Centenary College of Louisiana - History

History

Centenary College of Louisiana is the oldest chartered liberal arts colleges west of the Mississippi River. The lineage of the college dates back to 1825, when the College of Louisiana opened in Jackson, Louisiana. The school enjoyed early success, but struggled financially until Centenary College of Clinton, Mississippi (founded 1839) agreed to merge with the Jackson campus, creating Centenary College of Louisiana in 1845. The college prospered until the beginning of the American Civil War. Three lines, written in a large bold hand, cover the entire page of the faculty minute-book dated October 7, 1861: "Students have all gone to war--College suspended, and God Help the Right!" During this time, the Jackson campus was used as a Confederate hospital for the garrison of Port Hudson, and was sacked upon arrival of Union troops in 1863. The old campus is presently operated and preserved as a state historic site by the Louisiana Office of State Parks and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Never regaining the footing it had in the 1840s and 1850s, the college moved to Shreveport in 1908 and immediately enjoyed success. Mansfield Female College, the first women's college founded west of the Mississippi (1855), merged with Centenary in 1930. President George Sexton outlined campus growth and prosperity in the 1920s and 1930s, including the architectural design that largely remains today. During that time, Centenary was a football powerhouse, whose fame included wins over LSU, Texas, and Notre Dame.

Centenary's academic reputation remained strong. In 2007, Newsweek named Centenary a "Hottest Liberal Arts School You Never Heard Of" in its "25 Hottest Universities" feature. In 2009, Forbes ranked it 90th of America's Best Colleges.