Louisiana College

Louisiana College
Motto	Deo, Veritati, Patriae (God, Truth, Country)
Established	October 3, 1906
Type	Private coeducational university
Religious affiliation	Louisiana Baptist Convention
Endowment	USD $27,064,817 [3]
President	Dr. Joe W. Aguillard
Students	about 1,300
Location	Pineville, Louisiana, United States
Colors	Orange and Blue
Nickname	Wildcats
Website	lacollege.edu

Richard W. Norton Memorial Library at Louisiana College

Guinn Auditorium, named for former LC President Earl Guinn

Alexandria Hall houses the administrative offices and some academic departments at Louisiana College.

H.O. West Physical Education Building is named for Minden businessman and retailer Herman O. West (1900-1981), who was named LC board president in 1958.

Louisiana College Student Center named for Carroll and Elizabeth Hixson

Louisiana College is a private institution of higher education located in Pineville, in the central portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, it serves approximately 1,300 students. The college operates on a semester system, with two shorter summer terms. Although the college is affiliated with a group of Baptist churches, who make up the membership of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, students need not be a member of that denomination to attend.

The school colors are orange and blue, and their athletics teams are known as the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats.

History

Louisiana College, known as "LC", was founded on October 3, 1906, in Pineville, across the Red River from the larger Alexandria. The college began in tents with four professor and nineteen students. Since 2006, LC has reported an enrollment growth of 50 percent.

Baptist clergyman and educator Edwin O. Ware, Sr., is considered to have been the principal founder of the institution. He was from 1906 to 1907 the LC financial agent and its first president from 1908 to 1909. LC is the successor to two earlier Louisiana Baptist schools, Mount Lebanon College, sometimes called Mount Lebanon University, and Keatchie Female College. The first, a men's school founded in 1852 by the North Louisiana Baptist Convention, was located in the community of Mount Lebanon in Bienville Parish. The women's college, founded in 1857 by the Grand Cane Association of Baptist Churches, was located in the community of Keatchie in De Soto Parish south of Shreveport. After a history beset by financial difficulties, both schools came under the control of the Louisiana Baptist Convention in 1899. An Education Commission was selected by the state convention to administer the schools with the understanding that both would be succeeded by a more centrally located institution as soon as a suitable campus could be selected. When Louisiana College was opened in 1906, Mount Lebanon College closed, followed by Keatchie a few years later. Since the first class of nineteen students in 1906, more than ten thousand have since graduated from the institution.

Until 1921, Louisiana College was administered by the Education Commission. The new charter established a Board of Trustees. The first administrative head of Louisiana College was W. F. Taylor, whose title was chairman of the faculty. Since its opening under President Edwin Ware, LC has had these seven other presidents: Dr. W. C. Friley, in 1909; Dr. Claybrook Cottingham, in 1910; Dr. Edgar Godbold, in 1941; Dr. G. Earl Guinn, in 1951; Dr. Robert L. Lynn, in 1975; Dr. Rory Lee, in 1997; and Dr. Joe M. Aguillard, in 2005.

In 1941, Hal Monroe Weathersby (1885–1965) served as acting LC president. From 1911-1914, he was professor of Greek and history. From 1914 until his retirement in 1965, he was the dean of Louisiana College. Weathersby graduated from Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi, and the University of Chicago. The Weathersby Fine Arts Building is named in his honor. He and his wife, the former Matalee Thompson, had three children, Hal T. Weathersby, Scott M. Weathersby, and Rose W. Normand. A Baptist, Weathersby died in Pineville and is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

In 1959, the Louisiana Historical Association was reorganized in a statewide meeting on the LC campus. Edwin A. Davis, head of the history department at LSU and author of a popular Louisiana history textbook, became the first president of the new association.

Among the benefactors of Louisiana College has been the family of Simon W. Tudor of Pineville, who founded Tudor Construction Company in 1946. Tudor coached basketball, football, and baseball at the college in the 1910s. The men's dormitory Tudor Hall is named for him. Tudor was also chairman of the board of trustees from 1943-1953.

In 2012, the Louisiana Baptist Convention granted approval to Louisiana College to seek $12 million in donations from member churches within the state as part of the institution's $50 million capital improvements program. The $12 million will be earmarked for improvements in student housing. Cottingham Hall, built in 1941, is in particularly need of full renovation, roof, plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, and ventilation.

Southern Baptists
Background Christianity Protestantism Anabaptists General / Strict / Reformed Baptists Conservative resurgence
Doctrinal distinctives Biblical inerrancy Autonomy of the local church Priesthood of believers Two ordinances Individual soul liberty Separation of church and state Two offices
People List of SBC-affiliated people
Related organizations North American Mission Board International Mission Board LifeWay Christian Resources Woman's Missionary Union Religious Liberty Commission State conventions Baptist Press Canadian National Baptist Convention
Seminaries Golden Gate Midwestern New Orleans Southeastern Southern Southwestern

Campus

Louisiana College is situated on an 81-acre (330,000 m²) campus in Pineville. The school has twenty-five academic and residential buildings, which include:

• Alexandria Hall, constructed in 1920, houses most of the LC administrative offices, and the departments of history, business, human behavior, teacher education, English, and foreign languages.
• Cavanaugh Hall of Science, built in 1969, contains offices, classrooms and laboratory facilities for the departments of biology, chemistry, mathematics, and nursing. The building was named in 1975 to honor Charles J. Cavanaugh, an LC professor of biology from 1945 to 1977.
• Weathersby Fine Arts Building, completed in 1961 and completely renovated in 1993, contains the departments of art and music. The building features an exhibition gallery with adjacent storeroom and a 151-seat recital hall.
• Guinn Auditorium and Religious Education Center, built in 1973 in an earlier capital improvements program, is home to the religious studies department and contains the 300-seat Frances Bolton Chapel and the 1,800-seat Guinn Auditorium. The auditorium is home to the Gladys Tatum West pipe organ, a 185-rank, five manual Moeller organ, one of the largest pipe organs in the American South. The building is named in honor of Dr. G. Earl Guinn, a past LC president.
• Martin Performing Arts Center, built in 1992, houses the media communications, journalism, and theatre departments, a 400-seat black-box theatre, a television studio, and Radio KZLC, 95.5 MHz FM.
• H. O. West Physical Education Building, which contains a 4,800-seat gymnasium, a heated swimming pool, and the department of health and physical education, is named for the late retailerl H.O. West of Minden, Louisiana.
• Norton Library, which contains more than 130,000 volumes, 174,000 government documents, 75,000 items in microfilm and subscribes to over 500 periodicals. The building was built in 1955.
• Tudor Hall, a men's residence hall that has a capacity of 168 men. The building was constructed in 1957.
• English Village, a men's apartment complex open to upperclassmen, houses ninety-two students and is noted for its Lincoln Log style design.
• Church Hall, a former Methodist church, renovated into a men's residence hall, is open to upperclassmen and also houses the football fieldhouse and the security and information technology offices.
• Cottingham Hall, a women's residence hall, is named in honor of Claybrook Cottingham, a native of Virginia, who was the LC president from 1910 until 1941, when he became the president of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Built in 1940, Cottingham Hall houses three hundred women. It is the largest residential building on the campus. Oddly, another Cottingham Hall on the Louisiana Tech campus is a men's dormitory.
• College Drive Apartments, the newest building on the Louisiana College campus, being completed in 2001. This apartment building is open to upperclass women and can house forty-five.
• Hixson Student Center and Granberry Conference Center, constructed in 1997, is the hub of student activities. It houses the post office, a commons area, a game room, various student life offices, a short-order restaurant, and the campus bookstore.

Academics

Louisiana College awards the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Social Work, and Bachelor of General Studies degrees and offers more than seventy majors, minors and pre-professional programs. These programs are:

Division of Allied Health

• Associate of Allied Health in Physical Therapy
• Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology

Division of Business

• Bachelor of Science in Business Education
• Bachelor of Science in Economics & Finance
• Bachelor of Science in General Business
• Bachelor of Science in Management/Marketing
• Accounting (minor only)

Division of Christian Studies

• Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies
• Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education
• Biblical Languages (minor only)
• General Religion (minor only)
• Philosophy (minor only)

Division of Education

• Department of Teacher Education
  • Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
• Department of Health & Physical Education
  • Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training
  • Bachelor of Arts in Fitness & Wellness
  • Bachelor of Arts in Health & Physical Education

Division of History and Political Science

• Bachelor of Science in History
  • Pre-Law Studies
• Bachelor of Science in Public Administration
• Bachelor of Science in Social Studies Education
• Political Science (minor only)

Division of Human Behavior

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• Bachelor of Social Work
• Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
• Criminal Justice (minor only)

Division of Humanities

• Bachelor of Arts in English
• Bachelor of Arts in English Education
• Bachelor of Arts in French
• Bachelor of Arts in French Education
• Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Education
• Spanish (minor only)

Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

• Department of Biology
  • Bachelor of Science in Biology
    • Pre-Medical
    • Pre-Optometry
    • Pre-Occupational Therapy
    • Pre-Physical Therapy
    • Pre-Physician Assistant
    • Pre-Respiratory Therapy
    • Pre-Veterinary
  • Bachelor of Science in Biology Education
  • Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology
• Department of Chemistry
  • Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
    • Pre-Dental
    • Pre-Dental Hygiene
    • Pre-Pharmacy
  • Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Education
  • Bachelor of Science in Environmenal Science
• Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
  • Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
  • Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education
  • Computer Science (minor only)

Division of Nursing

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Division of Visual and Performing Arts

• Department of Art
  • Bachelor of Arts in Art Education
  • Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design
  • Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art
  • Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication
  • Bachelor of Arts in Web Design
• Department of Mass Communication and Theatre
  • Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts
  • Bachelor of Arts in Journalism
  • Bachelor of Arts in Media Communications
  • Bachelor of Arts in Technical Theatre
  • Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts
  • Journalism Education (minor only)
  • Speech Education (minor only)
  • Theatre Arts Education (minor only)
• Department of Music
  • Bachelor of Arts in Music
    • Pre-Music Therapy
  • Bachelor of Music in Church Music
  • Bachelor of Music in Music Education
  • Bachelor of Music in Music: Organ, Piano or Voice
  • Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance

Law school in Shreveport

On September 1, 2010, Louisiana College announced that it is building in downtown Shreveport the Judge Paul Pressler School of Law, named for the former justice of the Texas Court of Appeals from Houston, Paul Pressler, a long-time leader of the theological conservatives in the Southern Baptist Convention. J. Michael Johnson is the founding dean of the new institution. The formation of the law school was originally announced in 2007.

LC expects to place the law school in the former federal building named for the late U.S. Representative Joe D. Waggonner, Jr. Currently there is no law school within two hundred miles of the planned location. Johnson said that the school will "pursue academic excellence by use of a curriculum that directly acknowledges and embraces our Judeo-Christian heritage and the moral foundations of the American legal system. We want our students to learn and to study the history and philosophy of the law, but all of that will be grounded in what we call 'The Unchanging Foundation.' That is the motto of Louisiana College, and it will be for the law school as well."

Johnson said that the curriculum will be grounded on the ideas of the Declaration of Independence: a Creator God with inalienable rights. The American Founding Fathers, said Johnson, "believed if we moved away from those truths, and the Natural law philosophy, we would be in trouble . . . So their admonition to us was to . . . interpret the Constitution very carefully and according to its original intent because if we fail to do that, we would drift away from the moorings. It is a perilous position, and that is where we find outselves today."

A board of reference has been named to advise regarding the establishment of the law school, including the two area U.S. Representatives John C. Fleming and Rodney Alexander. Others on the board include Alveda C. King, founder of King for America, Inc.; Tim LaHaye of Tim LaHaye Ministries, Beverly LaHaye of Concerned Women for America, psychologist James C. Dobson, David Barton of the group Wallbuilders, former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Associate Justice Jeffrey P. Victory of the Louisiana Supreme Court, and Richard Land, the president of the SBC Liberty Commission.

In 2012, Louisiana College was denied accreditation to offer law degrees by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Also in 2012, J. Michael Johnson resigned as dean of the law school, with President Joe Aguillard stating that Johnson had left because of a "great job offer".

Divinity School

On December 15, 2010, the Louisiana College trustees received a $1 million contribution from an anonymous foundation in order to launch a divinity school at Louisiana College. This is Louisiana College's third announced graduate school since 2008. The school is named the Caskey School of Divinity, after a Southern Baptist minister who "tirelessly worked and evangelized in Louisiana". The founding dean for the school is Dr. Charles Quarles, who is currently serving as the Vice President for Integration of Faith and Learning and Research Professor of New Testament and Greek in the Christian Studies Division. Currently Louisiana College is able to grant up to the master's degree under Level 3 status of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The school began classes in Fall 2011. The school planned to initially accept up to one hundred students with free tuition, something unprecedented. Dr. Quarles explained the goals of the Caskey School of Divinity:

"Louisiana College will establish a divinity school that will train coming generations of Christian leaders:

1. To correctly handle the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15)
2. To preach the word (2 Tim 4:2)
3. To emphasize the great truths of the Christian faith in their preaching and teaching(1 Tim 4:16)
4. To share the gospel passionately with the lost (2 Tim 4:5)
5. To model outstanding Christian character (1 Tim 3)."

Dr. Charles Quarles

In April 2013, Dr. Quarles resigned from Louisiana College.

Meanwhile, funding of the divinity school came into question. The Cason Foundation, which donated $5 million to LC to fund the divinity school, announced that it will no longer financially support the college because of "actions of President (Joe) Aguillard which we believe to be unethical and potentially illegal." Edgar and Flo Cason, who established the foundation, informed LC trustees by letter on April 15 that it would end its ties to LC. A probe into the matter by a law firm in New Orleans claims that Aguillard had improperly diverted nearly $60,000 in divinity school donations to LC projects in Tanzania, Africa. Five LC board members, however, have defended Aguillard and maintain that he did not act improperly regarding the funds. Cason further questioned why the LC trustees did not permit him to address the board at its March meeting.

A special committee of the trustees voted 4-3 to clear Aguillard of wrongdoing in regard to the diverted funds. One of the dissenting votes was cast by Tony Perkins, a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the president of the Family Research Council. Perkins subsequently questioned in an email to the Reverend Kris Chenier, chairman of the special panel and the pastor of the Trinity Heights Baptist Church in Shreveport, why the committee had implied that the vote to clear Aguillard had been unanimous, rather than by the one-vote margin.On April 30, the trustees called a special meeting to consider the dispute over the divinity school. Trustees voted to retain Aguillard as president and laid spiritual hands over him. It was not disclosed how many of the thirty-four trustees were present for the special meeting or the breakdown of the vote, but the trustees declared the matter closed for further consideration.

Notable professors

• Maurice J. Davis (1921-2013), Alabama native, education professor and director of student teaching, on the faculty from 1964 to 1989
• Helen Derr, journalism professor, formerly religion editor of Alexandria Daily Town Talk
• George E. Hearn, psychology professor, 1965–2000
• F. Jay Taylor, historian and later president of Louisiana Tech University
• Simon W. Tudor, athletic coach
• Bennett Strange, professor of communications

Student Life

Students cheer during a 2010 football game against LC rival Mississippi College. LC won.

Student life at Louisiana College is vibrant and energetic. One of the things which sets LC apart from other schools is its commitment to promoting a Christian atmosphere. As a result of this commitment, LC provides a student life setting in which one is often surrounded with peers who love Christ and are active in the church. Because LC is a small school it fosters a small community environment where most students are familiar with each other. On October 25, 2008 LC inaugurated a new football field which brought the first stadium to the campus in 40 years. Since the new Wildcat Field students at LC have worked towards fostering new traditions centered around athletic/intramural events. Overall development amongst the student body is new and growing as the college grows larger and evolves. LC is still in a state of growth and expansion and has been experiencing record setting enrollment within the past few years.

Traditions at LC

The Marriage Swing in front of Cottingham Hall

Toilet paper hanging from the trees from the annual rolling of Cottingham Forest during Mom's weekend

Louisiana College have several treasured traditions carried out by its students. While LC lacks a large variety of student organizations, traditions are handed down mostly through word of mouth. One of the first traditions learned about at LC is the marriage swing located in front of Cottingham Hall. Legend holds that if a couple sits on the swing at the same time they are destined to be married. This of course leads to apprehension to sit on the swing, although many take their chances. Several have even proposed at the marriage swing. Another tradition held is the annual rolling of Cottingham Forest during Mom's Weekend. Every year LC holds a Mom's Weekend event when girls and their moms share time together on campus. On the first night of this weekend the male students of LC collect toilet paper and use it to TP the trees immediately in front of Cottingham Hall. In the morning the girls awake to a white wintery wonderland. Another tradition is the fabled Moses statue in front of the Weathersby Fine Arts Building. Legend says that it holds the power of good luck. This power is conferred upon an individual when he/she rubs the top of his head. This phenomenon has been investigated by many, but few are able to offer sufficient explanations for it. Throughout the school year Louisiana College holds several annual events. Homecoming Honey is an event held during homecoming week; male students compete for the hotly contested title of "homecoming honey" by showing off their talents and personalities. The winner is then selected by panel of judges. Christmas Gala is a treasured tradition at Louisiana College. This is LC's equivalent of prom without a dance. Students bring a date to a formal dinner and enjoy well prepared meals. After the meal students file into Guinn Auditorium for a Christmas presentation put on by professors and students. During this presentation the Gala Court is announced and presented to the student body. Cochon De Lait is another event put on by LC's Union Board. Cochon is a campus-wide crawfish boil with all you can eat crawfish. This event is much anticipated and students' families often participate. There are often inflatable games and live music.

Athletics

Louisiana College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Wildcats are a member of the American Southwest Conference (ASC); and formerly competed in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball and tennis.

Notable people

• Chris Broadwater, current District 86 state representative from Tangipahoa Parish
• Jimmie Davis (1899-2000), popular singer and Louisiana governor (1944–1948 and 1960–1964)
• Nelder Dawson (1928–2006), Alexandria Daily Town Talk newspaper executive
• Winston De Ville (born 1937), noted Louisiana genealogist and publisher
• B.G. Dyess (1922-2013), Baptist minister, former state senator and former Rapides Parish registrar of voters
• Lenny Fant (1923–1998) coached basketball at LC from 1953–1954; he was thereafter the award-winning coach at the University of Louisiana at Monroe from 1957-1979.
• Eric W. Harris (1916-2007), Alexandria businessman and founder of first Jaycees chapter in Louisiana; attended Louisiana College for two years
• Rufus D. Hayes (1913–2002), first Louisiana insurance commissioner, 1957–1964
• Jack Holt (Louisiana judge), attorney, first Pineville municipal judge, served for twenty-one years; businessman, land developer, conservationist
• Guy E. Humphries, Jr. (1923–2010), state court judge and co-founder of the Renaissance Home for Youth
• Claude Kirkpatrick (1917–1997), member of Louisiana House of Representatives (1952–1960) from Jefferson Davis Parish, director of Louisiana Department of Public Works (1960–1964), candidate for governor in 1963, instigator of Toledo Bend Reservoir, president of Baton Rouge General Hospital, and builder of three shopping centers
• Edith Killgore Kirkpatrick (born 1918), member of Louisiana Board of Regents; state Baptist official; wife of Claude Kirkpatrick
• Richard Land (born 1946), member of Board of Reference for establishment of Judge Paul Pressler School of Law in Shreveport
• George S. Long (1883-1958), U.S. representative from the defunct Eighth Congressional District
• Garnie W. McGinty (1900–1984), Louisiana historian began his studies at LC but graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches
• Baylus Benjamin McKinney (1886-1952), singer, songwriter, and music editor
• Tinka Milinović, singer, model, actress, dancer and television host
• E. R. Minchew (1908–2001), B.A. (1929), educator
• Arnold Jack Rosenthal (1923–2010) businessman, attorney, former Alexandria city commissioner (1973–1977) attended LC before transferring to Tulane University
• Morris Shapiro (1910–2008), Alexandria city attorney (1973–1977); former Rapides Parish School Board member
• Joe D. Smith, Jr. (1922–2008), publisher, general manager, and chairman of the board of the Alexandria Daily Town Talk
• Simon W. Tudor (1887-1956), educator and Pineville construction company owner

External links

• Louisiana College official website
• Louisiana College official athletics website
• Faith Forward
• 95.5 FM KZLC Radio
• The Wildcat Newspaper