Founded in 1880, Southern University is a historically black institution based in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Located on the Mississippi river, the city is the second largest in the state and including Southern is home to four colleges which make for 20% of the population. Academics at Southern University is divided into five colleges; Education, Arts & Humanities, Social & Behavioural Sciences, Science & Agriculture, and Nursing & Allied Health. The Southern University Law Centre is one of only two public law departments in Louisiana, and combines an ABA approved curriculum with practical legal experience. The graduate school offers over 25 programmes and six PhD courses, including in Environmental Toxicology, and Urban Forestry. The College of Engineering contains a Computer Aided Engineering Network for research and education, with a total of over 900 computers and a 3D printer allowing students to create accurate models of CAD drawings. Athletics teams at Southern are known as the Jaguars, and compete in the NCAA Division I. Mumford Stadium is host to both the American football team and women’s soccer, and can seat up to 28,500 spectators. A popular student event is the Bayou classic, a football match between the Jaguars and rivals Grambling State University. The Human Jukebox at Southern is a 230 member ensemble known as known one of the best marching bands in the United States, combining expert precision drills with a wide range of musical arrangements. Alumni of Southern include football player Mel Blount, baseball player Lou Brock, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, governor of Louisiana Murphy Foster Jr., and Russel Honoré, a U.S. Army general who oversaw relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina.
