Initiatives in Education
Challenging our students in a rich intellectual and cultural environment
Preparing our students
Graduation rates are the highest in LSU history at 57 percent, and we expect to exceed a goal of 63 percent by 2008. With higher admission requirements, the average ACT score for incoming freshmen this fall was 25.2—the highest ever.
This year will see significant increases in course and class section availability and supplemental instruction. LSU’s Residential Colleges appeal to different interests and provide students the academic and social environment of a small college in a major university setting.
Fostering diversity
LSU boasts representation from every state in the nation and 120 countries around the world. Indeed, our geographic diversity is broadening, with this year’s figures out-of-state-enrollment figures representing 14 percent of the student body and international enrollment, 5 percent
Ethnic minority (American Indian, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, Nonresident Alien, and Unknown) enrollment stands at 20 percent of the student population. The University is committed to racial diversity and to increasing these numbers as the National Flagship Agenda unfolds.
The African-American Cultural Center provides a welcoming, supportive environment for all LSU faculty, staff, and students, offering educational, cultural, and social programs and activities that encourage respect and appreciation for diversity and membership in the African-American community.
LSU’s International Cultural Center is a social and educational resource for international students, a place where all nationalities come together and learn from each other. ICC offers a variety of services for international students and sponsors such activities as international food festivals, concerts, forums, film nights, and workshops.
Building and enhancing our beautiful campus
LSU is building, renovating, and restoring its physical plant according to a blueprint for future expansion and growth by implementing the Campus Master Plan .
With the completion of several construction projects, the ambience of our surroundings truly has been enhanced. The restored Journalism Building (Manship School of Mass Communication) and Gym-Armory (Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes)are perfect blends of the old that preserves our heritage and the new that provides state-of-the-art facilities for students. Restoration and renovation of the historic Music and Dramatic Arts Building is underway, as is renovation of the University Recreation complex. Ground will be broken for the renovation and expansion of the LSU Union in Fall 2006.
The inspiring Free Speech Plaza, the improved parking and sidewalk paths around Coates Hall and the landscaping around the Greek Theater and the Gym-Armory are welcome improvements to a campus already acclaimed as one of the most beautiful in the country. New pedestrian and bicycle paths connect the University community with its Baton Rouge neighbors and provide safer routes for walking, jogging and cycling from the campus periphery to the academic core.
Providing hi-tech access
The University is moving quickly toward a ubiquitous computing environment, integrating technology into any number of settings and providing extensive wireless coverage indoors and out. Intel Corporation last year rated LSU as one of the “most wireless” schools in the country, placing it 29th of 100 on its list of “Most Unwired College Campuses” because of its ability to offer online computer access without plugs and desks.
The Student Technology Fee has funded computer labs across campus, including the Digital Media Center in CEBA, and and public access labs in Middleton Library, Coates Hall, the LSU Union, and cyber cafés at Pentagon and Laville residence halls. The fee has also helped fund a vast array of discipline-specific equipment, such as as fiber optic design studio for the School of Architecture; a multitrack audio recording, editing, and duplication system for the College of Music & Dramatic Arts; and a math mini-lab for the University College.
Other examples of the Student Tech Fee at work:
For students using the new PAWS mail, the account now includes 250 MB of FREE Web hosting. Visit www.lsu.edu/webhosting for more information.
For students using the new PAWS mail, the current 50 MB account has been upgraded to allow up to 1 GB (1000 MB) of storage – FREE! Plus, email messages can now be up to 25MB, making it easy to attach larger files and documents.
State investment in higher education has provided unprecedented resources for a variety of projects, including the launch of the Governor’s Information Technology and Biotechnology initiatives, which are attracting internationally renowned researchers and strengthening the University’s position as the state’s major economic engine.
LSU’s presence in the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, the National LambdaRail – which will connect universities throughout the state to the country’s fastest supercomputing network – is a catalyst for economic development in Louisiana.
