Louisiana State University#Notable alumni

{{Short description|Public university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US}}

{{hatnote|"Louisiana State" redirects here. For the U.S. state, see Louisiana.}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}{{Infobox university

| name = Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College

| image = Seal-of-Louisiana-State-University.svg

| image_upright = 0.7

| caption =

| native_name =

| former_names = Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana (1853–1861)
Louisiana State University Agricultural & Mechanical College (1874–1877)
University of Louisiana (1913–1921)
Louisiana State University (1860–1913; 1922–1963)

| established = {{start date and age|January 2, 1860}}{{cite web | url=http://www.lsu.edu/about/index.php | title=About LSU | date=September 4, 2015| publisher=LSU Division of Strategic Communications | access-date=October 10, 2009}}

| type = Public land-grant research university

| accreditation = SACS

| academic_affiliations = {{hlist|URA|ORAU|sea-grant|space-grant

}}

| parent = Louisiana State University System

| endowment = $664.20 million (2023)
(LSU only)As of June 30, 2023. {{cite web |url=https://www.lsu.edu/bos/docs/agendas/2024/2024-04-26-lsu-bos-meeting-agenda.pdf |title=LSU Board of Supervisors Meeting Agenda |date=April 26, 2024 |publisher=LSU Board of Supervisors |access-date=July 12, 2024 }}
$1.06 billion (2023)
(system-wide)As of June 30, 2023. {{cite web |url=https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2023-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-FINAL.xlsx |title=U.S. and Canadian 2023 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2023 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY22 to FY23, and FY23 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student |date=February 15, 2024 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) |access-date=July 12, 2024 |format=XLSX |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523180252/https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2023-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-FINAL.xlsx |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |url-status=live }}

| president = William F. Tate IV

| provost = Roy Haggerty

| faculty = 1,500{{cite news |url=http://www.lsu.edu/about/index.php |title=About LSU |publisher=Louisiana State University |date=September 4, 2015 |access-date=September 4, 2015}}

| administrative_staff = 5,000

| students = 42,016 (fall 2024){{Cite press release |url=https://www.lsu.edu/mediacenter/news/2021/09/28fallenrollment.eb.php |title=LSU SHATTERS RECORDS WITH FALL ENROLLMENT, QUALITY OF INCOMING CLASS |publisher=LSU Media Center |date=September 2022 |access-date=May 17, 2022}}

| undergrad = 34,502

| postgrad = 7,514

| free_label = Newspaper

| free = The Daily Reveille

| city = Baton Rouge

| state = Louisiana

| country = United States

| coordinates = {{Coord|30.4145|-91.17826|format=dms|type:edu_region:US-LA_source:ProprioMeOW|display=inline,title}}

| campus = Midsize city

| campus_size = {{convert|4925|acre}}

| colors = {{College color list|team=LSU Tigers}}

| sports_nickname = Tigers and Lady Tigers

| sporting_affiliations = {{hlist|NCAA Division I FBS – SEC|CCSA}}

| mascot = Mike the Tiger

| website = {{URL|www.lsu.edu|lsu.edu}}

| logo = Louisiana State University (logo).svg

| logo_upright = .6

| module = {{Infobox NRHP

| name = Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

| embed = yes

| nrhp_type = hd

| nocat = yes

| image =

| caption =

| location = Highland Road, Baton Rouge

| coordinates = {{coord|30.4145|-91.17826|format=dms|display=inline,source:ProprioMeOW}}

| locmapin = Baton Rouge

| district_map = Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA.png

| area = {{convert|95|acre|ha}}

| built = 1920s

| architect = Theodore C. Link; Wogan & Bernard; Weiss, Dreyfous & Seiferth; Neild, Somdal & Neild

| builder = Works Progress Administration

| architecture = Italian Renaissance

| added = September 15, 1988

| refnum = 88001586{{NRISref |refnum=88001586|2013a}}

| increase = April 10, 2024

| increase_refnum = 100010174

}}

Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is an American public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States.{{cite web | url = http://www.lsu.edu/ | title = Louisiana State University | publisher=Louisiana State University | date = October 3, 2009 | access-date=October 12, 2009}} The university was founded in 1860 near Pineville, Louisiana, under the name Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy. The current LSU main campus was dedicated in 1926 and consists of more than 250 buildings constructed in the style of Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, occupying a {{convert|650|acre|adj=on}} plateau on the banks of the Mississippi River.

LSU is the flagship university of the state of Louisiana, as well as the flagship institution of the Louisiana State University System. In 2021, the university enrolled over 28,000 undergraduate and more than 4,500 graduate students in 14 schools and colleges. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".{{cite web |title=Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup |url=https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=159391 |publisher=Center for Postsecondary Education |website=carnegieclassifications.iu.edu |access-date=18 July 2020}} LSU operates some 800 sponsored research projects funded by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.{{cite web|url=http://www.lsu.edu/research/welcome.shtml |title=A Welcome from the Vice Chancellor |publisher=LSU Office of Research & Economic Development |date=August 27, 2009 |access-date=September 12, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609202831/http://www.lsu.edu/research/welcome.shtml |archive-date=June 9, 2008 }}{{cite encyclopedia | last=Higgns | first=John | title=Louisiana State University | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica | access-date=October 3, 2009 | url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/349317/Louisiana-State-University}} LSU is one of eight universities in the United States with dental, law, veterinary, medical, and Master of Business Administration programs.{{cite web|url=https://www.lsu.edu/accolades/aplu.php|title=Leaders in Every Field|website=www.lsu.edu|access-date=2020-01-08}}

LSU's athletics department fields teams in 21 varsity sports (nine men's, 12 women's), and is a member of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and the SEC (Southeastern Conference). The university is represented by its mascot, Mike the Tiger.{{cite book | last=Bergeron | first=Arthur | title=Guide to Louisiana Confederate Military Units, 1861–1865 | publisher= LSU Press | year=1996 | isbn= 0-8071-2102-9 }}

History

=19th century=

Louisiana State University Agricultural and Mechanical College had its origin in several land grants made by the United States government in 1806, 1811, and 1827 for use as a seminary of learning. It was founded as a military academy and is still today steeped in military tradition, giving rise to the school's nickname "The Ole War Skule". In 1853, the Louisiana General Assembly established the Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana near Pineville in Rapides Parish in Central Louisiana. Modeled initially after Virginia Military Institute, the institution opened with five professors and nineteen cadets on January 2, 1860, with Major, later Colonel, William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent.

The Old LSU Site, the school's original location, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web|url=http://www.print2webcorp.com/news/BatonRouge/LSU150thAnniversary/20100417/p03_s1.htm |title=LSU traces its roots to Pineville |author=Jordan Blum |publisher=print2webcorp.com |access-date=January 10, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208084446/http://www.print2webcorp.com/news/BatonRouge/LSU150thAnniversary/20100417/p03_s1.htm |archive-date=February 8, 2016 }}

On January 26, 1861, when Louisiana became the fifth state to secede from the Union, Sherman resigned his position after only a year as Superintendent to return north and eventually resume his service in the Union Army. The school closed on June 30, 1861, after the start of the American Civil War.

File:Louisiana State University - Downtown Baton Rouge Campus Historic Marker.jpg

During the war, the university reopened briefly in April 1863 but was closed once again during the Union Army's Red River Campaign. The losses sustained by the institution during the Union occupation were heavy, and after 1863 the seminary remained closed for the remainder of the Civil War. Following the surrender of the Confederates at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, General Sherman donated two cannons to the institution. These cannons had been captured from Confederate forces after the close of the war and had been used during the initial firing upon Fort Sumter in April 1861. The cannons are still displayed in front of LSU's Military Science/Aerospace Studies Building.{{cite book | last1 = Ruffin | first1 = Thomas | first2 = Jo | last2 = Jackson | first3 = Mary | last3 = Hebert | title = Under Stately Oaks: A Pictorial History of LSU | publisher = Louisiana State University Press | year = 2002 | location = Baton Rouge | pages = [https://archive.org/details/understatelyoaks00ruff/page/3 3–7] | isbn = 0-8071-2682-9 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/understatelyoaks00ruff/page/3 }}

The seminary officially reopened its doors on October 2, 1865, only to be burned October 15, 1869. On November 1, 1869, the institution resumed its exercises in Baton Rouge, where it has since remained. In 1870, the name of the institution was officially changed to Louisiana State University.{{cite news|url=http://www.lsu.edu/visitors/quickfacts.shtml |title=Quick Facts: Academics and Research |publisher=Louisiana State University |date=July 9, 2009 |access-date=August 19, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517000800/http://www.lsu.edu/visitors/quickfacts.shtml |archive-date=May 17, 2009 }}

Louisiana State University Agricultural and Mechanical College was established by an act of the legislature, approved April 7, 1874, to carry out the United States Morrill Act of 1862, granting lands for this purpose. It temporarily opened in New Orleans, June 1, 1874, where it remained until it merged with Louisiana State University in 1877. This prompted the final name change for the university to the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.{{cite book|last=Flemming|first=Walter|title=Louisiana State University, 1860–1896|publisher=Louisiana State University Press| year = 1936| pages = 170–184}}

=20th century=

File:Lastatememorial.jpg]]

File:Louisiana State University (1909).jpg

In 1905, LSU admitted its first female student, R. O. Davis. She was admitted into a program to pursue a master's degree. The following year, 1906, LSU admitted sixteen female students to its freshman class as part of an experimental program. Before this, LSU's student body was all-male. In 1907, LSU's first female graduate, Martha McC. Read, was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree.{{cite web|url=https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/mwg-internal/de5fs23hu73ds/progress?id=U1XhjRV2-cg7xxRcOGrqNORJfc3i15P-cKCFlbulAqg,&dl|title=Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, "Gumbo Yearbook, Class of 1913" (1913). Gumbo Yearbook. 17. digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gumbo/17 p. 91|website=lsu.edu}} {{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} After this two year experimental program, the university fully opened its doors to female applicants in 1908, and thus coeducation was born at LSU.https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/mwg-internal/de5fs23hu73ds/progress?id=pClHVJaqvH95POPytmxnoKtOYFiPBXWuGL-32Rw2sO8,&dl {{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, "Gumbo Yearbook, Class of 1909" (1909). Gumbo Yearbook. 11. p. 140

On April 30, 1926, the present LSU campus was formally dedicated, following the school's history at the federal garrison grounds (now the site of the state capitol) where it had been since 1886. Before this, LSU used the quarters of the Institute for the Deaf, Mute, and Blind. Land for the present campus was purchased in 1918, construction started in 1922, and the move began in 1925; however, the move was not completed until 1932. The campus was originally designed for 3000 students but was cut back due to budget problems. After years of enrollment fluctuation, student numbers began a steady increase, new programs were added, curricula and faculty expanded, and a true state university emerged.

LSU was hit by scandal in 1939 when James Monroe Smith, appointed by Huey Long as president of LSU, was charged with embezzling a half-million dollars. In the ensuing investigation, at least twenty state officials were indicted. Two committed suicide as the scandal enveloped Governor Richard W. Leche, who received a 10-year federal prison sentence as a result of a kickback scheme.{{cite news|last=Hebert |first=Mary |title=Remembering the Scandals |newspaper=Oral History Newsletter |volume=3 |issue=2 |year=1995 |url=http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/williams/newsletters/ohnewsletter7.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050804085850/http://www.lib.lsu.edu/special/williams/newsletters/ohnewsletter7.html |archive-date=August 4, 2005 }} Paul M. Hebert, Dean of LSU's law school at the time, then assumed interim presidency in Smith's place.

During World War II, LSU was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.{{cite web |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/115-8thND/115-8ND-23.html |title=U.S. Naval Administration in World War II |publisher=HyperWar Foundation |access-date=September 29, 2011 |year=2011}}

In 1969, mandatory ROTC for freshmen and sophomores was abolished; however, LSU continues to maintain Air Force and Army ROTC.

In 1978, LSU was named a sea-grant college, the 13th university in the nation to be so designated. In 1992, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the LSU Honors College.{{cite web | url = http://www.honors.lsu.edu/ | title= About LSU Honors College | publisher = Louisiana State University | date = October 16, 2009 | access-date =October 11, 2009}}

=21st century=

After Hurricane Katrina, LSU accepted 2,300 displaced students from schools in the greater New Orleans area such as Tulane University, Loyola University New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana, and the University of New Orleans. The Pete Maravich Assembly Center was converted into a fully functional field hospital, with approximately 3,000 student volunteers.{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/07/katrina.lsu/index.html | title=Classes resume at LSU after Katrina | publisher = CNN News | date=September 7, 2005 | access-date = August 19, 2009}}

In 2012, LSU was censured by the American Association of University Professors for firing Professor Ivor van Heerden after he made comments critical of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their design and construction of the levees that broke following Hurricane Katrina.{{Cite web |last=Kissel |first=Adam |date=2012-06-22 |title=AAUP Censures Louisiana State for Firing Professor Who Spoke Out about Hurricane Katrina {{!}} The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression |url=https://www.thefire.org/news/aaup-censures-louisiana-state-firing-professor-who-spoke-out-about-hurricane-katrina |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=www.thefire.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=LSU Faculty Senate |title=Faculty Senate A&M Resolution 20-03: Pathway to Censure Removal |url=https://www.lsu.edu/senate/files/20-03resolution.pdf}}

In 2013, F. King Alexander was named President of Louisiana State University.{{cite news | url=http://www.lsu.edu/president/biography.php | title=F. King Alexander Biography | publisher = Louisiana State University| year= 2015 | access-date = September 4, 2015}}

In fall 2020, LSU broke its record for the most diverse and largest freshman class in history. Of the record 6,690 freshmen, more than 30% identified as students of color, African-Americans made up the most at 16.8%. Additionally, LSU reached its all-time highest enrollment at 34,290 undergraduate and graduate students.{{cite web |url=https://www.lsu.edu/mediacenter/news/2020/09/21enrollmentrecords.eb.php |title=LSU Shatters Records with Fall Enrollment, Retention Rates at an All-Time High |publisher=Louisiana State University (LSU) |date=2020-09-21 |access-date=2022-02-28}}

William F. Tate IV was named the new president of the university on May 6, 2021, effective in July. He is the first African-American president in LSU's history{{cite web|last=Ballard|first=Mark|date=2021-05-06|title=LSU picks next president; William F. Tate IV will be first Black man to lead university system|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/article_33fc9926-ae74-11eb-9826-170aa6cb58a4.html|access-date=2021-05-07|website=The Advocate|language=en}} and the first African-American president in the SEC.{{cite web | url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/552320-lsu-makes-history-with-first-black-president-in-sec/ | title=LSU makes history with first Black president in SEC | date=May 7, 2021 }}

==Sexual misconduct controversies==

A November 2020 investigative report in USA Today accused LSU of mishandling sexual misconduct claims against LSU football players.{{cite news |first1=Kenny |last1=Jacoby |first2=Nancy |last2=Armour |first3=Jessica |last3=Luther |title=LSU mishandled sexual misconduct complaints against students, including top athletes |url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/sports/ncaaf/2020/11/16/lsu-ignored-campus-sexual-assault-allegations-against-derrius-guice-drake-davis-other-students/6056388002/ |access-date=23 March 2021 |work=USA Today |date=November 16, 2020 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Vincent |first1=Mykal |title=REPORT: Two women claim Derrius Guice raped them at LSU |url=https://www.wafb.com/2020/08/19/report-two-women-claim-derrius-guice-raped-them-lsu/ |access-date=23 March 2021 |work=WAFB |date=August 19, 2020}} LSU hired Husch Blackwell LLP to review policies in response to the report.{{cite news |last1=Houston |first1=Matt |first2=Mykal |last2=Vincent |title=LSU hires law firm to review policies after investigative report claims university mishandled sexual misconduct complaints against students, top athletes |url=https://www.wafb.com/2020/11/16/new-report-claims-lsu-mishandled-sexual-misconduct-claims-against-several-students-top-athletes/ |access-date=23 March 2021 |work=WAFB |date=November 16, 2020}} Husch Blackwell released a 262-page report{{cite report |title=Husch Blackwell Report |url=https://lsusports.net/documents/2021/3/5/4821_4036_96311lsureportfinal.pdf |access-date=23 March 2021 |work=LSU Athletics |date=March 3, 2021 |language=en}} in March 2021 confirming the USA Today story, adding that the problems within LSU went far beyond the allegations detailed in the investigation, with many of the problems being widespread across the university.{{cite news |last1=Hensley-Clancy |first1=Molly |title=LSU routinely mishandled sexual misconduct claims against football players, report finds |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/05/lsu-football-title-ix-sexual-misconduct/ |access-date=23 March 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post|date=5 March 2021}}{{cite news |first1=Kenny |last1=Jacoby |first2=Nancy |last2=Armour |first3=Jessica |last3=Luther |title=Independent investigation finds that LSU routinely mishandled allegations of sexual misconduct |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2021/03/05/lsu-report-school-routinely-mishandled-sexual-misconduct-allegations/4587152001/ |access-date=23 March 2021 |work=USA TODAY |date=5 March 2021}} In the fallout of the report, former LSU Tigers football coach Les Miles and former LSU president F. King Alexander were forced to resign from their jobs at the University of Kansas and Oregon State University, respectively.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/31030339/les-miles-kansas-jayhawks-head-football-coach |title=Les Miles out as Kansas Jayhawks' head football coach |last=Low |first=Chris |date=March 8, 2021 |website=ESPN |access-date=March 23, 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Denney |first1=Jarrid |title=F. King Alexander resigns amid outrage from OSU community |url=https://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/f-king-alexander-resigns-amid-outrage-from-osu-community/article_580b21e8-426d-547d-ab05-7900a31c6d3e.html |access-date=23 March 2021 |work=Corvallis Gazette-Times |date=March 23, 2021 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Powell |first1=Meerah |title=OSU president resigns amid growing criticism over handling of LSU sexual misconduct allegations |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2021/03/23/oregon-state-university-f-king-alexander-offers-resignation/ |access-date=23 March 2021 |work=Oregon Public Broadcasting |date=23 March 2021}}

In February 2021, the US Department of Education announced a formal, federal investigation will be conducted on the university's reported mishandling of sexual misconduct cases; specifically on possible violations of the Clery Act.{{cite web|url=https://www.lsureveille.com/news/department-of-education-opens-two-investigations-into-lsus-title-ix-procedures/article_a00c53a2-9d73-11eb-b64e-d3ff80dd59ba.html|title=Department of Education opens two investigations into LSU's Title IX procedures|first=Madelyn|last=Cutrone|date=April 15, 2021|accessdate=October 5, 2023}} In April 2021, the Department of Education announced the opening of a second federal investigation where LSU's handling of student complaints of sexual assault and harassment from the 2018–2019 academic year to the present will be analyzed.{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/college/2021/04/07/lsu-faces-second-federal-investigation-mishandling-title-ix-cases|title=LSU Facing Second Federal Investigation for Mishandling Title IX Cases|work=SI.com|first=Madeline|last=Coleman|date=April 6, 2021|accessdate=October 5, 2023}}

Two months later, seven women filed a federal class-action lawsuit against LSU and its leadership based on their inability to report their incidents to the university's Title IX office.{{cite web|work=ESPN.com|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/31340786/seven-women-sue-lsu-allege-violations-how-title-ix-complaints-were-handled|title=Seven women sue LSU, allege violations in how Title IX complaints were handled|date=April 26, 2021|access-date=September 21, 2021|first=Heather|last=Dinich}} The seven women were six former students (three of whom were part of the women's tennis team at LSU and two of whom were student employees in the football recruiting office) and one current student. In June 2021, football coach Ed Orgeron was added as a defendant to the Title IX lawsuit, alleging that Orgeron was aware of and failed to report the rape allegation of former running back Derrius Guice.{{cite web|work=SI.com|url=https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/25/lsu-football-coach-ed-orgeron-added-defendant-title-ix-lawsuit-derrius-guice|title=LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron Added as Defendant in Title IX Lawsuit|date=June 25, 2021|first=Madeline|last=Coleman|access-date=September 21, 2021}}

LSU's Assistant Athletic Director of Football Recruiting and Alumni Relations, Sharon Lewis, also filed a $50 million federal lawsuit against the university for years of harassment for her attempts to report sexual misconduct allegations against players, coaches, and athletic officials.{{cite news|work=WAFB.com|url=https://www.wafb.com/2021/04/06/lsu-football-employee-intends-file-m-lawsuit-against-board-supervisors-les-miles-others/|title=LSU football employee files $50M lawsuit against board of supervisors, Les Miles, and others|first=Austin|last=Kemker|date=April 8, 2021|access-date=February 15, 2022}} In January 2022, Lewis' legal team alleged that the university had violated Louisiana's whistleblower law, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines, and Title IX as Lewis was fired in retaliation for her lawsuit.{{cite web|work=ESPN.com|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/33152703/lawyers-claim-lsu-fired-athletics-official-sharon-lewis-sued-department-retaliation|title=Lawyers claim LSU fired athletics official Sharon Lewis, who sued department, in retaliation|date=January 26, 2022|access-date=February 15, 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/sports/lsu-fired-athletics-official-who-sued-department|work=Fox News|title=LSU fired athletics official who sued department|date=January 26, 2022|access-date=February 15, 2022}} In July 2022, the trial date for Lewis' lawsuit was scheduled for May 22, 2023, while the joint lawsuit filed by the LSU students was scheduled for June 26, 2023.{{cite web|work=Yahoo.com|url=https://www.yahoo.com/now/trial-dates-set-sharon-lewis-213824102.html|title=Trial dates set for Sharon Lewis, LSU students' lawsuits against the university|first=Koki|last=Riley|date=July 27, 2022|accessdate=July 31, 2022}} In December 2023, a federal jury dismissed all the claims in Lewis' lawsuit.{{cite web|url=https://www.wafb.com/2023/12/20/federal-jury-dismisses-claim-against-lsu-by-former-athletic-director/|work=WAFB.com|title=Federal jury dismisses claim against LSU by former athletic official|first=Alece|last=Courville|date=December 19, 2023|accessdate=January 3, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/39157391/jury-dismisses-lawsuit-lsu-claiming-retaliation|work=ESPN.com|title=Jury dismisses lawsuit against LSU claiming retaliation|date=December 20, 2023|accessdate=January 3, 2024}}

In October 2023, as a result of federal lawsuit linked to LSU's tennis program, a judge sanctioned the university due to the data of university-issued phones that once belonged to former tennis coaches, Julia and Michael Sell, being deleted after they left the school.{{cite web|work=WBRZ.com|url=https://www.wbrz.com/news/lsu-sanctioned-over-missing-texts-in-federal-title-ix-lawsuit-university-says-private-lawyers-are-to-blame/|title=LSU sanctioned over missing texts in federal Title IX lawsuit; University says private lawyers are to blame

|date=October 2, 2023|accessdate=October 5, 2023}} Both coaches were accused of failing to act on reports of sexual assaults they received from students which were communicated electronically.

==Corporate influence on research controversy==

An April 2024 investigative report co-published in The Guardian and The Lens, a non-profit newsroom in New Orleans, found that LSU gave corporations robust powers to review and influence academic research and coursework at the university in exchange for donations.{{Cite news |last=Sneath |first=Sara |date=2024-04-21 |title=Louisiana's flagship university lets oil firms influence research – for a price |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/21/louisiana-state-university-oil-firms-influence |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421105317/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/21/louisiana-state-university-oil-firms-influence |archive-date=2024-04-21 |access-date=2024-05-08 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |last=Sneath |first=Sara |date=2024-04-19 |title=LSU's fossil-fuel partnerships |url=https://thelensnola.org/2024/04/19/lsus-fossil-fuel-partnerships/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419154128/https://thelensnola.org/2024/04/19/lsus-fossil-fuel-partnerships/ |archive-date=2024-04-19 |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=The Lens |language=en-US}}

Records show that the university granted Shell a seat on the board of the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, including the right to vote on the Institute's research activities and to review study output, following a donation by Shell of $25 million in 2022, and that LSU's fundraising arm, the LSU Foundation, circulated a boilerplate document offering similar privileges to other companies in exchange for a $5 million investment in the Institute.

The university also offered "strategic partner"-level privileges, which included voting rights on research activities at the Institute, in exchange for at least a $1.25 million investment, with ExxonMobil becoming the Institute's first "strategic partner"-level donor and at least eight other companies having discussed similar deals with LSU, according to a "Partnership Update" that LSU sent to ExxonMobil in August 2023.

Records also show that a representative from Shell helped to shape the curriculum of the six courses under the Institute's Carbon Capture, Use, and Storage concentration, as well as representatives from BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil.

Former LSU journalism professor Robert Mann labeled the ability of oil companies to vote on research agendas "an egregious violation of academic freedom," and Jane Patton, an LSU alumna and US Fossil Economy Campaign Manager at the Center for International Environmental Law, referred to the practice as "a gross misuse of the public trust.”

In response, Brad Ives, the director of LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, defended the partnerships, characterizing the claim that "having corporate funding for research damages the integrity of that research" as being "a little far-fetched," and arguing that what the Institute is doing is no different from similar institutes across the US.

Campus

File:Lastatefosterquad.jpg Library]]

{{Historical populations

|title = LSU historical enrollment{{cite web|url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/studentdatareport/14th-day-enrollment/enrollment_comparison/ftptenrollment.php|title=Full-Time and Part-Time Headcount Enrollment by Student Level and CollegePage Title|first=Louisiana State University|last=(LSU)|website=www.lsu.edu}}

|type =

|align =

|direction =

|width =

|state =

|shading =

|pop_name =

|percentages =

|footnote =

|source =

|1860 |19

|1861 |73

|1928 |1800

|1936 |6000

|2002 |31582

|2003 |31234

|2004 |31561

|2005 |33,264

|2015 |31527

|2017 |30863

|22 = 31,761|2019|23 = 2020|24 = 34,290}}

The LSU campus sits on 1,000 acres (8.1 km²) just south of downtown Baton Rouge. Most of the university's 250 buildings, most of which were built between 1925 and 1940, occupy a 650-acre (2.6 km²) plateau on the banks of the Mississippi River. Campus buildings adhere to an overall design emphasizing use of stucco on walls beneath roofs of Ludowici tile.{{cite news |title=Classic roofs on modern buildings |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=734702&site=eds-live&scope=site |work=American School & University |volume=70 |issue=9 |date=May 1998}}

Link collaborated with Wilbur Trueblood on the project but remained faithful to the campus the Olmsted firm had designed. Unfortunately, Link died in 1923 before the plan was completed. New Orleans architects Wogan and Bernard completed Link's work and the campus was dedicated on April 30, 1926.{{cite news|url=http://www.lsu.edu/highlights/041/beauty.html |title=The LSU Campus |publisher=Louisiana State University |date=January 2004 |access-date=August 19, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080716025426/http://www.lsu.edu/highlights/041/beauty.html |archive-date=July 16, 2008 }}

Under Huey Long, the governor from 1928 to 1932, LSU "more than doubled its enrollment despite the Great Depression; its standing had risen to Grade A; dormitories and buildings for departments of music, dramatic arts, and physical education had been completed; other buildings were soon to start, and costs of attendance had been lowered within the reach of many."Huey Pierce Long, Jr., Every Man a King: The Autobiography of Huey P. Long (New Orleans: National Book Club, Inc., 1933), p. 281.

Nine LSU buildings, including the library and the academic buildings for dairying and physics, were constructed by George A. Caldwell, a native of Abbeville. Caldwell designed twenty-six public buildings in Louisiana.{{cite web|url=http://www.lahistory.org/site20.php|title=Caldwell, George A.|publisher=Louisiana Historical Association, A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography (lahistory.org)|access-date=December 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225122235/http://www.lahistory.org/site20.php|archive-date=February 25, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

The campus is known for the 1,200 live oak trees that shade the ground of the university.

=Historic district=

File:LSU Campus Indian Mounds.jpg are estimated to be over 5,000 years old.]]

Fifty-seven resources on the LSU campus were listed in the {{convert|95|acre|ha}} Louisiana State University Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places on September 15, 1988. Forty-six of the enlisted resources were considered contributing buildings and structures.{{cite web|url=https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/attachments/Parish17/Scans/17026001.pdf|title=Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge|publisher=State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation |access-date=May 9, 2018}} with [https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/view.asp?ID=230 four photos and two maps]{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=88001586}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge|publisher=National Park Service|author=National Register Staff|date=July 1988|access-date=May 9, 2018}} With {{NRHP url|id=88001586|photos=y|title=42 photos from 1988}} The campus is protected by the State Capital Historic District Legislation.{{cite news|url=http://www.law.lsu.edu/index.cfm?geaux=newsandpublications.fastfacts |title=LSU News & Publication |publisher=Louisiana State University |date=April 19, 2009 |access-date=August 19, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708170941/http://www.law.lsu.edu/index.cfm?geaux=newsandpublications.fastfacts |archive-date=July 8, 2010 }}

The LSU Campus Mounds, which are part of a larger mound group spread throughout the state, are near the northwestern corner of the campus and were built an estimated 5,000 years ago. They were individually enlisted in the National Register of Historic Places on March 1, 1999.{{cite web|url=https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/attachments/Parish17/Scans/17067001.pdf|title=LSU Campus Mounds|publisher=State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511012506/https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/attachments/Parish17/Scans/17067001.pdf|archive-date=May 11, 2018|url-status=dead}} with [https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/view.asp?ID=1084 two photos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511012445/https://www.crt.state.la.us/dataprojects/hp/nhl/view.asp?ID=1084 |date=2018-05-11 }}{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=99000236}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: LSU Campus Mounds|publisher=National Park Service|author=Christopher T. Hays|date=November 1998|access-date=May 10, 2018}} With {{NRHP url|id=99000236|photos=y|title=a photo from 1998}}

=Campus housing=

On-campus housing options include on-campus apartments (East Campus Apartments, West Campus Apartments, and Nicholson Gateway Apartments), Annie Boyd Hall, Evangeline Hall, the Agricultural Residence College, the Engineering Residential College, the Business Residential College, Broussard, Acadian, Beauregard, Blake, Cypress, Herget, Highland, Jackson, LeJeune, McVoy, Miller, Taylor, East Laville, and West Laville.{{cite web |url=http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/reslifeweb.nsf/%24SubcollectionMenu/Housing%2BOptions?OpenDocument |title=Archived copy |website=appl003.lsu.edu |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040630181622/http://appl003.lsu.edu/slas/reslifeweb.nsf/%24SubcollectionMenu/Housing%2BOptions?OpenDocument |archive-date=30 June 2004 |url-status=dead}}

=Museums=

File:Shawcenterbr.JPG houses the LSU Museum of Art.]]

The LSU Museum of Art shares the Shaw Center for the Arts with many cultural partners including the LSU School of Art Gallery, LSU's Laboratory for Creative Arts and Technology, the Manship Theatre, and the Community School for the Arts of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.{{cite press release|title=LSU Libraries |publisher=LSU Office of Public Affairs |date=August 1, 2006 |url=http://www.foreverlsu.org/priorities/PDFs/moa.pdf |access-date=September 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718165217/http://www.foreverlsu.org/priorities/PDFs/moa.pdf |archive-date=July 18, 2011 }} There is also the LSU Museum of Natural Science, LSU Rural Life Museum, Louisiana Museum of Natural History, and the LSU Textile & Costume Museum on campus.

=Other campuses=

Other Louisiana State University campuses include the LSU Agricultural Center, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSU of Alexandria, LSU Shreveport, LSU Eunice, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport.

The University of New Orleans was a member of Louisiana State University from 1958 until 1963 as LSUNO and under its own name from 1974 until 2011, when it was transferred to the University of Louisiana System by the Louisiana Legislature.{{cite web | title = UNO Officially Joins the University of Louisiana System | publisher = University of Louisiana System | date = December 6, 2011 | url = http://www.ulsystem.edu/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&articleID=443 | access-date = March 10, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140502003336/http://www.ulsystem.edu/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&articleID=443 | archive-date = May 2, 2014 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}

LSU owns and operates the J. Bennett Johnston Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD), which is a 1.3 GeV synchrotron radiation facility.{{cite web | last = Stevens | first = Craig | title = About CAMD | publisher = LSU Center for Advanced Microstructures & Devices | date = October 9, 2009 | url = http://www.camd.lsu.edu/aboutcamd.htm | access-date = October 11, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090408024326/http://www.camd.lsu.edu/aboutcamd.htm | archive-date = April 8, 2009 }}

Academics

=Undergraduate admissions=

{{Infobox U.S. college admissions

|year = 2021

|admit rate = 70.9%

|admit rate change = -5.5

|yield rate = 27.2%

|yield rate change = -12.4

|SAT Total = 1130–1300

|SAT Total change =

|ACT = 23–29

|ACT change =

|float = right

|ref = {{cite web |url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/cds/2021/3_2122_admissions.pdf |title=LSU Common Data Set 2021–2022: First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission|publisher=LSU Office of Finance & Administration |access-date=2022-11-08}}

}}

The 2022 annual ranking of U.S. News & World Report categorizes LSU-Baton Rouge as "more selective".{{cite web |title = Louisiana State University—Baton Rouge |url = https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/louisiana-state-university-baton-rouge-2010/applying |publisher = U.S. News & World Report |access-date = October 14, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191014000058/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/michigan-state-2290 |archive-date = October 14, 2019 |url-status = live }} For the Class of 2025 (enrolled fall 2021), LSU received 36,561 applications and accepted 25,907 (70.9%). Of those accepted, 7,045 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 27.2%. LSU's freshman retention rate is 82.9%, with 69% going on to graduate within six years.{{cite web |url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/cds/2021/2_2122_enrollpersist.pdf |title=LSU Common Data Set 2021–2022: Enrollment and Persistence|publisher=LSU Office of Finance & Administration |access-date=2022-11-08}}

The enrolled first-year class of 2025 had the following standardized test scores: the middle 50% range (25th percentile-75th percentile) of SAT scores was 1130–1300, while the middle 50% range of ACT scores was 23–29.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:left; font-size:90%; margin:10px;" \|+ Fall first-time freshman statistics {{cite web \|url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/cds/2020/3_2021_admissions_o.pdf \|title=LSU Common Data Set 2020–2021: First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission \|publisher=LSU Office of Finance & Administration \|access-date=2022-11-08}} {{cite web \|url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/cds/2019/3_1920_admissions.pdf \|title=LSU Common Data Set 2019–2020: First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission \|publisher=LSU Office of Finance & Administration \|access-date=2022-11-08}} {{cite web \|url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/cds/2018/3_1819_admissions.pdf \|title=LSU Common Data Set 2018–2019: First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission \|publisher=LSU Office of Finance & Administration \|access-date=2022-11-08}} {{cite web \|url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/cds/2017/3_1718_admissions.pdf \|title=LSU Common Data Set 2017–2018: First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission \|publisher=LSU Office of Finance & Administration \|access-date=2022-11-08}} {{cite web \|url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/cds/2016/3_1617_ftfresh.pdf \|title=LSU Common Data Set 2016–2017: First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission \|publisher=LSU Office of Finance & Administration \|access-date=2022-11-08}}
! 2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Applicants \| 36,561 \|\| 28,960 \|\| 24,501 \|\| 24,280 \|\| 17,907 \|\| 18,122
Admits \| 25,907 \|\| 21,252 \|\| 18,272 \|\| 18,024 \|\| 13,236 \|\| 13,843
Admit rate \| 70.9 \|\| 73.4 \|\| 74.6 \|\| 74.2 \|\| 73.9 \|\| 76.4
Enrolled \| 7,045 \|\| 6,701 \|\| 6,132 \|\| 5,812 \|\| 4,917 \|\| 5,475
Yield rate \| 27.2 \|\| 31.5 \|\| 33.6 \|\| 32.2 \|\| 37.1 \|\| 39.6
ACT composite* (out of 36) \| 23–29 \|\| 23–28 \|\| 23–29 \|\| 23–29 \|\| 23–28 \|\| 23–28
SAT composite* (out of 1600) \| 1130–1300 \|\| 1080–1280 \|\| 1090–1280 \|\| 1070–1290 \|\| 1060–1290 \|\| {{sdash}}
* middle 50% range

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:left; font-size:90%; margin:10px;"

|+ Fall first-time freshman statistics

{{cite web |url=https://www.lsu.edu/bgtplan/cds/2020/3_2021_admissions_o.pdf |title=LSU Common Data Set 2020–2021: First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission