Louisiana College News

PINEVILLE, LA – Following a vision that began in December, 2009, Louisiana College has announced it will open the Louisiana Collegiate International Academy for concurrently enrolled high school juniors and seniors this fall at its Pineville campus location.

Louisiana Collegiate International Academy (LCIA) will offer students from across the world the opportunity to accelerate their academic careers in a collegiate campus setting through college-level courses, a highly-trained and qualified faculty, and a unique international cultural experience.

“The mission of the Louisiana Collegiate International Academy falls right in line with the overall mission of Louisiana College,” said LC President Dr. Joe Aguillard. “That mission is to provide an educational experience characterized by Christian principles, academic excellence, and global perspectives focused on graduating students with a capacity to improve the world through selfless giving, global leadership principles, and Godly character.”

LCIA will be based on the “middle college” concept first established in the 1970s in New York. The distinctions that make the LC program unique is the opportunity for students to live on campus, have personal mentors, take part in the collegiate experience, and finish their high school requirements alongside students from around the world.

According to Dr. Randall Esters, Dean of LC’s School of Education, students who attend LCIA will earn as much as 50 hours of college credit, and all graduates will be guaranteed undergraduate admission to Louisiana College. LCIA was approved to grant a high school diploma by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) at its March, 2012 meeting.  Ester’s also stated that the school’s level of instruction, curriculum, and achievement will meet and exceed requirements for a high school diploma.

“The LCIA is designed to catapult high academic achievers to a level of accomplishment and challenge they may not be finding in traditional high school settings,” Esters said. “The development of a hybrid curriculum that exceeds state and national standards will be paramount to the success of the program.” Traci Thomas, Louisiana College’s International partner said, “International students will infuse the campus with cultural diversity and prepare every student to excel in the global community. Although the medium of academic delivery will be English, languages such as Mandarin and Korean will be heard extensively on campus. The purpose of the scholars program is to create an empathetic student community relative to other people and cultures. The purpose is not to stifle or erode cultural identities but to enhance the human condition for all participants including students, faculty, staff and the community at large.”

Students will have the option to live on campus in a safe, comfortable, apartment-style living experience.  They will also be given the opportunity to participate in campus clubs, sports, music, fine arts, theater, and other traditional high school and college experiences in one setting.

Who is eligible?

The Louisiana Collegiate International Academy will begin accepting applications in June, 2012 for students of high achievement who are entering the 11^th or 12^th grade. All qualified candidates will participate in a personal interview with the Admissions Committee, and admission will be based on five components:

A. Academic achievement and/or ability – as indicated by transcripts for grades 9 and 10 that demonstrate a composite 3.5 GPA in required subjects, a composite ACT (or equivalent) score of 22, and letters of recommendation from select teachers.

B. Citizenship and leadership – as indicated by a record of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, community service, and a letter of recommendation from a non-relative adult.

C. Critical thinking and application – assessed through two, three page minimum, personal essays.

D. Work ethic

E. Moral character – Though applicants are not required to be Christians, they will be required to supply an original written essay describing their own character traits as they relate to moral behavior in a Christian environment.

How is LCIA being implemented?

LCIA is being implemented in three phases over a five-year period.

Phase One (year one) is in the process of being completed. In December, 2009, the Louisiana College Board of Trustees began the process of moving forward to plan and develop a preparatory level school.  In March, 2012 LC received approval for the academy from the Louisiana Department of Education and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

Phase Two (years two and three) will begin with enrollment during the summer of 2012 and include an 11^th grade cohort of up to 25 students (including international students) with on-campus housing available. Up to 50 students will be enrolled for year three.

Phase Three (years four and five) will see the final, full implementation of LCIA’s administrative structure, housing, and academic program. This will allow for further growth of up to 180 students in subsequent years.

What are the Goals and Objectives of LCIA?

LCIA will have five goals and objectives:

First, to create a nurturing environment that will ensure academic and developmental growth of students. Students will be assigned college-aged mentors to assist them in adjusting to the rigor of LCIA, be provided learning labs with tutors for academic support, and have professional counselors available to them for additional emotional support.

Second, LCIA will deliver a rigorous academic program designed to prepare students for a successful post-secondary experience. LCIA will feature courses that meet and exceed state standards and will be aligned with national core standards, employ instructors who are certified teachers, and establish high standards and expectations for all students.

Third, LCIA will help students obtain an awareness and understanding of themselves, their heritage, and the interdependent world by weaving cultural awareness and appreciation into all courses, providing daily opportunities for cultural exchange and interaction, and offering elective courses on the world economies and cultures.

Fourth, LCIA will prepare students academically, emotionally, and culturally for post-secondary education by immersing them in the college culture, aligning their courses with adopted, parallel college level courses (including dual enrollment when appropriate), assessing their growth and development, and providing them with small group and individual support.

Fifth, and finally, consistent with LC’s overall mission, students at LCIA will be given knowledge of the Bible’s content and basic doctrines, develop the ability to analyze life issues along theological, moral, cultural, and professional grounds, and develop the ability to utilize biblical principles to make value judgments and personal decisions.

Louisiana Collegiate International Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of our educational policies, admission policies, or any school administered programs.

For more information on the Louisiana Collegiate International Academy:

Phone: (318) 487-7935

Website: www.lacollege.edu

Email: info@lcia.lacollege.edu

The mission of Louisiana College is to provide a liberal arts education characterized by devotion to the preeminence of the Lord Jesus, allegiance to the authority of the Holy Scriptures, dedication to academic excellence for the glory of God, and commitment to change the world for Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

PINEVILLE, LA. …

IN IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES DECISION,

COURT DISMISSES FORMER PROFESSERS’ LAWSUIT BASED ON PROHIBITED ENTANGLEMENT

Establishment Clause Of The First Amendment Of United States Constitution Prohibits Decision Where Court Would Have To Choose Baptist Theology

Court may not make ruling “respecting an establishment of Religion.”  U.S. Const. Amend. 1.

After almost seven years, the suit filed by four former faculty members of Louisiana College, has been decided by the court and in full favor of Louisiana College, its President, Dr. Joe Aguillard, and four other named Board of Trustees’ defendants, Dr. Leon Hyatt, Alan Shoemaker, Amy Russell, and H. Kent Aguillard, Esq.  Judge Doggett of the Ninth District Judicial Court signed her decision in ruling in favor of Louisiana College on March 28, 2012, and ordered that the lawsuit be dismissed.

The case is a landmark decision for Louisiana College, religious institutions everywhere who stand upon Biblical truth, and for Louisiana Baptists who have proudly supported their only Biblically based higher education institution.  The four former faculty members, Dr. Carlton Winbery, Dr. Connie Douglas, Dr. Fred Downing, and Dr. James Heath, who taught Religion and Values classes, lost their petition for academic, defamation and other claims against the College.

The court’s ruling derives from the establishment clause of the First Amendment that Congress is prohibited from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.” The court’s decision would require the court to choose sides in a dispute over Baptist Theology which violates the establishment clause. The court has said that it does not have the power to choose which Baptist view is correct.

To “delve deeply into Baptist theology . . . is precisely what is prohibited.”  Slip. Op. at p. 8.  The four professors testified that they held an “. . . errant view of the Bible . . .” Slip. Op. at p. 10

The dispute centered around whether or not the Bible is the inerrant Word of God himself.  Louisiana College, a Southern Baptist institution, proudly operates in accordance with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 which articulates the Bible’s truths and supports Biblical inerrancy.  The mission of Louisiana College is to provide liberal arts, professional, and graduate programs characterized by devotion to the preeminence of the Lord Jesus, allegiance to the authority of the Holy Scriptures, dedication to academic excellence for the glory of God, and commitment to change the world for Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“This is an extraordinarily important religious liberties case.  It is historic,” said attorney Frederic Theodore (“Ted”) Le Clercq who represented the College during the years of litigation.

President Joe Aguillard, who served on the faculty for years with the four plaintiffs before they filed suit said, “God’s Word is true, and Louisiana College will never move from its position on Biblical inerrancy, regardless of attacks from any and all directions. The Victory is the Lord’s!” Aguillard said.

PINEVILLE, LA. … Louisiana College will open its doors to 2012 Republican Presidential candidates, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul on Wednesday and Friday of this week. Mitt Romney has yet to confirm his availability to attend.

Gingrich will speak at Louisiana College at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Santorum confirmed that he will be at Louisiana College on Friday, March 23, at 7 p.m., and Paul will also be at LC on Friday at 1 p.m. Gingrich and Santorum will be speaking in the Granberry Conference Room located in the Student Center. Paul has scheduled his appearance for Guinn Auditorium.

The public is invited to attend and show support for their favorite candidate to win the nomination and represent the Republican Party in the Presidential elections this November.

The Louisiana Primary will be Saturday, March 24 and is a closed party election.

JICS Go extends the reach of your JICS portal beyond the desktop or laptop browser and into the hands of the mobile user, providing your mobile device users with access to your JICS server. By using a mobile device such as cell phones and tablets, your end users can access the content on JICS from anywhere, at any time by going to https://my.lacollege.edu/go on their mobile device. Students will be able to access coursework information in the eRacer® learning management system with just a few taps on their mobile device.

JICS Go has a completely new user interface specifically designed to meet the needs of mobile device users. Special attention was paid to the usage patterns of the mobile user.

JICS Go supports many of the JICS base portlets and most of the e-Racer portlets for students. Supported devices include Apple® iOS devices (iPhone®, iPod Touch® and iPad®), Google Android™ devices, and Blackberry® v6.0 phones.

Supported devices include:

· Apple iOS devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) running iOS 3.2 - 5.0

· Android devices running Google Android OS 2.1 - 2.3

· Blackberry v6.0

Microsoft Windows Phone 7.x is under review.

Cellular Data or Wi-Fi Internet connection required for all devices.

JICS Go 1.2 will be released in late February 2012. In the meantime, JICS Go 1.1.1 can be used but the “My Courses” view is not supported in this configuration.

The mission of the Joseph Willis Institute is to educate the present and future generations of spiritual leaders on the historical and biblical principals of the great Christian revivals that have significantly impacted Western civilization, culture, and church growth around the world.  It will sponsor symposiums, host a repository of historical materials, and provide academic instruction.

Pictures and documents coming soon.