Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University is a state - funded public university in Hammond , Louisiana , United States . It was founded in 1925 by Linus A . Sims , the principal of Hammond High School , as Hammond Junior College , located in a wing of the high school building . Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928 , when it became known as Southeastern Louisiana College . It achieved university status in 1970 . Description . Enrolled are more than 15 thousand students representing 43 states and 66 countries . During the 1990s Southeastern was the fastest - growing college in the United States . Southeastern ' s colors are green and gold , and the mascot is the " Lions " . Southeastern ' s sports teams participate in NCAA Division I ( FCS for football ) in the Southland Conference . History . What began as a junior college supported by local taxes developed into a major university as Southeastern has grown to meet the evolving needs of southeast Louisiana and the Florida parishes . On July 7 , 1925 , the voters overwhelmingly approved a bond issue that created Hammond Junior College . Operated under the auspices of the Tangipahoa Parish School Board , Sims opened the doors on September 13 , 1925 , with a faculty of three women and two men and 40 students . The two - year coeducational institution offered basic undergraduate work in arts and sciences that culminated in a teaching certificate . Rapidly increasing enrollments quickly forced the college out of its two rooms in Hammond High School . In 1927 , voters supported the purchase of the Hunter Leake estate on Hammond ’ s north end . In 1928 , Hammond Junior College became Southeastern Louisiana College , formally adopted into the state educational system under the control of the State Board of Education . The purchase of adjoining the original plot provided the space to develop a suitable campus . In 1934 , a state bond issue provided for the construction of McGehee Hall and a gymnasium . Lucius McGehee Hall was built in 1935 . As of 2009 it is the oldest building constructed by the University . McGehee Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places . In 1937 , the State Board of Education authorized curricula for four - year programs in liberal arts , teacher education , business administration , music , social sciences , and physical education . The first baccalaureate degrees were conferred in May 1939 . Voter approval of Act 388 in 1938 , an amendment to the 1920 Louisiana Constitution , granted Southeastern Louisiana College the same legal status as other four - year colleges . The amendment did not , however , require the state to fund Southeastern at the level of other institutions of higher education , despite strong local support . On January 18 , 1946 , the State Board made available funds to purchase seven city blocks east and west of the campus , and of land north and northwest of the campus , increasing Southeastern ’ s total area to approximately . On March 3 , 1946 , Southeastern was formally approved and accepted into full membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) , as a four - year degree - granting institution . After World War II , returning G . I . s caused exponential growth of the college , necessitating construction of classrooms , a student union , a cafeteria , a health center , dormitories , apartments for married students , and many surplus temporary buildings donated by the federal government . In 1948 , the U . S . Navy contributed two steel barracks for use as dormitories including McNeely Hall ( which was demolished in 2007 ) . In 1960 , the State Board authorized Southeastern to offer master ’ s degrees through the newly - formed Division of Graduate Studies . Southeastern began awarding the Education Specialist degree in 1967 . The War Memorial Student Union , constructed in the mid - 1960s , is the only student union building in the United States dedicated to alumni who died in World War II . Governor John J . McKeithen on June 16 , 1970 , signed into law the legislative act turning Southeastern Louisiana College into Southeastern Louisiana University . Early 1970s also saw the construction of D Vickers , the Athletics Building , and the C . E . Cate Teacher Education Building . After years of planning and fundraising , the Southeastern Louisiana University Center was constructed . An 8000 - seat ( more if the floor level is used ) arena , the University Center hosts all home basketball games and a variety of civic , cultural , and big - name entertainment events . In October 1986 , a group of faculty members launched Fanfare , a festival celebrating the arts , humanities and sciences . Since then , Fanfare has become an acclaimed month - long event , drawing nationally and internationally recognized artists and providing recognition for those closer to home . In addition to providing entertainment for Lake Pontchartrain ' s Northshore Area , Fanfare has an educational - outreach program that works closely with local schools . In October 2005 , Fanfare proudly celebrated its 20th anniversary . Southeastern ’ s enrollment , continually increasing since its inception , reached an important milestone in 1997 , registering over 15 thousand students for the fall semester . Pervasive professional accreditations , such as accreditation of the College of Business by AACSB , and excellent egress from / to I - 55 and I - 12 figure significantly in the increase . Since 1925 Southeastern has conferred over 50 thousand degrees as of 2009 . As Southeastern celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2000 , the fall semester marked an exciting change as Southeastern implemented screened admissions standards for the first time . Also during the 2000 – 2001 academic year , the Village , Fayard Hall , and the Claude B . Pennington , Jr . , Student Activity Center were completed . In May 2001 , Southeastern received full approval from the Board of Regents for its first new graduate degree program in more than a decade , an MS in Integrated Science and Technology . Since then , Southeastern received approval for seven additional programs : MA in Organizational Communications , MS in Applied Sociology , BS in Athletic Training , BS in Health Education & Promotion , BS in Health Studies , BS in Occupational Health , Safety & Environment , and Master of Arts in Teaching . In Fall 2003 , Southeastern hit a record enrollment of 15 , 662 students . Fall 2003 also saw the return of football to Strawberry Stadium , after an 18 - year hiatus . The Lions completed the season 5 – 7 . In Fall 2004 , Southeastern began implementing portions of the Board of Regents Master Plan admissions criteria , a full year ahead of schedule and before any other schools in the state . In Fall 2005 , Southeastern began its first year under the full Board of Regents Master Plan admissions criterion . In the same semester Southeastern , which was virtually undamaged by Hurricane Katrina , absorbed some two thousand students whom the storm had displaced from institutions in New Orleans . North of the War Memorial Student Union is a large fountain constructed and dedicated in 2007 to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita ; as of 2009 it is the only such memorial fountain in existence . John Alario ( R – Jefferson Parish ) , dean of the Louisiana State Senate , is a graduate of Southeastern . Another Southeastern alumnus is State Representative Donald Ray Kennard , who began representing parts of East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes starting in 1976 . Kennard is also a former president of the Southeastern Alumni Association . See also Southeastern has a demonstrated record of service , offering its University Center for commencement exercises of high schools throughout the Northshore Region and actively encouraging area high school students to continue on to the university level . Southeastern owns the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts in Hammond ' s Historic District . The Columbia Theatre , first opened in 1928 , was acquired by the University in the 1990s and renovated for $ 5 . 6 million . The large foyer is dedicated to State Senator John Hainkel , who was instrumental in obtaining the funding for the renovation . Academics . Southeastern Louisiana University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ( SACS ) to award degrees at the Associate , Baccalaureate and Master ' s levels . Southeastern has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 1946 . Southeastern consists of five colleges with 26 academic departments and programs offering a total of 71 degree programs ( 4 associate degree programs , 48 baccalaureate degree programs , and 19 graduate degree programs ) . Southeastern ' s state - of - the - art library houses several important collections , including the Morrison Room , the Rayburn Collection , the Pineywoods People Exhibits , and the Center for Regional Studies . Southeastern offers nursing curricula in Hammond and Baton Rouge . In a consortium with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Southeastern offers a master of science in nursing . Southeastern became a doctoral - granting institution in 2005 with the inauguration of a doctor of education in higher education leadership . Southeastern ' s business programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business ( AACSB ) . Southeastern was the first institution in Louisiana to achieve AACSB ' s separate and special accreditation in accounting . Graduates of both the MBA program and the Executive MBA program are serving widely in education and industry . In the aftermath of Tulane University ' s post - Katrina decision to close several engineering programs including computer engineering , Southeastern received approval from the Louisiana Board of Regents to develop an undergraduate curriculum in engineering technology within the Department of Computer Science & Industrial Technology . Dr Cris Koutsougeras was hired from Tulane to head that Department . Notable alumni . See Athletics . 16 NCAA Division I level varsity teams compete in the Southland Conference . Southeastern has several state - of - the - art athletic facilities , including an eight - lane all - weather running track completed in 2011 ( see inset ) . Media . Southeastern ' s major campus media and publications are the " Lion ' s Roar " ( newspaper ) , KSLU ( radio station ) , " ByLion " ( weekly online publication ) , the Southeastern Channel ( Public - access television cable TV channel ) , and " Le Souvenir " ( official yearbook ) . " Lion ' s Roar " . " The Lion ' s Roar " is the official newspaper of the students of Southeastern Louisiana University . Distributed on Tuesdays , it is published weekly during regular semesters and monthly during the summer semester . " The Lion ' s Roar " is planned , written , designed , created , and published by the students of Southeastern Louisiana University working in the Office of Student Publications , a part of the Division of Student Affairs . " The Lion ' s Roar " has been in continuous publication since 1937 . KSLU . KSLU began operation on November 11 , 1974 , as a radio club at Southeastern Louisiana University , operating at 10 watts of power . Initially the station was on the air a few hours a day during the week ; the transmitter was turned off during weekends and holidays . Thanks to support from the Student Government Association and self - assessed fees of the student body , in 1983 the station qualified for membership in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting . Since that time the station has grown to 3 , 000 watts , the maximum allowed because of the crowded 88 – 92 MHz band and the university ' s proximity to Baton Rouge and New Orleans . In 1988 , KSLU became the first radio station in the South to install a digital touchscreen operating system . The installation was featured in " Broadcast Engineering " magazine and visited by radio personnel from across the world . The broadcast schedule offers non - commercial programs , with offerings including local talk shows , entertainment and sports news , campus and community activities . In 1993 , an emergency situation room was added using amateur radio equipment purchased with grants from State Farm Insurance and Louisiana Power & Light ( a subsidiary of Entergy ) . During critical times , this room is staffed by local ham operators , members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service in the Florida parish area . In the past , the station produced several political forums which were fed to all public radio stations in Louisiana and to commercial stations via the Louisiana News Network . The year 1996 brought another time as KSLU began broadcasting globally via the Internet , enabling families of international and out - of - state students to hear live university events . " ByLion " . " ByLion " is published weekly online ( bi - weekly during the summer session ) for the faculty and staff of Southeastern Louisiana University . This newspaper is very popular among freshman students . Southeastern Channel . The Southeastern Channel officially hit airwaves July 9 , 2002 and less than five years later had established itself as one of the premier university television channels nationwide . With production and programming as its staple , the Southeastern Channel has won over 40 national and international awards in the past four years , including two Emmy awards , along with multiple Telly , Aurora , Axiem , Videographer , Communicator , and WorldFest International Film and Video Festival Gold Remi awards . Last year , the Southeastern Channel had eight Emmy nominations ; six more than any other television channel ( commercial , news , or non - commercial ) in Louisiana . The Southeastern Channel is the first university channel in state history to have won an Emmy . Led by an international professional staff , some with decades of experience at the national television network level , the Southeastern Channel produces over 300 hours of programming each week — roughly two - thirds of its 24 / 7 schedule . Of the 1 , 000 hours of telecourses airing each year , 900 have been produced using Southeastern faculty . The Southeastern Channel recently won four Telly Award s . Staffmember Steve Zaffuto won two Bronze Tellys for animation of " Native Sounds " and " Current Events " promos , and Josh Kapusinski won a first - place Silver Telly for animation and a Bronze Telly for editing the " Florida Parish Chronicles " promo . Josh Kapusinski ’ s “ Florida Parish Chronicles ” promo won a 2006 Emmy Award in the Suncoast Region . In the short history of the Southeastern Channel , the channel has provided a valuable training ground for university television students who have worked and studied over 17 , 000 hours at the state - of - the - art studio production facility . Students have gained great preparation for the television marketplace , and several graduates have landed jobs right after graduation . The channel has an extensive line up of programs like " Northshore News " , " The Big Game " , " College Night " , " Southeastern Times " , and " Indi - Visual " . The channel is run by talented student workers Nick Elliott ( editor / videographer ) , Danielle Konnecker ( anchor / editor ) , Sujan Pant ( Operations Assistant / anchor ) , Daron Short ( editor / videographer ) . Southeastern Channel was named best college station in the South . Southeastern Channel alumni include Randi Rousseau , Christopher Guagliardo , Chris Lecoq , Matt Milton , Nick Brilleaux , Robbie Rhodes , Travis Connelley , Tim Tregle , Tim Tully , John Reis , Allen Waddell , and Chris Coleman . " Le Souvenir " . " Le Souvenir " is the official student yearbook of Southeastern . It is published annually and distributed to the student body in the fall semester . " Le Souvenir " is planned , written , designed , created , and published by the students of Southeastern working in the Office of Student Publications , a part of the Division of Student Affairs . " Le Souvenir " ( French for " the memory " ) has been in continuous publication since 1929 .