New Places New People New World

“This record-breaking group of students is as strong academically as they are in number. Our new class of Tigers is poised to take on the

world, and we can’t wait to help them succeed."

–PRESIDENT F. KING ALEXANDER

SPEAKING ABOUT THE 2018 FALL FRESHMAN CLASS

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NEW

PLACES

NEW

PEOPLE

NEW

WORLD

by Sarah Catherine LaBorde Photos by LSU Strategic Communications

Opposite page, clockwise from top left 1. Chemical engineering students work in a lab in Patrick F. Taylor Hall. 2. A future alumnus runs on the new inclined track at the UREC. 3. Nicholson Gateway Apartments can house more than 1,500 students and provide them with amenities like an onsite grocery store and rec center.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Winter 2018 21

“I cannot wait

to see how our

students make

the most of

everything we

have to offer.”

–JUDY WORNAT

DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF

ENGINEERING

Generations of Tigers have walked under the beautiful oaks and stately arches that dot LSU’s campus; however, whether you graduated with the class of 1934 or 2018, the University may look a little different since your last visit.

LSU is alive – constantly evolving with each new class that passes through the campus gates – and, as needs change, the campus changes too. Through multiple new developments, LSU strives to provide the best college experience and create well-rounded, competitive graduates. Within the past two years,

Above, from top 1. Future alumni study in the Cambre Atrium inside Patrick F. Taylor Hall (PFT). 2. Future alumni utilize PFT’s Building Information Modeling Lab. 3. Students perform hands-on research in one of the labs in PFT. Opposite page, from top 1. Center for River Studies Director, Clint Willson, observes the Mississippi River model with two students. 2. The LSU Center for River Studies is part of the Water Campus on River Road in Baton Rouge, La.

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“There’s not another like it anywhere in the

world. Just to have the White House committed

to using this project as an example of how to do

infrastructure … I think is critically important.”

–GOV. JOHN BEL EDWARDS

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR RIVER STUDIES

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Above, from top 1. The Nicholson Gateway Development is a recently opened apartment complex for upperclassmen and graduate students. 2. Future alumni relax and enjoy the UREC’s outdoor leisure river and lap pools. 3. Students enjoy Nicholson Gateway’s full-sized living areas in each apartment.

“I hope that both our programs and our facilities speak to the

highest levels of excellence that we can achieve each day.”

–LAURIE BRADEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY RECREATION

LSU completed more than five new building projects ranging from academic and research facilities to on-campus housing and student recreational locations.

“I believe it shows the investment that we as a university and the state of Louisiana have made in our students and their future success,” said LSU President F. King Alexander. “It demonstrates LSU’s ongoing commitment to solving the biggest challenges facing our state, many of

which can be solved through the education and research taking place [here]."

After three years of construction and renovation, Patrick F. Taylor Hall (PFT), is now the largest academic building in Louisiana and the largest freestanding college of engineering building in the United States. The facility measures nearly 440,000 square feet and provides more than 176,000 square feet of space for teaching, laboratory work, and student

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collaboration. This dedicated space provides hands-on learning experiences and innovative research opportunities in every field of engineering offered.

Nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River, the LSU Center for River Studies is the first-of-its-kind facility in Louisiana. The state-ofthe-art research location is dedicated to training and preparing the next generation of researchers to solve one of Louisiana’s most pressing issues: coastal erosion. A 10,000-square-foot interactive model of the southern Mississippi River is the star of the Center for River Studies and one of the largest moveable bed physical models in the world. Multiple water pumps, acoustic sensors, and high-definition projectors allow the model to come alive for scientists and tour groups to study and observe.

LSU also provides modern oncampus housing options as it continues to expand and recruit the brightest minds in the nation. Campus housing is steps away from class and offers amenities that are competitive with Baton Rouge’s other prime housing options. The Nicholson Gateway Apartments are the newest edition to LSU’s residential options. The upperclassmen and graduate student apartment complex sits on twentyeight acres of land that was formally Alex Box Stadium and the married student housing complex. The new complex can house more than 1,500 residents and boasts fully furnished apartments, restaurants, shopping centers, recreation rooms, and an onsite grocery store.

“I currently live in Nicholson Gateway, and I love it there,” said biological engineering honors student Hailey Simpson, of Goshen, Ky. “As someone who is very actively involved on campus, I need to be close, so I can make it to all my meetings and classes without the trouble of commuting.

From top 1. View of Nicholson Gateway Apartments from the north gates of campus at Nicholson and W. Chimes St. 2. New common areas and study lounges for Nicholson Gateway residents. 3. 2018 Aerial view of the Nicholson Gateway development facing the Mississippi River. 4. Nicholson Gateway apartment interiors. 5. The main courtyard at the Nicholson Gateway Apartments facing Tiger Stadium.

LSU Alumni Magazine | Winter 2018 25

A LOOK BACK

It is extremely convenient. For me, all these amenities make living on campus the very best option.”

LSU’s University Recreation Center (UREC) reopened its doors in fall 2017 after extensive renovation and expansion. The UREC provides an open, welcoming environment that demonstrates LSU’s dedication to the well-being of each member of the University community. Indoor running tracks and rock walls, group fitness rooms, weight training areas, and the iconic leisure pool allow users to combat stress and lead more balanced lifestyles through promoting health, fitness, and recreation.

“Having these new resources for students and faculty makes LSU more advanced and competitive,” said LSU computer engineering and physics major Bri Robertson, of Slidell, La. LSU continues to recruit top scholars from Louisiana and across the country. This year’s class of 5,812 freshmen is the largest, most diverse, and highest-achieving class the University has ever seen. These new Tigers share an average 3.5 GPA and scored an average 26 on the ACT with a 42 percent increase in scores above a 34. These scores place LSU’s first-year future alumni five points above the 2017 national average.

LSU continues to create a safe, innovative, and vibrant campus community that enhances the value of the education the University provides. With high enrollment in the Honors College, higher testing scores, renewed grants, and access to these new cutting-edge facilities, LSU is poised to help both current and future alumni achieve big things and continue to impact the state, country, and global community.

To see videos and learn more about the new places and faces on campus, visit www.lsu.edu/newfaces, or come home to Baton Rouge to rediscover the new LSU.

Sarah Catherine LaBorde, LSU Class of 2020, is a marketing intern in the LSU Division of Strategic Communications.

Assistant University archivist Barry Cowan shares a look at Nicholson Drive of yesteryear with photos from LSU’s Special Collections.

1. Before Nicholson Drive was completed, experimental plots extended from River Road to the edge of the running track and ball field, with the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse and the Gym Armory in background. This photograph from c. 1934 shows cotton breeding plots.

2. This aerial photograph of campus from c. 1937 shows a recently completed Nicholson Drive ending at South Stadium Drive. Alex Box Stadium is nearing completion and farm crops lie on each side of the road. Development of apartments and singlefamily houses would begin in the 1940s.

3. By 1960, the newly completed first phase of the Nicholson Apartments (bottom center) was ready for occupancy. The hutments, the small buildings in the center, were World War II-surplus prefabricated military barracks set up in 1947 as temporary housing for married students, most of whom were veterans returning from the war to resume or begin their education. The last of the hutments were removed in 1963. This photograph was taken by the Louisiana State Police to study football game day traffic patterns on campus.

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