McNeese State University

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McNeese State University

Motto: Excellence With A Personal Touch
Established: September 1939
Type: Public
President: Dr. Robert Hebert
Faculty: 302 full-time faculty
Staff: 848 full-time & part-time employees
Undergraduates: 7053 (Fall 2007)
Postgraduates: 1042 (Fall 2007)
Location: Lake Charles, LA, USA
Campus: Urban
Colors: Blue & Gold
Mascot: Cowboys
Website: www.mcneese.edu

McNeese State University, founded in 1939, is a university located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Originally called Lake Charles Junior College, the name became John McNeese Junior College in 1940; the school was part of the Louisiana State University system. In 1950, the school parted from the LSU system and became McNeese State College; in 1970, the institution gained university status.

McNeese's colors are blue and gold. The school's men's sports teams are known as the Cowboys, while the women's athetic teams are the Cowgirls. McNeese State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA) for football) in the Southland Conference.

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[edit] History

McNeese State University was founded in 1939 as a division of Louisiana State University, offering only the first two years of higher education. Originally called Lake Charles Junior College, the name became John McNeese Junior College in 1940 by resolution of the University Board of Supervisors in honor of a pioneer Southwest Louisiana educator.

Advanced to four-year status and separated from L.S.U. in 1950, the University was renamed McNeese State College; and its administration was transferred to the Louisiana State Board of Education. Act 138 of the 1970 Louisiana Legislature gave the institution its present name, McNeese State University. McNeese was first accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 1954.

The Legislature authorized McNeese to offer curricula leading to the master's degree in 1960, and to the degree of Educational Specialist in 1966. In addition to the Graduate School, McNeese State University's academic organization includes the colleges of Business, Education, Engineering and Technology, Liberal Arts, Nursing, Science, the Division of Continuing Education, and the Division of Basic Studies.

McNeese opened its doors in 1939 on an 86 acre tract donated by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury with a physical plant of two buildings: the former Administration Building (Kaufman Hall) and the McNeese Arena (Ralph O. Ward Memorial Gym). The Main Auditorium, now Francis G. Bulber Auditorium, was completed in 1940 as the third building on the campus. The three structures are still in use today. In 1989, the auditorium was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

[edit] University leadership

MSU basketball
MSU basketball
  • Dr. Joseph T. Farrar (1939-1940
  • Dr. William B. Hatcher (1940-1941)
  • Dr. Rodney Cline (1941-1944)

(Prior to 1944, University leadership were called deans. After 1944, the term President came to designate the universities' head individual)

  • Dr. Lether Edward Frazar (1944-1955) Retired in 1955, became lieutenant governor of Louisiana thereafter
  • Dr. Wayne N. Cusic (1955-1969) Retired in 1969
  • Dr. Thomas S. Leary (1969-1980) Resigned from presidency
  • Dr. Jack Doland (1980-1986) Resigned in order to run for state office
  • Dr. Robert Hebert (1986-present)

[edit] Campus

The McNeese State University main campus occupies 121 acres (0.49 km²) in south Lake Charles along the Contraband Bayou. The main campus also includes 68 main buildings. In addition to the main campus, the physical plant also includes the 503-acre (2.04 km²) McNeese Farm, a 65 acre Athletic plant, the Burton Coliseum, and nearly 1,600 acres (6.5 km²) of donated farm property.[1]

[edit] Academics

McNeese State University offers 83 degree programs under the Colleges of Business, Education, Engineering and Technology, Liberal Arts, Nursing and Science, the Division of General and Basic Studies, and the Doré School of Graduate Studies. It is the first university in the state of Louisiana to offer a concentration in Forensic Chemistry, and was one of the first schools in the nation to offer a concentration in Terrorism, Preparedness and Security.

Joe Gray Taylor, distinguished historian of Louisiana and the American South, was the chairman of the McNeese history department and later the dean of the College of Liberal Arts prior to his death in 1987.

The English department, in conjunction with the local chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, publishes The Arena, which is an annual collection of art, essays, fiction, and poetry by students, regardless of major.

[edit] Athletics

McNeese State University's teams are nicknamed the Cowboys and Cowgirls. Their football team plays at Cowboy Stadium, also known as "The Hole", on the edge of campus. The team played in the inaugural Independence Bowl game in 1976, a 20-16 victory over Tulsa. They would go on to make two more appearances in 1979 and 1980. The Cowboys football team have more recently played in two Division I-AA Finals, in 1997 and 2002. Their basketball teams play at Burton Coliseum south of campus. The baseball team hosts games at Cowboy Diamond.

[edit] Student organizations

McNeese State University's speech and debate team is recognized as a national powerhouse and boasts numerous national championships over the last 40 years.

The McNeese State University newspaper is The Contraband, a weekly publication which has existed since 1939.

The university's award winning student yearbook is "The Log". It was first published in 1941.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notable Faculty

[edit] References

[edit] External links