''For other Southern University campuses, see
Southern University System .''
is a
Historically Black University located in
Baton Rouge ,
Louisiana . The concept of Southern University was sponsored by
P.B.S. Pinchback , T.T. Allain, and Henry Demas for an institution "for the education of persons of color" at the
1879 Louisiana State Constitutional convention. In April of
1880 Southern University was charted by the General Assembly of the State of Louisiana, and was originally located in
New Orleans . Southern University opened its doors on March 7,
1881 with twelve students. One of the original locations of the early campus was the former Israel Sinai Temple Synagogue on Caliope Street, between St. Charles and Camp streets in
New Orleans Southern University became a
Land Grant school in
1890 , and an Agricultural and Mechanical Department was established. Due to the continuing growth of the institution and lack of land for expansion, the university relocated to what was then Scotlandville, LA along Scott's Bluff facing the
Mississippi River in
1914 .
The new president and first president of what is now known as Southern University at
Baton Rouge was Dr. Joseph Samuel Clark. Dr. Joseph S. Clark, an outstanding citizen in the
Baton Rouge African American community, presided over Baton Rouge College and the Louisiana Colored Teachers Association. In
1921 , 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. Dr. Joseph S. Clark presided 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. Dr. Joseph S. Clark presided until his retirement in
1938 , in which the position was given to his son, Dr. Felton Grandison Clark. Dr. Felton G. Clark, a renowned speaker and gentleman, was the second president of Southern University. Under Dr. Clark's tenure at Southern University, 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 and between him and his father, the treasury grew from 14,000 dollars to 10 million dollars. Due to the reluctance of
Louisiana State University Law School to admit
African Americans in its law program, a special Louisiana Convention allowed a law program 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 his tenure, Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) (
1956 ) and Southern University at Shreveport/Bossier City Campus (SUSBO) (
1964 ) were founded. They were later incorporated into the
Southern University System in 1974.
In 1969, the university saw a change of guard, when Dr. Felton G. Clark retired and Dr. Leon G. Netterville took over the reins of leadership. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Baton Rouge campus on 16 November
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, committed by a patrolman, has never been solved. Nevertheless, the institution continued to grow and in
1974 a special session in the Louisiana Congress 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, Shreveport (SUSBO is a two year, commuter college) Southern University Law Center and The Southern University Agricultural Center. The first season of
College Hill premiered at Southern in 2004.
- A.R. Gourrier, 1881
- George Fayerweather, 1881-2
- Rev. C.H. Thompson, 1882-3
- Rev. J.H. Harrison, 1883-6
- George W. Bathwell, 1886-7
- H.A. Hill, 1887-1999
- Dr. Joseph S. Clark, 1914-1938
- Dr. Felton G. Clark, 1938-1969
- Dr. Leon G. Netterville, 1969-1974
- Dr. Jesse N. Stone 1974-1985
- Dr. Joffre T. Whisenton , 1985-1988
- Dr. Dolores Spikes, 1988-1996 (First female head of any college system in the U.S.)
- Dr. Leon Tarver II, 1997-2005
- Dr. Edward Jackson, (interim) 2005-2006
- Dr. Ralph Slaughter 2006-
- Honors College
- University College
- College of Agriculture, Family, and Consumer Sciences
- College of Arts and Humanities
- College of Business
- College of Education
- College of Engineering
- College of Sciences
- School of Architecture
- School of Nursing
- The Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs
All Southern University programs have 100 percent accreditation and are monitored by the
Southern Association Of Colleges And Schools (SACS).
Southern University sports teams participate in the
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I-A system. (Football teams in the SWAC are in Division I-AA.) Southern universal colors are
Columbia Blue and
Gold and their nickname is the
Jaguar s.
Southern University plays its archrival
Grambling Tigers in the annual
Bayou Classic , in
New Orleans at the
Louisiana Superdome on
NBC every
Thanksgiving weekend. Due to
Hurricane Katrina , this game was played in
Houston in
2005 .
In 2006, Southern's men
Basketball team played
Duke University in the first round of the
NCAA Tournament in
Greensboro ,
N.C. The Jaguars played a closely contested game against Duke, until Duke finally pulled away midway through the second half, 70-54. Chris Alexander led Southern with 19 points. This was Coach Rob Spivery's first year with the school and was named
SWAC coach of the year after winning both regular season and tournament in the SWAC. In addition, the women also claimed a share of the SWAC regular season title and won the SWAC women's basketball tournament. This was Coach Sandy Pugh's third apperance in the NCAA tournament with Southern University.
In addition to Southern good showing in the first round, Southern's pep band, known as "The Human Jukebox" was another highlight of the game. Southern University is one of the most respected out of collegiate bands in the nation and world.
- Melvin "Kip" Holden , first African-American mayor of Baton Rouge.
- Mel Blount , played with the Pittsburgh Steelers and President of the NFL Players Association .
- Aeneas Williams , played with the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams .
- Lt. Gen Russel Honore , commander of the efforts to revitalize the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and Rita .
- Randy Jackson , musician, record producer, and '' American Idol '' judge.
- Lavell Crump, a.k.a David Banner , music recording artist.
- Lou Brock , record-setting base-stealing outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals .
- Rickie Weeks , plays on the Milwaukee Brewers roster as 2nd baseman.
- Bob Love , former NBA All-Star with the Chicago Bulls
- Avery Johnson , current NBA head coach with the Dallas Mavericks
