The Oaks of Louisiana history

In 1997, Authement and a group of supporters launched the campaign to increase the university's privately-held assets to $75 million with the majority of funds to be used for endowed chairs, professorships, and scholarships.

Under his administration, UL Lafayette has become a nationally competitive research institution, and its grant-funded research budget has grown from a few thousand dollars in the mid-seventies to over $20 million in 1998.

The first class of doctoral students started with the institute in fall 1999.

The year 2000 marked the beginning of a period of campus expansion, renovation, and construction.

In 2003 the art museum complex was completed: first, the 30,000 square-foot-newly constructed museum, and second, the renovation of the A. Hays Town building.

For the first time, UL Lafayette was named to the Princeton Review’s Best Colleges Guide in the 2005 edition.

In 2007 the new computer science building, Oliver Hall, opened, and the Leon C. Moncla practice facility at Cajun Field was completed.

In summer 2010 the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico initiated a flurry of research activity at UL Lafayette.

In 2011, UL Lafayette expanded its academic offerings to include online learning.

UL Lafayette earned another first-time accolade in 2012 when the United States Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency list named UL Lafayette the most affordable four-year public university in Louisiana.

As Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics programs grow, the University saw the need for a separate Athletic Master Plan which was unveiled in 2013.

In 2014, a life-sized bronze statue of Doctor Stephens was erected near the Century Oaks and Girard Hall in honor of his 38-year tenure as president and his legacy as founder of the Live Oak Society.