The University of New Orleans, often referred to locally as UNO, is a medium-sized, metropolitan, public research university located on the New Orleans lakefront within New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association.
In the fall of 2011 the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges gave approval for the University of New Orleans to join the University of Louisiana System, concluding the five-month transition from the Louisiana State University System since Act 419 of the 2011 Louisiana Legislative Regular Session was signed into law in July 2011.
In March 2016 a Search Committee selected Dr. John W. Nicklow as the university's 2nd president and 7th leader.
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History
State Senator Theodore M. Hickey of New Orleans in 1956 authored the act which established the University of New Orleans. At the time New Orleans was the largest metropolitan area in the United States without a public university though it had several private universities, such as Tulane, Loyola, and Dillard. The institution was originally named Louisiana State University in New Orleans or LSUNO but renamed in 1974. The UNO University Ballroom was named in Hickey's honor late in 2014, more than two decades after his death.
The university was built on the New Orleans Lakefront when the United States Navy relocated Naval Air Station New Orleans. The Orleans Levee Board leased the closed base to the LSU Board of Supervisors. The renovation went quicker than expected. LSUNO opened for classes in 1958, two years ahead of schedule. It was originally reckoned as an offsite department of the main campus in Baton Rouge, and as such its chief administrative officer was originally called a dean (1958-1961), then a vice president in charge (1961-1963). In 1963, the LSU System of Higher Education was established and UNO became a separate campus in that system. To signify that it was now a co-equal institution with LSU, its chief executive's title was changed from "vice president in charge" to "chancellor." After a decade of growth, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved a name change to the current University of New Orleans. Nearly fifty years later, in 2011, the University of New Orleans officially became part of the University of Louisiana system, and its chief executive's title was changed to "president."
Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005, the university suffered damage due to Hurricane Katrina. The main campus is on relatively high ground and the damage was caused mostly by winds, rain-driven-water, and human activity during the storm. (The University was used as an evacuation point and staging area by the National Guard.) A levee breach on the London Avenue Canal occurred just a few blocks south of the main campus and caused the flooding of the first floor of the Bienville Hall dormitories, the Lafitte Village couples apartments, and the Engineering Building.
UNO was the first of the large, damaged universities in New Orleans to re-open, albeit virtually, by using web-based courses starting in October 2005. The university was able to offer classes in the fall semester immediately following Hurricane Katrina at satellite campuses; the main campus re-opened in December 2005.
Hurricane Katrina reduced enrollments at all colleges in New Orleans, but the University of New Orleans was particularly hard hit. This echoed the damage to New Orleans as a whole, since UNO serves as a leader in educating students from New Orleans. Since the hurricane, the student enrollment is on a steady increase toward pre-Katrina numbers. In 2011, State Senator Conrad Appel of Jefferson Parish, with the support of Governor Bobby Jindal, tried to combine UNO with the historically black Southern University at New Orleans as a way to save higher education dollars. His plan was withdrawn in both houses of the legislature because of a lack of support from his colleagues.
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Student life
Organizations
There are more than 120 registered clubs and organizations active at UNO, including 15 fraternities and sororities. UNO Student Government, is the official student government association. Registered organizations are separated into categories of either religious, honorary, political, professional, social, service, organizations, or special interests.
Media
The Driftwood is the UNO weekly newspaper and is published every Thursday. UNO also owns and operates WWNO, a local radio station. WWNO began transmitting in 1972.
Greek life
The Greek community at The University of New Orleans is composed of 16 organizations, governed by three councils.
Colleges
UNO has four colleges: College of Business Administration, College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development, College of Engineering, and College of Sciences. The university also offers a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Campus
The university's campus is located in the New Orleans metropolitan area, sitting on Lake Pontchartrain at the end of Elysian Fields Avenue and on the former site of NAS New Orleans. The UNO Research and Technology Park is located adjacent to campus on the former site of the Pontchartrain Beach amusement park. The Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena and Maestri Field at Privateer Park, UNO's basketball and baseball facilities, are located at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Leon C. Simon Boulevard.
Athletics
The University of New Orleans currently has 14 varsity sports teams, and is a Division I member of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), competing in the Southland Conference. UNO originally attempted to reclassify to Division II's Gulf South Conference. On February 1, 2011, Provost Joe King submitted the Division II proposal to the LSU Board of Supervisors. Previously, UNO competed at the Division II level from 1969-1975. On March 9, 2012, President Peter J. Fos announced that UNO plans to remain a member of NCAA Division I, with potential homes being the Sun Belt or Southland Conference. On August 21, 2012, UNO announced that it would be joining the Southland Conference, effective the 2013-2014 academic year.
Sports
- Baseball
- Men's and Women's Basketball
- Men's Golf
- Men's and Women's Cross Country
- Men's and Women's Tennis
- Volleyball
- Men's and Women's Track & Field
- Women's Sand Volleyball (Added Fall 2014)
Fight song
The official fight song of The University of New Orleans is "Let's hear it for UNO." The song was adopted after a competition in 1981. The winner was Lois Ostrolenk. Before this, the melody from William Tell Overture was used. A variation of the overture is still played to honor this tradition.
Club sports
The University of New Orleans has many club sports provided by the Department of Recreation and Intramural Sports. Club sports are available to all UNO students who have an interest. Active club sports include:
Research and Technology Park
The University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park is a research park whose tenants collaborate with the university to conduct research, provide training, and create education opportunities. Tenants have many university services provided to them, including the university library and recreational facilities.
Notable alumni
- Alan Abadie, Jr. - founding member of University of New Orleans Alpha Club as well as UNO's IMA Charter
- Austin Badon - state representative for Orleans Parish since 2004; administrator at Nunez Community College since 2000
- Pat Barry - UFC fighter and kickboxer
- Walter Boasso - former Louisiana state senator from St. Bernard Parish who made national headlines for fighting to combine levee boards in southeast Louisiana; gubernatorial candidate in 2007, Democrat
- Jim Bullinger - former Major League Baseball player
- Randy Bush - former Major League Baseball player; member of 1987 and 1991 World Series champion Minnesota Twins
- Joel Chaisson - former President of Louisiana State Senate, attorney
- James H. Clark - co-founder of Silicon Graphics, Inc., and Netscape Communications
- Wayne Cooper - former NBA basketball player
- Carl Crane - former state representative from Baton Rouge, 1984-2008, Republican
- Ellen DeGeneres - comedian, television host, and actress
- Jim Donelon - former state representative, former president of Jefferson Parish, and current state insurance commissioner
- Michael T. Dugan - educator and accounting scholar
- Margaret Evangeline - post-minimalist painter, video, performance, and installation artist
- Ron Faucheux - former state representative, political consultant and pundit from New Orleans
- Tom Fitzmorris - food writer
- Peter J. Fos - former president, University of New Orleans
- Jeffrey Gangwisch - filmmaker
- Robert T. Garrity, Jr. - state representative for Jefferson Parish, 1988-1992
- Johnny Giavotella - Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
- Anthony Guarisco, Jr. - Democratic state senator from Morgan City from 1976 to 1988, studied political science at UNO while in office
- Stephanie Hansen - environmental lawyer elected to Delaware State Senate in 2017
- Daniel L. Haulman - aviation historian
- Chris Hazel - Republican state representative from Rapides Parish since 2008
- Ervin Johnson - player in National Basketball Association
- John Larroquette - film, television and stage actor, 5-time Emmy Award winner, Tony winner
- James Letten - former U.S. Attorney for Eastern district of Louisiana
- Nicholas Lorusso - Republican state representative from Orleans Parish since 2007
- Paul Mainieri - current Louisiana State University head baseball coach
- Renny Martyn - contestant on Big Brother 10
- Arthur Morrell - state representative from 1984 to 2006 and clerk of the criminal court since 2006 for Orleans Parish
- Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, member of New Orleans City Council, 2005-2014
- Frank Ocean - Grammy Award-winning R&B and hip-hop artist
- Michael Holloway Perronne - novelist
- Dawn Richard - singer/songwriter, Danity Kane, Dirty Money
- Jeffrey D. Sadow - political scientist, columnist, professor at LSU Shreveport
- Billy Slaughter - actor
- Joe Slusarski - former Major League Baseball player
- Brian Snitker - manager of MLB's Atlanta Braves
- Julie Stokes (Class of 1992) - certified public accountant, state representative from District 79 in Jefferson Parish
- Roy C. Strickland - businessman and politician in Louisiana and later The Woodlands, Texas
- Taryn Terrell - professional wrestler
- Brian Traxler - former Major League Baseball player
- James Wayne "Jim" Tucker - first Republican to become Speaker of Louisiana House of Representatives since Reconstruction, effective January 14, 2008
- Chloé Valdary - political activist
- Wally Whitehurst, Major League Baseball pitcher for New York Mets
- Darryl Willis - BP vice president in charge of claims featured in commercials about [Deepwater Horizon oil spill]]
Notable faculty
- Philip James DeVries, Biology Professor, MacArthur Fellow and Guggenheim Fellow, among other honors
- Stephen E. Ambrose (January 10, 1936 - October 13, 2002) was an American historian and biographer of U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He was a longtime professor of history at the University of New Orleans and the author of many best selling volumes of American popular history.
- Richard H. Collin, American historian and food writer
- Joseph Logsdon, American historian
- Allan R. Millett, American historian
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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