Everything about Southern University totally explained
» 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. 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
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.
The "New" Southern University
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 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. Nevertheless, 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, Shreveport (SUSLA is a two-year, commuter college) Southern University Law Center and The Southern University Agricultural Center.
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. The Classic is considered the "Grandfather" of all the college football classics that have spawned in recent years. The game attracts upwards of over 400,000 alumni, students, fans and other revelers to New Orleans each year and has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to New Orleans' economy since its inception in 1974. It is believed to be the largest gathering of African-Americans annually in the US. Due to
Hurricane Katrina and subsequent damage to the
Superdome in 2005, the game was moved to
Houston, Texas, but it returned to New Orleans in 2006. It is the only historically black college or
Division I-AA football game that's televised on a major network.
NBC has carried the game live for over 15 years and each year it has become the highest rated college football telecast among African-Americans for the network. In addition, sports broadcaster
ESPN chose the 2005 Bayou Classic as its highly sought-after locale for its most popular presentation,
College GameDay with
Lee Corso. It is the only time in the show's twenty-year history that it was broadcast from a game involving teams from two
historically black universities or Division I-AA schools.
The widely acclaimed Southern University marching band is widely recognized as one of the top bands in the world. In addition to being featured in television commercials, the "Human Jukebox" 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. 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.
The first season of the reality television series
College Hill on
BET premiered in 2004 with the Southern University campus as its locale.
The university is currently 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.
The Presidents of Southern University
Early Southern University
- A.R. Gourrier, 1881
- George Fayerweather, 1881-2
- Rev. C.H. Thompson, 1882-3
- Rev. J.H. Harrisond, 1883-
- George W. Bathwell, 1886-7
- H.A. Hill, 1887-1899
Modern Southern University
Dr. Joseph S. Clark, 1914-1938
Dr. Felton G. Clark, 1938-1969
Dr. George L. 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-
Colleges within the University
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 are accredited and also are monitored by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Athletics
Notable alumni
Sports figures
Mel Blount, played with the Pittsburgh Steelers and President of the NFL Players Association.
Lou Brock, record-setting base-stealing outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Harold Carmichael, NFL player, four-time Pro-Bowler, played 14 years for Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
Willie Davenport, two-time gold medalist of U.S. Olympic Track Team.
Trenidad Hubbard, former Major League Baseball outfielder.
Avery Johnson, current NBA head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, 2006 NBA Coach Of The Year.
Tyrone Jones, former All-star and MVP CFL linebacker and Grey Cup champion.
Robert "Butterbean" Love, aka Bob Love, former NBA All-Star, played for Chicago Bulls. 2nd Leading scorer in Bulls history behind superstar Michael Jordan.
Rodney Milburn, Track and Field gold medalist at 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
Bobby Phills, NBA basketball player with the Charlotte Hornets.
Isiah Robertson, Six time Pro-Bowler in the NFL, played for St.Louis Rams.
Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers 2nd baseman.
Aeneas Williams, Pro Bowl cornerback who played for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.
Godwin Turk, NFL linebacker with the New York Jets and Denver Broncos.
Fred Lewis, Outfielder for the San Francisco Giants
Entertainers
Alvin Batiste, Renowned Jazz artist and educator.
Maurice Brown, Noted Jazz artist.
Lavell Crump, a.k.a David Banner, music recording artist.
Thaddeus Ford, Jazz Musician.
Randy Jackson, musician, record producer, and American Idol judge.
Branford Marsalis, Jazz saxophonist.
Terysa Singleton, Miss Black Louisiana USA 2006 - 2007.
Politicians
Jay Blossman, Louisiana Public Service Commissioner (Law School)
Cleo Fields, Representative, U.S. Congress.
Melvin "Kip" Holden, First African-American mayor of Baton Rouge.
William J. Jefferson, Representative, U.S. Congress.
Military commanders
Retired Brigadier General Sherian Grace Cadoria, First Black Female General in U.S. Army.
Lt. Gen Russel L. Honoré, commander of the efforts to revitalize the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and Rita.
Authors
Olayinka Aikens, Author of the novels Smooth Operators, Unfinished Business, & Hollyhood
Faculty
Alia Sabur, Youngest Professor ever at 18Further Information
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