McNeese State College

McNeese State University

Motto	Excellence With A Personal Touch
Type	Public
Established	September 1939
Endowment	$75 million
President	Philip C. Williams
Academic staff	302
Administrative staff	848
Students	8,162
Undergraduates	7,465
Postgraduates	697
Location	Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. 30°10′50″N 93°13′00″W / 30.18056°N 93.21667°W / 30.18056; -93.21667Coordinates: 30°10′50″N 93°13′00″W / 30.18056°N 93.21667°W / 30.18056; -93.21667
Campus	Urban, 121 acres (0 km2)
Colors	Royal blue, Sunflower gold
Athletics	NCAA Division I FCS – Southland
Nickname	Cowboys & Cowgirls
Mascot	Rowdy
Affiliations	UL System
Website	www.mcneese.edu

McNeese State University is a public regional university located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the United States. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. McNeese is part of the University of Louisiana System and is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Master's University.U.S. News and World Report designates McNeese as a Tier One South Regional University. The selective admissions university consists of six colleges and the Doré School of Graduate Studies. McNeese is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and all programs of study are accredited by their respective national boards.

McNeese State University was founded in 1939 as a division of Louisiana State University and was originally called Lake Charles Junior College. It offered only the first two years of higher education. McNeese opened its doors on an 86-acre (350,000 m²) tract donated by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, the parish governing board. There were two original buildings: the former Administration Building (Kaufman Hall) and the McNeese Arena (Ralph O. Ward Memorial Gym). The auditorium, now Francis G. Bulber Auditorium, was completed in 1940 as the third building on the campus. These three buildings are still in use today. The name became John McNeese Junior College in 1940 by resolution of the University Board of Supervisors in honor of Imperial Calcasieu Parish's first superintendent of schools.

In 1950, the college became an autonomous four-year institution as McNeese State College. The bill was advanced by State Senator Gilbert Franklin Hennigan of DeRidder in neighboring Beauregard Parish. It was separated from Louisiana State University and renamed McNeese State College. Its administration was transferred to the Louisiana State Board of Education. In 1960, legislators authorized McNeese to offer curricula leading to the master's degree; in 1966, the degree of Educational Specialist was first offered. In 1970, its name changed to McNeese State University. McNeese was first accredited in 1954 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.