The center's research division houses the world's largest collection of Cajun and Creole folklore, oral history, and folklife materials and some of the nation's largest microfilm collections of French and Spanish colonial records.
CajunBot
In 2004, UL Lafayette students and faculty produced CajunBot
CajunBot
CajunBot refers to the autonomous ground vehicles developed by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for the DARPA Grand Challenges. CajunBot was featured on CNN and on the Discovery Channel science series ....
, one of 25 autonomous vehicles that competed in the U.S. Department of Defense 2004 & 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge
DARPA Grand Challenge
The DARPA Grand Challenge is a prize competition for driverless vehicles, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the most prominent research organization of the United States Department of Defense...
s as well as the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. CajunBot, which was featured on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
science series Robocars, used artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
and GPS positioning to navigate a designated route while detecting and avoiding obstacles.
CAPE
A group of UL Lafayette engineering students participating in the Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment (CAPE) built a small artificial satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
, known as a CubeSat
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...
, that was launched into orbit from the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2007.
BeauSoleil
In January 2008, The UL Lafayette School of Architecture Design was selected to participate in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. The entry of the Louisiana Solar Home named BeauSoleil took first place in market viability and was awarded the "People's Choice".
Student life
UL Lafayette students represent 53 states and possessions. More than 700 students hail from outside of the U.S.Organizations
Student Organizations:- Student Government Association
- The Graduate Council
Young Professional Organization Chapters:
UL Lafayette offers a variety of young professional organizations associated with fields of study that routinely perform public services and interact with as well as promote local economic and environmental growth, public service projects or awareness.
Academic National Organizations
- Phi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
(Independent Greek Fraternity) (1947) - Sigma Alpha IotaSigma Alpha IotaSigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public...
(1943)
Vermilion Newspaper
UL Lafayette publishes a weekly newspaper, established in 1904, named the Vermilion Newspaper . The newspaper is run by a student staff with faculty oversight and features local stories on music, art, business and campus events. The newspaper also works closely with the local newspaper The Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Lafayette Daily Advertiser
The Daily Advertiser is a Gannett daily newspaper based in Lafayette, the fourth largest city in Louisiana. The Daily Advertiser covers international, national, state, and local news in the six parishes of Lafayette, Acadia, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion. The publication circulates...
concerning printing of the publication. The newspaper has a running tradition of publishing an April Fool's edition in which humorous and parody stories are run as an Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
-like satire. The Vermilion has earned many SPJ journalist awards for published work since its inception.
The Vermilion has changed formats many times in its inception, ranging from a magazine cover and layout, to a traditional newspaper format. It has also run various in-house projects chronicling the night life and cultural events in Lafayette in an attempt to connect students with the local culture.
L'Acadien Yearbook
Instituted in the first years of the University, L'Acadien yearbook is an annual publication chronicling the events and student life on campus. The Yearbook is staffed by students with a faculty oversight. The staff then holds a "Yearbook Day" in the Student Union passing out free yearbooks as soon as they are published. The staff holds positions that include graphic designers and journalists, among others.
Greek life
UL Lafayette has several social, Greek-letter fraternities and sororities that date back to 1920.
| Fraternities | National Pan-Hellenic Council | Pan-Hellenic Council |
|---|---|---|
|
Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle... 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 ... Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University... Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin... Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos... Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I... Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana... Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean... |
Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the Fraternity and community. ΑΟΠ was founded on January 2, 1897 at Barnard College on the campus... (1956) Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:... (1957) Kappa Delta Kappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School , in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university... (1956) Phi Mu Phi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same year... (1956) Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma , also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women’s sorority with membership of more than 100,000 members. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference and hosts chapters on more than 110 college campuses and 89 alumnae chapters in communities all... (1931) |
Athletics
UL Lafayette's sports teams participate in NCAA
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 I (I FBS for football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
) in the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
. National sports media often refer to the university as Louisiana–Lafayette.
The Ragin' Cajuns compete in 16 NCAA sports teams (8 men's, 8 women's teams), including baseball, basketball (men's and women's), cross country (men's and women's), football, softball, women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's golf, tennis (men's and women's), and track and field (men's and women's, indoor and outdoor).
The athletic program formally began in 1904 with a track and field program. In recent years, the softball team has been among the most successful of all Ragin' Cajun teams, having won nine regular season championships, nine conference tournament championships, and earning five appearances in the Women's College World Series
Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series is the final portion of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship for college softball in the United States. The tournament format consists of two four-team double-elimination brackets. The winners of each bracket then compete in a best-of-three title game series...
. The baseball, men's tennis, men's basketball, and football teams have won conference championships.
Notable people
UL Lafayette is home to many outstanding alumni who have held posts as business bellwethers, government and military leaders, Olympic and professional athletes, artists and entertainers. For example, from literature: James Lee BurkeJames Lee Burke
James Lee Burke is an American author of mysteries, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won an Edgar Award for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose . The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones...
, Pulitzer nominee, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series; from entertainment Marc Breaux
Marc Breaux
Marc Breaux is an American choreographer and occasional film director best known for his work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of his well known work was in collaboration with Dee Dee Wood to whom he was married for many years...
, choreographer of movies such as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Richard Simmons
Richard Simmons
Milton Teagle Simmons , known professionally as Richard Simmons, is an American fitness personality who promotes weight-loss programs, most famously through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos and DVDs and is known for his eccentric, outgoing and frequently flamboyant personality...
, TV fitness personality; from government: Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
, former Louisiana governor (2004–2008), John Breaux
John Breaux
John Berlinger Breaux is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party...
, former US senator (1987–2005), and Paul Hardy
Paul Hardy
Paul Jude Hardy is a Baton Rouge attorney who was the first Republican to have been elected lieutenant governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction...
, former Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
The Office of Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current Lieutenant Governor is Jay Dardenne, a Republican...
. Two military alumni Charles B. DeBellevue
Charles B. DeBellevue
Colonel Charles Barbin “Chuck” DeBellevue is a retired officer in the United States Air Force. In 1972, while flying during the Vietnam War, DeBellevue became the first Air Force Weapon Systems Officer to become a flying "Ace". He was credited with a total of six MiG kills, the most earned by any...
and Jefferson J. DeBlanc
Jefferson J. DeBlanc
Jefferson Joseph DeBlanc was a World War II Marine Corps fighter pilot and ace — shooting down nine Japanese aircraft during two tours of duty in the Pacific at Guadalcanal and Okinawa — and a Medal of Honor recipient.-U.S...
were recognized as flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
s; DeBlanc also was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
.
Also several distinguished faculty members have taught at the university, such as John Kennedy Toole
John Kennedy Toole
John Kennedy Toole was an American novelist from New Orleans, Louisiana, best-known for his posthumously published novel A Confederacy of Dunces. He also wrote The Neon Bible. Although several people in the literary world felt his writing skills were praiseworthy, Toole's novels were rejected...
, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Confederacy of Dunces
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published by LSU Press in 1980, 11 years after the author's suicide. The book was published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy and Toole's mother Thelma Toole, quickly becoming a cult classic, and later a...
, Ernest J. Gaines, nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature and a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Paul Prudhomme
Paul Prudhomme
Paul Prudhomme is an American celebrity chef whose specialty is Cajun cuisine. He is also the owner of one of the top restaurants in New Orleans, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen.-Early life:...
, American celebrity chef, Elemore Morgan, Jr.
Elemore Morgan, Jr.
Elemore Morgan, Jr. was recognized among the South's landscape artists. His paintings of rice farms in Vermilion Parish have been widely exhibited from Paris to Los Angeles. Elemore Morgan Jr...
, internationally-known landscape painter, and Burton Raffel
Burton Raffel
Burton Raffel is a translator, a poet and a teacher. He has translated many poems, including the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, poems by Horace, and Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais. In 1964, Raffel recorded an album along with Robert P...
, poet noted for his translation of Cervantes's Don Quixote.
Several football alumni have played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, including Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
(Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
), Brian Mitchell (retired), Brandon Stokley
Brandon Stokley
Brandon Stokley is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
(Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
), Ike Taylor
Ike Taylor
Ivan "Ike" Taylor is an American football defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League...
(Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
), Charles Tillman
Charles Tillman
Charles "Peanut" Tillman is an American football cornerback for the Chicago Bears of the NFL. He was selected with the 35th overall pick of the 2003 NFL Draft.-Early years:...
(Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
). Several baseball alumni have played in the Major Leagues, including Ron Guidry
Ron Guidry
Ronald Ames Guidry , nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, retired (New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
), who won the Cy Young Award. Kim Perrot
Kim Perrot
Kim Perrot , was an American basketball player. She played in the WNBA for the Houston Comets.Perrot attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana , and played four years there as a guard...
played for the Houston Comets
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
, helping them to win two WBNA
WBNA
WBNA is an affiliate of the Ion Television network, located in Louisville, Kentucky and broadcasting over digital channel 8. WBNA is owned by Evangel World Prayer Center, an Assemblies of God megachurch in Louisville...
championships. Other alumni include Olympic track and field medalist Hollis Conway
Hollis Conway
Hollis Conway is a track and field All-American and two-time Olympic medalist. Conway was the top-ranked high jumper in the U.S. seven straight years from 1988–94 and in the world for two of those years...
and world-title trampolinist Leigh Hennessy
Leigh Hennessy
Leigh Hennessy was raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. She holds the record, according to the Guinness World Records, for winning the most US national championships for women. She has more recently had a career as an actress and stunt performer in the U.S...
, who holds the record for winning the most US national championships for women. Two alumni were inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
: Chris Cagle
Chris Cagle (football)
Christian "Red" Keener Cagle was a professional American football halfback and quarterback from 1930 to 1934, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.-College career:...
and Weldon Humble.