Southwestern Louisiana Institute - Lacadien Yearbook (Lafayette, LA)

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SOUTHWESTERN AS A COLLEGE 1924 — Library now contained 8,000 volumes. Enrollment was 618; graduated 68; 31 with bacca- laureate degrees. Bi-weekly Vermilion began pub- lishing weekly. 1925 — Institute accredited by and invested with full membership in Southern Association of Col- leges and Secondary Schools. Science Hall (now Lee Hall) built for classrooms and laboratories for $40,000. Student Government Association founded. Built Football Stadium and Men ' s Gym- nasium near McKinley. Both have since been replaced. Enrollment 750, graduated 106. 1927 — Built Buchanan Hall and Judice Hall, both dormitories. 1928 — Organized Golf Team. 1929 — Additions to Martin Hall. Extended audi- torium and provided additional space for offices. Enrollment 869; faculty, 45. 1930 — Organized boxing which continued until 1941. 1931 — Acquired a 30 acre horticultural farm. Library contained 15,000 volumes. 1932 — Organized Tennis Team. Given accredita- tion by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. r935 — Built the O. K. Allen Dining Hall. 1936 — Acquired 171 acre Whittington farm, with Whittington Hall, which was later used as a Home Economics practice residence. 1937 — Added two pieces of land amounting to 37 acres to the main campus, one bounded bv McKinley, St. Mary, Taft and Tulane; the otncr bounded by Girard Park Drive and Woodson. Built Harris Hall, a women ' s dormitory. 1938 — President Stephens retired and was suc- ceeded by Dr. Lether Frazar. Departments of Agriculture and Home Economics became College of Agriculture with Dr. Joel L. Fletcher, dean. Cre- ated a Music Department. Faculty a body of 77 members. 1939 — Building on campus included addition to O. K. Allen Dining Hall, and a men ' s brick gym- nasium. 1940 — Completed work on Broussard Hall, Ste- phens Memorial Library. Mouton Hall, Burke Hall, McNaspy Stadium-Dormitory, Hamilton Laboratory School, Saucier Infirmary, Women ' s Gymnasium, new residence for President, Parker Hall, and Evangeline Hall, and covered walks. All were dedicated at the same time. Library moved to Stephens Memorial Library building, and added a collection of microfilm reproductions, 250 paint- ings for exhibit, a F eriodicals room, a browsing room, and a loan system. College of Engineering formed. Added two-year Pre-Dental, and four- year Public Welfare curricula. Debate societies moved to the intercollegiate level. 1941 — Dr. Joel Fletcher named as President; had previously served as Dean of the College of Agri- culture.

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1917-1918 — Southwestern became a junior col- lege, providing the last year of high school and the first two years of college. Teacher training summer sessions attracted 313 students. 1919 — Acquired a 125-acre farm and barn for agriculture instruction; gymnasium was converted to dining hall by student labor. 1920-1921 — The Constitutional Convention of 1921 designated Southwestern one of the institu- tions of- higher learning in Louisiana. Southwest- ern was composed of four separate colleges, each having its dean and faculty. Each college offered degrees in areas of Liberal Arts, Education, Agri- culture, and Engineering. High school courses were phased out. -A Lo«d of ln«fit-utc H»q Q Name changed to Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning, to reflect new status. Enrollment was 280. and granted first Bachelors ' degrees to 86 candi- dates. 1921 — Twentieth Anniversary was marked by the renaming of buildings in honor of the school ' s supporters: Main Building became Martin Hall; the oldest dorm, Foster Hall after a former Louisiana governor; the newer dorm, DeClouet Hall, honoring a member of the legis- lature who helped obtain funds; and Brown Ayres Hall after one of the original Board of Trustees members. 1922-1923 — Girard Hall completed. Total costs per session were $265.40. 1923 — Library, containing 5,800 volumes, moved to Girard Hall which was also used for classrooms. Main campus consisted of 50 acres, and a college farm of 125 acres. There were five permanent brick buildings and eight frame structures. The catalog added the following courses: Art. Biology. Chem- istry. Commerce. Business Administration. Eco- nomics, Sociology. History. Foreign Languages, Political Science, Physics, Mathematics, Public Speaking. Physical Education. Music, and Veteran Rehabilitation. The only purely administrative offices were the Registrar, Business Manager, and Superintendent of Grounds and Buildings.

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1943 — Enrollment dropped during World War II. President Fletcher brought the V-12 Navy and Marine officer-candidate training and Navy V-5 aviation candidate programs to the campus. This boosted enrollment and also provided the Institute with a football team with many All-American players including Alvin Dark. The Institute won the first Oil Bowl game with this team. 1945 — Institute was approved by Veterans Administration for training veterans. 1946 — Acquired 108 units of Veteran Housing. Enrollment was up after the war years to 3,167. 1947 — Night and Special Division was estab- hshed into the Institution. Student body was 60% veterans. 1948 — SLI Creamery constructed. 1949 — Constructed Blackham Coliseum. Became member of the Gulf Coast (sports) Conference. Began Air Force ROTC program. 1950 — Built Baker, Huger and Randolph Halls, and Alumni Hall. Faculty numbered 248. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. 195 1 — College of Nursing established. Miss Clare M. J. Wangen as dean. 1952 — College of Nursing accredited. College of Commerce formed, with Dr. Herbert A. Hamilton as dean. Montgomery Hall completed. 1954 — La Maison Acadienne Francaise (Acadian Culture Center) acquired. 1955 — Degree program added in Medical Tech- nology.