Southern University
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Southern University |
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| Motto | A People’s Institution Serving the State, the Nation, and the World |
| Established | 1880 |
| Type | Public Coeducational |
| Chancellor | Edward Jackson |
| President | Ralph Slaughter |
| Staff | 1,465[1] |
| Undergraduates | 8,964 |
| Postgraduates | 1,400 |
| Location | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Campus | Urban |
| Sports teams | Jaguars |
| Colors | Blue & Gold |
| Mascot | Lacumba the Jaguar |
| Website | www.subr.edu |
- For other Southern University campuses, see Southern University System.
Southern University and A&M College is one of the most well-known historically black colleges and universities. Southern is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the United States. The concept of Southern University was put forth by P. B. S. Pinchback, T. T. Allain, and Henry Demas as an institution "for the education of persons of color" at the 1879 Louisiana State Constitutional Convention. In April 1880, the Louisiana General Assembly chartered Southern University, originally located in New Orleans. Southern opened its doors on 1881-03-07 with twelve students. One of the original locations of the early campus was the former Israel Sinai Temple Synagogue on Calliope Street, between St. Charles and Camp streets in New Orleans. Southern became a land grant school in 1890, and an Agricultural and Mechanical department was established. Due to continued growth and a lack of land for expansion, the university relocated to what was then Scotlandville, along Scott's Bluff facing the Mississippi River in 1914.
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[edit] The "New" Southern University
The new president and first president of what is now known as Southern University at Baton Rouge was Dr. Joseph Samuel Clark. Clark, an outstanding citizen in the Baton Rouge African American community, presided over Baton Rouge College and the Louisiana Colored Teachers Association. The Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1921 authorized the reorganization and expansion of Southern University; and Legislative Act 100 of 1922 provided that the institution be reorganized under the control of the State Board of Education. Clark presided over Southern University during a transitionary period for the institution. The student enrollment grew from forty-seven students to 500 students and many of the school's early buildings were built during this time. Clark presided until his retirement in 1938, at which time the position was given to his son, Dr. Felton Grandison Clark, a renowned speaker and gentleman. Under his tenure, the university underwent tremendous growth. About 33 of 114 current buildings were erected in his 30 years at the university. The student enrollment grew from 500 to nearly 10,000 students and between him and his father, the treasury grew from $14,000 to $10,000,000. Due to the reluctance of LSU Law School to admit African Americans into its law program, a special Louisiana Convention allowed a law program to come to Southern University in 1947. The university was one of the first historically black colleges to receive a visit from a First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, in 1943. Also during Clark's tenure, Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) (1956) and Southern University at Shreveport/Bossier City (SUSLA) (1964) were founded. They were later incorporated into the Southern University System in 1974.
In 1969, the university saw a changing of the guard, when Felton Clark retired and Dr. Leon G. Netterville took over the reins of leadership. On November 16, 1972, two students involved with "Students United", a student protest group on the campus, Denver Smith and Leonard Brown, were shot and killed outside the Old Auditorium (now the Southern University Museum of Art). The murder, apparently committed by a patrolman, has never been solved. Nevertheless, the institution continued to grow and in 1974 a special session in the Louisiana Legislature established the Southern University System. The Southern University System consists of Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, (SUBR); Southern University, New Orleans (SUNO); Southern University, Shreveport (SUSLA is a two-year, commuter college) Southern University Law Center and The Southern University Agricultural Center.
Southern University and its northern Louisiana rival, Grambling State University, participate in the Bayou Classic Football Game and other festivities (pageant, job fairs, street festival, concerts, Greek/Step Show and Battle Of The Bands) annually on the Thanksgiving Day weekend in New Orleans. The Classic is considered the "Grandfather" of all the college football classics that it has spawned in recent years. The game attracts upwards of over 400,000 alumni, students, fans and other revelers to New Orleans each year and has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to New Orleans' economy since its inception in 1974. It is believed to be the largest gathering of African-Americans annually in the US. Due to Hurricane Katrina and subsequent damage to the Superdome in 2005, the game was moved to Houston, Texas, but it returned to New Orleans in 2006. It is the only historically black college or Division I-AA football game that is televised on a major network. NBC has carried the game live for over 15 years and each year it has become the highest rated college football telecast among African-Americans for the network. In addition, sports broadcaster ESPN chose the 2005 Bayou Classic as its highly sought-after locale for its most popular presentation, College GameDay with Lee Corso. It is the only time in the show's twenty year history that it was broadcast from a game involving teams from two historically black universities or Division I-AA schools.
The university's marching band, known internationally as the "Human Jukebox", is highly acclaimed. In addition to being featured in many television commercials, the Human Jukebox has been invited to participate in the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, Presidential Inauguration ceremonies and several Super Bowl halftime presentations. USA Today named the band the number one marching band in the United States. For many years, the band was one of the only bands in the U.S. that did not have any female members, but that has changed in recent years. Currently there are over 20 female members.
The first season of the reality television series College Hill on BET premiered in 2004 with the Southern University campus as its locale.
The university is currently in the midst of a major campus facelift with the recent completion of several new dormitories, renovation of on-campus A.W. Mumford Stadium and plans for construction of other infrastructure.
[edit] The Presidents of Southern University
[edit] Early Southern University
- A.R. Gourrier, 1881
- George Fayerweather, 1881-2
- Rev. C.H. Thompson, 1882-3
- Rev. J.H. Harrison, 1883-6
- George W. Bathwell, 1886-7
- H.A. Hill, 1887-1899
[edit] Modern Southern University
- Dr. Joseph S. Clark, 1914-1938
- Dr. Felton G. Clark, 1938-1969
- Dr. Leon G. Netterville, 1969-1974
- Dr. Jesse N. Stone 1974-1981
- Dr. James J. Prestage 1982-1985
- Dr. Joffre T. Whisenton, 1985-1988
- Dr. Dolores Spikes, 1988-1996 (First female head of any college system in the U.S.)
- Dr. Leon Tarver II, 1997-2005
- Dr. Edward Jackson, (interim) 2005-2006
- Dr. Ralph Slaughter 2006-
[edit] Colleges within the University
- Honors College
- University College
- College of Agriculture, Family, and Consumer Sciences
- College of Arts and Humanities
- College of Business
- College of Education
- College of Engineering
- College of Sciences
- School of Architecture
- School of Nursing
- The Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs
All Southern University programs have 100 percent accreditation and are monitored by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
[edit] Athletics
Southern's sports teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I system. (Football teams in the SWAC are in Division I-AA.) Southern University's colors are columbia blue and gold and their mascot is the Jaguar.
Southern plays its archrival Grambling Tigers in the annual Bayou Classic in New Orleans at the Louisiana Superdome, telecast on NBC every Thanksgiving weekend. Due to Hurricane Katrina, this game was played in Reliant Stadium in Houston in 2005.
In 2006, Southern's Mens basketball team played Duke University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Jaguars played a closely contested game until Duke finally pulled away midway through the second half, eventually winning 70-54. This was Coach Rob Spivery's first season with the school and he was named SWAC coach of the year after winning both the regular season title and conference tournament. In 1993, unheralded Southern University added lore to the NCAA Tournament by defeating fourth-seeded Georgia Tech, one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history. Avery Johnson, former NBA star who won a title with the San Antonio Spurs, graduated from Southern in 1988. Johnson is currently head coach of the Dallas Mavericks and was named NBA Coach Of The Year in 2006.
The 2005-2006 Women's basketball team also claimed a share of the SWAC regular season title and won the SWAC women's basketball tournament. This was Coach Sandy Pugh's third appearance in the NCAA tournament with the university.
The university's baseball team is a perennial power in the SWAC and has won more regular season championships than any other SWAC member. The first college player selected in the 2003 MLB draft was Southern star Rickie Weeks. Weeks went from obscurity coming out of high school in Florida to become the nation's top collegiate player. The Milwaukee Brewers made him their No. 1 pick, the highest a second baseman has ever been drafted in MLB Draft history.
Often accompanying the S.U. athletic teams is The legendary Southern University Human Jukebox, one of the top marching bands in the nation, with a rich tradition of entertaining millions of fans every year with their precision drills and powerful sound and having performed at several Super Bowls, Yankee Stadium, foreign countries, Bowl games, Presidential Inaugurations, Radio City Music Hall, television commercials and music videos, just to name a few.
[edit] Notable alumni
[edit] Sports figures
- Mel Blount, played with the Pittsburgh Steelers and President of the NFL Players Association.
- Lou Brock, record-setting base-stealing outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Harold Carmichael, NFL player, four-time Pro-Bowler, played 14 years for Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
- Willie Davenport, two-time gold medalist of U.S. Olympic Track Team.
- Trenidad Hubbard, former Major League Baseball outfielder.
- Avery Johnson, current NBA head coach with the Dallas Mavericks, named 2006 NBA Coach Of The Year.
- Tyrone Jones, former all star and MVP CFL linebacker and Grey Cup champion.
- Robert "Butterbean" Love, aka Bob Love, former NBA All-Star, played for Chicago Bulls. 2nd Leading scorer in Bulls history behind superstar Michael Jordan.
- Rodney Milburn, Track and Field gold medalist at 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
- Bobby Phills, NBA basketball player with the Charlotte Hornets.
- Isiah Robertson, Six time Pro-Bowler in the NFL, played for Los Angeles Rams.
- Rickie Weeks, plays on the Milwaukee Brewers roster as 2nd baseman.
- Aeneas Williams, played with the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.
[edit] Entertainers
- Alvin Baptiste, Renowned Jazz artist and educator.
- Maurice Brown, Noted Jazz artist.
- Lavell Crump, a.k.a David Banner, music recording artist.
- Thaddeus Ford, Jazz Musician.
- Randy Jackson, musician, record producer, and American Idol judge.
- Branford Marsalis, Jazz saxophonist.
- Terysa Singleton, Miss Black Louisiana USA 2006 - 2007.
[edit] Politicians
- Cleo Fields, Representative, U.S. Congress.
- Melvin "Kip" Holden, first African-American mayor of Baton Rouge.
- William J. Jefferson, Representative, U.S. Congress.
- Dorothy Brown, first African-American Clerk of the Court in Chicago.
- Dr. Jewel Limar Prestage, first black woman in the U.S.A. to receive a degree in political science.
[edit] Military commanders
- Retired Brigadier General Sherian Grace Cadoria, First Black Female General in U.S. Army.
- Lt. Gen Russel L. Honoré, commander of the efforts to revitalize the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and Rita.
- Retired U.S. Army Major Henry Wiggins (1924-2007), also former chairman of the Southern University Mass Communication Department
[edit] Pharmaceuticals
- Paul Paiyappilly, Pharmaceutical Sales.
[edit] Notes
- ^ 2005-06 Fact Book. Southern University (2005). Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
[edit] External links
- Southern University and A&M College official site
- Southern University System official site
- Southern University Law Center web site
- Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center web site
- Southern University official athletics web site
- Southern University Alumni Federation web site
- Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Jaguar Band
- Southern University Alumni, Terysa Singleton - Miss Black Louisiana's official site
| Public universities in Louisiana |
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