Centenary College of Louisiana
- For other institutions of higher education using the name Centenary College, see Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges. Centenary College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
History
Centenary College of Louisiana is the oldest chartered liberal arts college in the United States west of the Mississippi River.[2] The lineage of the college dates back to 1825, when the College of Louisiana was opened in Jackson, Louisiana. The school enjoyed early success, but struggled financially until Centenary College of Clinton, Mississippi (founded 1839) agreed to merge with the Jackson campus, creating Centenary College of Louisiana in 1845.[3][4] The college prospered until the beginning of the American Civil War. Three lines, written in a large bold hand, cover the entire page of the faculty minute-book dated October 7, 1861: "Students have all gone to war--College suspended, and God Help the Right!"[5] During this time, the Jackson campus was used as a Confederate hospital for the garrison of Port Hudson, and was sacked upon arrival of Union troops in 1863. The old campus is presently operated and preserved as a state historic site by the Louisiana Office of State Parks.
Never regaining the footing it had in the 1840s and 1850s, the college moved to Shreveport in 1908 and immediately enjoyed success. Mansfield Female College, the first women's college founded west of the Mississippi (1855), merged with Centenary in 1930.[6] President George Sexton outlined campus growth and prosperity in the 1920s and 1930s, including the architectural design that largely remains today. During that time, Centenary was a football powerhouse, whose fame included wins over Louisiana State University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Notre Dame.
The academic reputation of Centenary has remained strong since the 1920s. Centenary is now regularly found at the top of its category in the annual college and university rankings published by U.S. News and World Report magazine. In 2007, Newsweek named Centenary the "Hottest Liberal Arts School You Never Heard Of" in its "25 Hottest Universities" feature. In 2009, Forbes ranked it 90th of America's Best Colleges.[7]
Campus
Centenary is south of downtown Shreveport in the historic Highland Area. The campus is noted for its distinctive Georgian architecture and well-maintained grounds. According to IMDB.Com, the film, The Initiation of Sarah, starring Jennifer Tilly was filmed using Centenary as fictional Temple Hill University. In 2010, the campus was used to film portions of the television series The Gates, using several of Centenary's buildings as the fictional Gates Academy.[8]
Major buildings
- Magale Library is the most visible landmark on campus.
- Hargrove Memorial Band Shell is a 2,000-seat outdoor theater and host of traditional campus events, including the annual Summer Band Concert Series.
- Hurley Music Building is home to the Hurley School of Music.
- Jackson Hall is home to the Frost School of Business.
- Anderson Choral Building houses a state-of-the-art auditorium and practice facilities designed for various ensembles, including the Centenary Camerata, a choir dedicated to high level performances of choral works from the Middle Ages to the 21st century, and the Centenary College Choir, a choral group that has performed on six continents and received seven consecutive invitations to perform at the White House for two presidents.
- Feazel Instrumental Hall house state-of-the-art orchestral music space.
- The Marjorie Lyons Playhouse, named for the wife of Louisiana Republican politician Charlton Lyons, is home to the Department of Theatre and Dance and hosts several productions each year.
- Mickle Hall, constructed in 1949-50, has been renovated to offer cutting-edge science classrooms and labs.
- The Samuel Peters Research Center houses the only Jack London museum east of San Francisco, California.
- The geodesic Gold Dome sports arena is host to numerous events, including basketball, volleyball and gymnastics competitions.
- Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College offers exhibitions throughout the year and hosts area school children for morning visits and arts education activities.
- The Centenary Fitness Center contains a competition-size swimming pool, an indoor running track, gymnasium, exercise and free-weight equipment areas and racquetball courts as well as specially equipped rooms for dance, aerobics, and classroom instruction.
Academics
The university offers 22 majors and 9 interdisciplinary minors in the traditional liberal arts, sciences and fine arts, and two graduate programs in education and business administration. Across all disciplines, Centenary stresses close interaction between students and faculty members. Undergraduate research is particularly emphasized.
Student life
As of 2004[update], the university enrolled 905 undergraduate and 107 graduate students. Fifty-nine percent of the first-year students came from the state of Louisiana, while 3 percent came from outside the United States. The median composite ACT score of incoming students was 26. Full-time faculty numbered 96, 94 percent of whom held a terminal degree in their field.
Centenary hosts six social fraternities and sororities. For the women there is Chi Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha. For the men there is Theta Chi, Kappa Alpha Order, Kappa Sigma, Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Alpha Phi Alpha, who has a joint charter from Centenary and Louisiana State University in Shreveport. The school hosts chapters of several academic honor organizations, including Sigma Alpha Iota, Omicron Delta Kappa, Alpha Chi, Kappa Pi, and Sigma Tau Delta.
Radio station KSCL 91.3FM broadcasts from the campus, a progressive community radio station dedicated to community events and alternative music, from college rock and jazz to local Cajun music and zydeco.
The Conglomerate, Centenary's independent press, is a weekly publication that circulates 20 issues per academic year. The paper is staffed entirely by students, and is paid for by student fees and advertisement. Originally called The Maroon and White, the paper changed its name to The Conglomerate in 1923.
The Centenary Film Society is a student-led organization under faculty advisory that is dedicated to introducing both independent and foreign films to the student body as well as the surrounding community.
Athletics
Centenary is currently a member of the NCAA Division III's American Southwest Conference (ASC).[9] Prior to July 2011, the college was a member of The Summit League in NCAA Division I.[10] Centenary was the smallest Division I school in the country. Centenary will be moving to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) beginning in the 2012-2013 season. [11]
The school is well-known for its basketball prominence in the late 1970s being the college for NBA great Robert Parish, and golf ability—in the early 1980s PGA Tour golfer Hal Sutton played there. The school sport's nickname is the gentleman; the women's sports' nickname is the lady. Prior to adopting the Gentleman nickname, Centenary's football team was known as the Old Ironsides and had a reputation as a fearsome and powerful team with a penchant for playing rough. To clean up their image, they selected the Gentleman nickname.
Recently, a student driven initiative asked for a mascot to compliment to the Ladies and Gents. From Centenary's website, "In recent years, Centenary has examined the role and impact of the mascot through informal SGA student/faculty forums, alumni surveys and questionnaires, the campus diversity climate assessment and so on. At the end of last school year, a Mascot Inquiry committee was formed by SGA to discuss this ongoing issue. The students have been asking for a mascot that inspires enthusiasm. We respect the student’s request for the addition of a mascot for the school and want to create an identity that embodies our history, tradition and uniqueness." The new mascot was announced at halftime of the Men's Basketball game 6 December 2007. The winner was Catahoula and Rick DelaHaya, Director of Marketing, surprised the crowd by bringing out a Catahoula named Skeeter (SKEE-Tur) which the College has rescued from an animal shelter in Houston, Texas.[12] Officially, the school has two mascots in the Gentlemen/Ladies and the Catahoulas, though all sports teams are still known as the Gents and Ladies. It seems that support for the Catahoulas mascot has dropped in recent years.
People
Presidents
College of Louisiana (Jackson, LA)
- Jeremiah Chamberlain (1826–1829)
- Henry H. Gird (1829–1834)
- James Shannon (1835–1840)
- William B. Lacey (1841–1845)
Centenary College (Brandon Springs, MS)
Centenary College of Louisiana (Jackson, LA)
Centenary College of Louisiana (Shreveport, LA)
- William Lander Weber (1907–1910)
- Felix R. Hill (1910–1913)
- Robert H. Wynn (1913–1918)
- W. R. Bourne (1919–1921)
- George Sexton (1921–1932)
- Bishop Angie Smith (interim, 1932–1933)
- Pierce Cline (1933–1945)
- Joe J. Mickle (1945–1964)
- Jack Stauffer Wilkes (1964–1969)
- John Horton Allen (1969–1976)
- Donald A. Webb (1977–1991)
- Kenneth L. Schwab (1991–2009)
- B. David Rowe (2009–present)
Notable alumni
- Brady Blade - American drummer, music producer, founded record label Brick Top Recordings LLC, and owner of Blade Studios.
- Calhoun Allen (1921–1991) - Shreveport mayor from 1970–1978, utilities commissioner from 1962–1970, and city council member (1991)
- Algie D. Brown (Class of 1934, 1910–2004) - Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948–1972
- Sherri Smith Cheek - Member of the Louisiana Sttate Senate since 2004
- John William Corrington - poet and author; one of the early television writing pioneers
- Scott Durbin - Member of the children's music group Imagination Movers
- D. L. Dykes, Jr. (1917–1997) - pastor of First United Methodist Church in Shreveport from 1955–1984; urged racial harmony in civil rights movement; known for opposition to "Religious Right"
- Lenny Fant (Class of 1950) - basketball coach at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, 1957–1979
- Thomas Wafer Fuller (Class of 1890) - state senator, newspaper publisher, Webster Parish school superintendent
- William Gabriel Fuller, IV (Class of 1980) (Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) US Army) Finalist - National Security and International Affairs, 2010 Service to Americal Medal; know as the moving force behind the development of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Ambulances supporting troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
- Lovette Hill - former head baseball coach for the University of Houston
- Cal Hubbard - former professional football player, member of Baseball Hall of Fame and the Professional Football Hall of Fame
- Edward Kennon - Shreveport-area developer and former member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission (1973–1984)
- Clyde Lee - former head football coach for the University of Houston
- Max T. Malone - former state senator from Caddo and Bossier parishes, businessman
- Mike Mann - innovator in Lasik surgery.
- Fred C. McClanahan (1918–2007) - businessman, United States Air Force officer, congressional candidate in 1960
- Taylor Frost Moore (Class of 1969) - Shreveport businessman; owner of the former Shreveport Captains - now Frisco RoughRiders; coached Centenary baseball team, Centenary athletic director (2003–2006). Brother, Loy Moore, former trustee, manages family real estate, timber, oil and natural gas holdings in Bossier and Claiborne parishes
- Charlotte Moorman - avant-garde performance artist
- W. Darrell Overdyke (Class of 1928, 1907-1973) - historian, faculty member ca. 1929 until his death.
- Robert Parish - National Basketball Association Hall of Fame Center, nicknamed "The Chief"
- Robert G. Pugh (Class of 1946, 1924–2007) - Shreveport attorney, civic leader, and gubernatorial advisor
- E.S. Richardson (Class of 1936, 1875–1950) -- former president of Louisiana Tech University
- Edward White Robertson (1823–1887) -- United States Representative from Louisiana
- Virginia Shehee (Class of 1943, born 1923) -- first woman elected to the Louisiana State Senate; businesswoman and philanthropist
- Linus A. Sims - educator who founded Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond
- Hal Sutton - PGA Tour golfer; captain of the 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup team
- J. Smith Young (1834–1916) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana
Faculty and staff
Other
References
- ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ^ About Centenary College Accessed November 19, 2007.
- ^ Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Centenary College Louisiana Historical Marker". http://www.stoppingpoints.com/louisiana/Caddo/Centenary+College.html.
- ^ Mississippi Department of Archives & History. "Centenary College Mississippi Historical Marker". http://www.stoppingpoints.com/mississippi/Rankin/Centenary+College.html.
- ^ Brock, Eric J.: Centenary College of Louisiana. Arcadia, 2000
- ^ City of Mansfield attractions Accessed November 24, 2007.
- ^ "America's Best Colleges". Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/94/colleges-09_Americas-Best-Colleges_Rank_4.html.
- ^ Centenary College of Louisiana Official website Accessed 2010-07-29
- ^ Watson, Jimmy (June 30, 2011). "Centenary officially enters the ASC". The Shreveport Times. http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20110701/SPORTS02/107010313/Centenary-officially-enters-ASC?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
- ^ Centenary Approved for NCAA Division III Reclassification
- ^ Centenary College to Join Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
- ^ Centenary College Unveils New Mascot
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