Southern University.html



Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Established:	March 7, 1881 (1881-03-07) (age 127)
Type:	Public, land grant, HBCU
Chancellor:	Dr. Kofi Lomotey
President:	Ralph Slaughter
Provost:	Dr. Mwalimu J. Shujaa
Staff:	1,465 1
Undergraduates:	8,964
Postgraduates:	1,400
Location:	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
Campus:	Urban
Colors:	Columbia Blue and Gold
Nickname:	Jaguars, Southernites
Website:	www.subr.edu

For other Southern University campuses, see Southern University System.

Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

History

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 March 7, 1881 (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. Because of 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. It is included as a destination of the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

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. Due to the reluctance of LSU Law School to admit African Americans into its law program, a special Louisiana Convention allowed a law program, Southern University Law Center 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 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.

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 Law Center; Southern University Agricultural Center; and Southern University, Shreveport (SUSLA is a two-year, commuter college). The Southern University Museum of Art at Shreveport is another destination of the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

The university is in the midst of a major campus facelift with the recent completion of several new dormitories, on-campus apartments, renovation of on-campus A.W. Mumford Stadium, and plans for construction of other infrastructure.

Academics

All Southern University programs are accredited and also are monitored by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Student activities

Athletics

Main article: Southern University Jaguars

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. NBC has carried the game live for over 15 years.

Marching band

The Southern University Human Jukebox marching band www.humanjukebox.com was featured in television commercials and has been invited to participate in the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, Presidential Inauguration ceremonies and several Super Bowl halftime presentations. USA Today newspaper once named the band the number one marching band in the United States.^{citation needed} For many years, the band was one of the few in the U.S. that had no female members but that has changed in recent years; currently there are over 20 female members.^{citation needed}

Notable alumni

Athletes

Entertainers

Politicians

Military commanders

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Southern University System official website
• Official athletics website
• Marching band website
• Marching band music playlist