[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 27, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E97]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMENDING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AT 
                               ALEXANDRIA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RODNEY ALEXANDER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 27, 2010

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to commemorate the 
50th Anniversary of Louisiana State University at Alexandria (LSUA).
  Ever since the Louisiana Constitution of 1852 reauthorized the 
establishment of Louisiana's first seminary of learning by stipulating 
that it would be located in Rapides Parish, LSUA has shared a rich and 
historical legacy with Louisiana State University. On January 2, 1860, 
Louisiana's pioneer public higher education institution opened its 
doors in Central Louisiana.
  LSUA saw its beginning in 1959, when the Louisiana State Legislature 
approved the establishment of a two-year commuter college to serve the 
residents of this region. In 1960, LSUA registered its first students, 
and in 1964 established the first degree program, an Associate in 
Nursing degree.
  Today, more that 3,000 nurses have earned their degrees at this 
institution, and the school currently boasts a 100 percent employment 
rate of graduate nurses.
  At the beginning of the new millennium, the Louisiana State 
Legislature voted to expand college access in one of the most 
educationally underserved areas of Louisiana by providing students with 
the opportunity to earn baccalaureate degrees from LSUA. Since there 
were students at LSUA who had completed upper-level course work through 
LSU Senior College, LSUA was able to produce its first bachelor's 
degree graduates in December 2003.
  LSUA's transformation into a four-year university resulted in its 
being Louisiana's only public college focused exclusively on 
undergraduate education. LSUA continues to offer access to affordable 
associate and bachelor's degrees and challenges students to seek 
excellence in their studies and lives.
  Nowadays, LSUA plays an integral role in the business community 
providing specialized training through continuing education programs. 
Moreover, this institution is a vital component of Central Louisiana's 
identity through the involvement of its faculty, staff, administrators, 
and students in community activities. In addition, former students and 
graduates of LSUA have fulfilled productive and rightful leadership and 
citizenship roles in business, industry, the arts, science, education, 
the military and government.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing LSUA for 
its exceptional contributions and remarkable influence on higher 
education, and the community at large, in Central Louisiana. As it 
celebrates its 50th year of service to Louisiana, LSUA looks to the 
future as it strives to become a university of choice for Louisianans.

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