LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, the head of the public school system of Loui siana, is located at Baton Rouge, La. The organization of the institution was authorized in the State constitution of 1845. It was to be supported by the income from the sales of the "seminary" land grants. In 1855 the legis lature provided for the organization of the institution and its location near Alexandria, La. In 1860 it was opened as the Louisiana State Seminary under the superintendency of W. T. (later General) Sherman. From 1863 to 1865 the institution was closed on account of the Civil War. In 1865 it was reopened under the presidency of Col. David French Boyd, who was for many years afterward president of the institution. Owing to the destruction of the buildings by fire the seminary was removed to Baton Rouge in 1869. In 1870 the name was changed to Louisiana State University and in 1877 it was merged with the Louisiana Agricul tural and Mechanical College, which three years earlier had been organized in New Or leans under the Act of Congress (1862) which made grants of public lands for the support of agricultural and mechanical col leges in each State. Since the merger the name of the institution has been Louisiana State Uni versity and Agricultural and Mechanical Col lege. The university is now located on the grounds of the old United States military post on the banks of the Mississippi River which were donated to the institution by, act of Con gress in 1904. The campus contains over 200 acres.
The university is organized into the follow ing schools and colleges: the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Agriculture; the College of Engineering; the Audubon Sugar School; the Law School and Teachers College.
The Law School offers a three-year course leading to the degree of LL.B.; the Audubon Sugar School has a five-year course, in which agriculture and engineering are combined, leading to the degree of bachelor of science; the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture each offers several four-year courses leading to the degree of bachelor of science; the four-year courses in the College of Arts and Sciences and Teachers College each leads to the degree of bachelor of arts. All of the courses offered by the university are based upon the uniform admission requirement of four years of high school work. A model high school for observation and practice is attached to Teachers College. There is no preparatory department. The total enrolment for 1915-16 was 1,797, distributed as follows: In regular four- or five-year courses, 783; in the Law School, 66; in the Summer Session, 603; in the Farmers' Short Course, 358. The total in come for the session 1915-16 from State and Federal grants and other sources amounted to $269,764. In 1915-16 the staff of administration and instruction numbered 100; the research and extension staffs numbered 36, a total of 136 of all grades. A . military department is main tained as required by Federal and State law. Graduate courses of one and two years in length are offered leading to the master's degree. The institution is coeducational.