Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College in Jackson, Louisiana, circa 1900 Centenary College of Louisiana is the oldest college in Louisiana and is the nation's oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River. [ 1 ] Centenary traces its origins to two earlier institutions. In 1825, the Louisiana state legislature issued a charter for the College of Louisiana at Jackson. [ 2 ] Its curriculum included courses in English, French, Greek , Latin , logic, rhetoric, ancient and modern history, mathematics, and natural, moral, and political philosophy. [ 3 ] In 1839, the Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South , established Centenary College, first located in Clinton, Mississippi , then relocated to Brandon Springs. [ 4 ] When the College of Louisiana lost the financial support from the state legislature in 1845, Centenary College purchased the facility and moved to Jackson. [ 5 ] Centenary College in Shreveport, circa 1915 In 1846, the college's trustees changed the institution's name to Centenary College of Louisiana and adopted the alumni of the two predecessor colleges. [ 6 ] During the 1850s, enrollment reached 260, and the college constructed a large central building, which included classrooms, laboratories, literary society rooms, a library, a chapel, offices, and an auditorium with seating for over 2,000 people. [ 7 ] This prosperity halted with the American Civil War . Following a meeting on October 7, 1861, the faculty minute book states, "Students have all gone to war. College suspended; and God help the right! [ 8 ] " During the war, both Confederate and Union troops occupied the campus’ buildings. [ 9 ] Centenary reopened in the fall of 1865, though it struggled financially through the remainder of the nineteenth century. In 1906 the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, accepted an offer from the Shreveport Progressive League to relocate the college.

[ 10 ] The Jackson campus now serves as the Centenary State Historic Site operated by the Louisiana Office of State Parks; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . [ 9 ] Centenary opened in Shreveport, Louisiana , in 1908. [ 11 ] Enrollment and course offerings increased during the 1920s, and Centenary received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1925. [ 12 ] During the 1920s and 1930s, the college's football program earned fame for defeating such teams as Baylor , LSU , Rice , SMU , and Texas A & M . [ 13 ] The Centenary College Choir, formed in 1941, began performing throughout the region and eventually expanded to making national as well as international tours. [ 14 ] In 1942, Centenary acquired a satellite campus, the former Dodd College , which served as a pre-flight training facility for air force cadets. [ 15 ] Following the Second World War, the college undertook many new construction projects – dormitories, a cafeteria, a science building, a religious education center, a chapel, an expanded student center, a library, a theater, and a music building. [ 16 ] Presidents College of Louisiana (Jackson, Louisiana) Jeremiah Chamberlain (1826–1829) Henry H. Gird (1829–1834) James Shannon (1835–1840) William B. Lacey (1841–1845) Centenary College (Brandon Springs, Mississippi) Thomas C. Thornton (1841–1844) Centenary College of Louisiana (Jackson, Louisiana) David O. Shattuck (1844–1848) Augustus Baldwin Longstreet (1848–1849) Richard H. Rivers (1849–1853) John C. Miller (1855–1866) William H. Watkins (1866–1871) Charles G. Andrews (1871–1882) D. M. Rush (1882–1885) T. A. S. Adams (1885–1888) W. L. C. Hunnicutt (1888–1894) Charles W. Carter (1894–1898) Inman J. Cooper (1898–1902) Henry B. Carre (1902–1903) Charles C. Miller (1903–1906) Centenary College of Louisiana (Shreveport, Louisiana) William Lander Weber (1907–1910) Felix R. Hill (1910–1913) Robert H. Wynn (1913–1918) W. R.

Bourne (1919–1921) George Sexton (1921–1932) William Angie Smith (interim, 1932–1933) Pierce Cline (1933–1943) Joe J. Mickle (1945–1964) Jack Stauffer Wilkes (1964–1969) John Horton Allen (1969–1976) Donald A. Webb (1977–1991) Kenneth L. Schwab (1991–2009) B. David Rowe (2009–2016) Christopher L. Holoman (2016–present)

Centenary College's campus spans sixty-five acres and is located two miles south of downtown Shreveport. The Dr. Ed Leuck Academic Arboretum, located in the heart of campus, is home to more than 300 species of plant life. [ 17 ] Major buildings The Anderson Choral Building, named in memory of G. M. "Jake" and Dr. Gertie Anderson, longtime trustees and benefactors of the college, the building houses the Nancy Mikell Carruth Choir Room, the Dr. Alberta E. Broyles Choral Room, and the Harvey and Alberta Broyles Choral Lounge. The Anderson building also contains a soundproof practice room and atrium. [ 18 ] The Brown Memorial Chapel was erected in 1955, after a gift was made by the late Paul M. Brown, Jr., Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, and his brother, Colonel S. Perry Brown, a life member of the Board, in honor of their parents. The chapel was renovated and rededicated in January 2003 and hosts religious services and special events. [ 18 ] Bynum Memorial Commons, the cafeteria, built in 1956, was named in 1974 to honor Robert Jesse Bynum, New Orleans businessman and benefactor of the college. [ 19 ] A generous grant from the Frost Foundation funded a 2006 renovation of the entire building, including the Edwin Frost Whited Room and the Centenary Alumni Hall of Fame. The Gold Dome , completed in 1971, [ 20 ] is a physical education facility. The geodesic dome has a capacity of 3,000 and serves as the home basketball and volleyball court and gymnastics arena. After a recent renovation in 2011, the Gold Dome features a new hardwood painted floor, updated sub-floor electronics, premium seating, and a new Hi-Fi public address system. [ 21 ] Hamilton Hall, the administration building completed in 1971, was largely the result of gifts by the late Mr. and Mrs. David Philip Hamilton. [ 22 ] Mrs. Hamilton was a trustee of the college and a member of the first Centenary class to graduate in Shreveport. [ 23 ] The Hargrove Memorial Amphitheatre was a gift of Mrs. R.