Purpose/Mission of the University
The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) is committed to serving as a gateway to diverse academic studies for citizens living in the urban and rural regions of the Lower Mississippi Delta. The university offers a broad array of academic and professional programs from the associate level through the doctoral degree, including the state’s only public Pharm.D. program. Complemented by research and service, these programs address the postsecondary educational needs of the area’s citizens, businesses, and industries.
The university ensures student learning by promoting a comprehensive context for the intellectual, scientific, cultural, technological, and economic development of a diverse student and faculty population. ULM values the continued development of mutually beneficial partnerships involving schools, government, businesses, and a variety of community-based agencies.
ULM is categorized as an SREB Four-Year 3 institution, as a Carnegie Master’s College and University I, and as a COC/SACS Level VI institution. It offers a wide range of baccalaureate programs and is committed to graduate education through master and doctoral degrees, offering graduate programs to meet regional or state needs. The university will limit associate degree offerings to 2+2 programs, conduct research appropriate to academic programs offered and necessary for program accreditation, and implement, at a minimum, Selective III admissions criteria. ULM is located in Region VIII.
Historical Sketch of the University
The University of Louisiana at Monroe has followed a course of vigorous growth in its transition from a junior college to an institution offering a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In September of 1931, the university opened for its first session as Ouachita Parish Junior College, which was operated as part of the Ouachita Parish School System. Three years later, Louisiana State University received authority from the state legislature to operate the facilities of the university as Northeast Center of Louisiana State University. The name of the institution was changed in 1939 to Northeast Junior College of Louisiana State University. The following year the state legislature authorized the transfer to Louisiana State University of all lands connected with Northeast Junior College.
The 1950 legislature approved the expansion of Northeast Junior College to a senior college, granting academic degrees. The name of the institution was changed to Northeast Louisiana State College and its control was transferred from the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors to the State Board of Education. The School of Pharmacy was established in 1956.
The 1969-70 academic year was a milestone for ULM; in addition to awarding the first doctoral degrees, the name was changed by the 1970 legislature to Northeast Louisiana University. The constitution adopted by the people of Louisiana in 1974 provided that the administration of state colleges and universities be changed from the Louisiana State Board of Education to the Board of Trustees for State Colleges and Universities effective May of 1975. This board’s name was again changed on June 8, 1995, to the University of Louisiana Board of Trustees and in 1998 to the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.
The Graduate School was established in 1961 to offer master’s degrees. The Graduate School established the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pharmacy in December of 1967. In the fall of 1967 the Education Specialist degree was first offered and in 1983 the Specialist in School Psychology degree was added. In 1993 the Office of Research and the Graduate School were merged to form the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. Northeast Louisiana University, in cooperation with Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University, formed the Louisiana Education Consortium in 1994 to offer the Doctor of Education degree at each campus. In the Fall of 1996, the Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy was first offered.
On August 27, 1999, the university officially changed its name to the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
At the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors meeting on March 7, 2007, the University of Louisiana at Monroe received approval to reorganize its Office of Graduate Studies and Research. ULM separated the existing Office of Graduate Studies and Research into the Graduate School and the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research.
The Graduate School, which changed its administrative leadership position to a dean rather than a director, redirected its focus on increasing graduate enrollment, as well as admission, retention, and graduate outcomes. The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research bolsters the research, instructional, creative, and community service goals already prevalent at ULM.
Entering the 2011-12 academic year, ULM has students enrolled from every parish in Louisiana, along with 40 states and more than 50 foreign countries.
Location
The University of Louisiana at Monroe’s campus, one of the state’s most attractive, is located in the eastern part of Monroe, a city whose metropolitan area population exceeds 100,000. Beautiful Bayou DeSiard flows through the 238-acre, tree-shaded site.
The city of Monroe is located mid-way between Shreveport, Louisiana, and Vicksburg, Mississippi. It is readily accessible from all sections of Louisiana and neighboring states. The university is located on U.S. Highway 80, within four blocks of U.S. Highway 165 North, and two miles off Interstate 20. Monroe Regional Airport, located three miles east of the university, is served by Continental, American, Northwest, and Delta air lines. The city’s public transportation and bus lines also serve the university area.
Monroe’s Civic Center, Strauss Playhouse, Masur Museum, Biedenharn Museum & Gardens, West Monroe’s Convention Center, and local parks offer cultural and popular programs, including sports events of all kinds. The beautiful Ouachita River, Bayou DeSiard, and many nearby lakes offer opportunities for fishing, boating, skiing, swimming, and picnicking.
Accreditation and Professional Affiliation
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. For questions about the accreditation of the university, contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia, 30033-4097, or call (404) 679-4500.
The Southern Association for Colleges and Schools’ Principles of Accreditation requires the University of Louisiana at Monroe to annually assess its programs of graduate study. The university is committed to the ongoing development of student learning assessment plans and the analysis and use of results.
Many of the departments and schools which offer graduate degrees are also accredited by specialized or professional accrediting agencies, including the teacher-preparation programs accredited at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree level by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
In addition to membership in national accrediting agencies, the university also holds membership in the following professional, agencies:
- American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
- American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing
- American Association of State Colleges and Universities
- American Council on Education
- Conference of Southern Graduate Schools
- American Council for Construction Education
- Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing of the Southern Regional Education Board
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
- American Association of University Women
Non-Discrimination Policy
The University of Louisiana at Monroe recognizes that members of the university community represent different groups according to sex, color, creed, national origin, and physical or mental disability. The university further recognizes that, in a pluralistic society such as ours, these differences must be recognized and respected by all who intend to be a part of the university community.
It is not the intent of the university to dictate feelings or to mandate how individuals should personally interact with others. It is, however, the intent of the university that awareness of individual and group rights according to sex, race, color, creed, national origin, and physical or mental disability be regarded as important to the education of its students. Our ability to work in a pluralistic society demands no less.
It is with this in mind that the university does not permit any actions, including verbal or written statements, that discriminate against an individual or group on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, or physical or mental disability. Any action is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Complaints of discrimination should be made orally and in writing to the appropriate university administrator. |
