University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History. ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Center of Louisiana State University. In 1936 and 1937, its dean was Stephen A. Caldwell. Its name changed again in 1949, to Northeast Junior College of Louisiana State University. A year later, it became an autonomous four-year institution as Northeast Louisiana State College. In 1969, it granted doctoral degrees for the first time and was  elevated to university status as Northeast Louisiana University (NLU). Much growth occurred during the administration of president George T. Walker from 1958 to 1976. Under Walker, enrollment increased from 2,100 to 9,700. NLU became the largest university in North Louisiana in terms of enrollment and state appropriations. Among all of the universities under the Louisiana Higher Education Board of Trustees, Northeast had the greatest percent of faculty holding terminal degrees, more nationally accredited academic programs, and offered the highest faculty salaries. In 1999, NLU was renamed to its present name (ULM). 21st century. A 2002 "Reclaim Our Campus" effort targeted  recovery from financial and auditing difficulties. In 2010, James Erwin Cofer Sr., left the ULM presidency after eight years to head Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He was succeeded by Nick Bruno as the eighth president of ULM. Kitty DeGree, a Monroe real estate developer, was the largest single donor to ULM in the last decade of her life. The school of nursing is named in her honor. Academics. Department of Atmospheric Science. The Atmospheric Science program at ULM offers the only 4 year Meteorology program in the state of Louisiana. ULM's Atmospheric Science program is the only  undergraduate only program with a Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar. College of Business. The College of Business and Social Sciences (CBSS) seeks to prepare students for productive careers and responsible citizenship. The college benefits students, businesses and the community through research and service. ULM seeks excellence in business education by offering a student-centered learning environment that produces high-quality graduates and by engaging in research and service that benefits students, business and the community. ULM offers AACSB accredited undergraduate and graduate MBA degree programs. Marriage & Family Therapy. Master's in marriage and family therapy is accredited by both the Commission  on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education and The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. A doctoral program in marriage and family therapy was approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents, June 1995. College of Pharmacy. Established in 1956, the College of Pharmacy is accredited by the American Council on Pharmacy Education, including one of seven Toxicology programs in the U.S. In 2007, the College of Pharmacy moved from the main campus to the off-campus (Bienville) building. There are satellite campuses in Shreveport and Baton Rouge. The College of Pharmacy at ULM is Louisiana's  only publicly supported comprehensive center for pharmaceutical education, research, and service. The College includes several modern specialized instructional and health service facilities and numerous affiliated off-campus teaching hospitals and pharmacies throughout the state. In 1999, Milburn E. Calhoun, a New Orleans physician, philanthropist, and Pelican Books publisher endowed the million-dollar Mary E. and Darrell L. Calhoun Chair in Pharmacology, named for his late parents. Theater Arts. ULM is home to the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall, named for the opera singer and daughter of the Coca-Cola entrepreneur Joseph A. Biedenharn. Natural History Museum. The university's Natural  History Museum was home to the 6-million-specimen Neil Douglas fish collection and the 500,000-specimen R. Dale Thomas plant collection. In March 2017, museum staff announced that they had been told the collections would have to be divested to enable an expansion of the university's stadium, and that any specimens which had not been relocated to other institutions by July 2017 would be destroyed. The specimens were subsequently distributed to other institutions, with the plant collection going to the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, the herpetological collection to the University of Texas at Arlington, the entomological collection  to Mississippi State University, and the ichthyological collection to Tulane University. Rankings. "U.S. News & World Report" as of 2015 ranks University of Louisiana at Monroe as follows: Athletics. Major sports. Teams participate in NCAA Division I (Division I FBS for football). ULM joined the Sun Belt Conference for all sports on July 1, 2006 after playing in the Southland Conference in all sports except football (swimming and diving team was in Sun Belt Conference, but was dropped in 2005). ULM moved from Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) to Division I-A (now FBS) in 1994 and played as  a I-A independent 1994–2000. It became a football-only Sun Belt Conference member in 2001 and joined as a member in all sports in 2006. ULM shared the 2005 Sun Belt Conference football championship with Arkansas State University and the University of Louisiana–Lafayette (ASU received the conference's New Orleans Bowl bid due to tiebreaking procedures). Also, in 2012, ULM had their first winning season as an FBS school going, 8–5, and a bid to the 2012 Independence Bowl in Shreveport vs. the Ohio Bobcats, but lost 45–14. ULM basketball coaches have included Arnold R. Kilpatrick, Lenny Fant , and Mike Vining. Fant was the first ULM coach to win three hundred games. Current head coach Keith Richard is a former point guard and alumnus from ULM. Since being in the Sun Belt, the Warhawks have won conference titles in men's basketball (2006–07 West Co-Champion) and baseball (2008 regular season and 2012 conference tournament). The ULM football team posted its first six-win season since moving to Division I-A in 2007 going 6–6, which included a 21–14 victory at Alabama. On September 8, 2012, ULM beat number 8 Arkansas 34-31 in overtime to become the  first Sun Belt Conference team to beat a top ten SEC team. This was their second ever win against a ranked opponent after defeating number 20 Richmond 14-8 in Monroe in 1973. The football and baseball stadiums and ULM Activities Center were designed by architect Hugh G. Parker of Bastrop. Other activities. ULM is home to several award-winning groups including the Sound of Today marching band and the competition cheerleading squad. The ULM water ski team is the most successful in the history of the collegiate sport, having won 28 National Collegiate Water Skiing Association championships since 1979 . In that year, Bayou Desiard was the host site of the national competition. In 2011, ULM announced the closure of its large Lake C. Oxford Natatorium, which remains in need of repairs totaling at least $1.8 million. Built in 1976 and renovated in 1996, the natatorium needed a new roof, chiller system, new ceilings, lighting, and chemical, pump, and valve replacements. The Student Government Association supported the closure based on low student usage of the facility. After ULM dropped support for "The Nat" as it is often called, the YMCA took over the facility and operated it for nearly  two years to accommodate local swimmers. Bowing to economic pressures and the lack of public financial support, "The Nat" closed permanently on April 30, 2014. ULM President Nick Bruno said no plans have been finalized for the development of the land with the closure and presumed razing of the natatorium. Today the site is home to the Bayou Pointe event center. Greek life. ULM recognizes the following active fraternities and sororities. Notable alumni. Some of University of Louisiana at Monroe notable alumni include: