Introduction
Of the 115 years of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's existence, there have been six presidents. While these president have served varying lengths of years (some relatively short and others remarkably long), each has left his mark on the university.
Starting out as the Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute (SLII) in 1900, this university was just a vocational educational institution with only around 100 students enrolled. Thanks to President Stephens's leadership, SLII upgraded to a higher education institution, changing its name to the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (SLI). In the following years, SLI expanded, adding more degrees, gaining more land to for classrooms and housing, and acquiring accreditation for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
President Fletcher strengthened the institution even more by introducing the first graduate programs in 1956. Four years later, SLI gained university status, and the institution's name officially changed to the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL). It was not until President Authement's tenure when the the institution changed it's name once more to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette).
Today, with the great contributions of each of these presidents, UL Lafayette has grown beyond its original vision, with student enrollment exceeding 19,000 and alumni exceeding 103,000. These contributions include the construction of university buildings, the development of degrees (undergraduate, masters, and doctoral), and the implementation of various programs ranging from academics to athletics.
This exhibit explores each of these presidents, presenting photographs, writings, articles, and some of their accomplishments. The materials can all be found in the University Archives and Acadiana Manuscripts Collection at Edith Garland Dupré Library.
Special thanks to the Special Collections staff for helping find materials on these presidents. And a very special thanks to the student aides who assisted in scanning.
