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Make a Difference

We in the College of Liberal Arts believe that a liberal arts education with its emphasis on learning to learn, on creative and critical thinking, is the best preparation for careers and for life in a changing world. Our programs and graduates are making a difference in the community, the region and the world every day.

Economic Impact

  • UL Lafayette had a total spending impact alone of $755 million in Louisiana, with $726 million of that total spending impact felt in Acadiana, in 2008.
  • UL Lafayette reported $51 million in external research funding from state, federal, private and self-generated funds in 2008. These were new dollars brought into Acadiana’s economy.
  • Every dollar of state funding invested in UL Lafayette generates more than an $8 return.
  • About $1.3 billion was added to Louisiana’s economy by UL Lafayette graduates over the past 10 years due to degree attainment.
  • The College of Liberal Arts graduates approximately 500 majors a year, most of whom go on to high-level jobs and professional degrees in the area.

Community

  • UL Lafayette employs about 1,575 local citizens and through spending, sustains more than 12,800 jobs in the Lafayette area.
  • UL Lafayette’s total economic impact is $650 million to $700 million in Acadiana each year.
  • If UL Lafayette were a private business, the University would rank 5th in the Top 100 private businesses in Acadiana.
  • Faculty, staff and students volunteered about 508,000 hours last year.
  • All of the programs in the College of Liberal Arts feature service learning and community engagement, from the FLIP program that pairs political science students with state legislators to internships at social services organizations such as Hearts of Hope, our vision of learning is hand-on and engaged with the world. 
  • The College’s Center for Louisiana Studies is dedicated to researching, publicizing, promoting, and preserving Louisiana’s cultures and history. Since 1973, the Center has worked not only to preserve the state’s rich heritage, but also to make it accessible to scholars, students, and the general public.

Academic Excellence

  • UL Lafayette is the second‐largest higher education institution in the state and the largest in the University of Louisiana System. It enrolls more than 16,000 students, has nearly 2,100 employees.
  • UL Lafayette has been designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a “Research University with Higher Research Activity”. That puts the university in the same category as institutions such as Baylor University, the University of Oklahoma, Clemson University and Auburn University.
  • More than 100,000 degrees have been awarded since the university was established in 1898.
  • The Ernest J. Gaines Center in Dupre Library houses the only complete collection of Gaines’ scholarship works in the world. Gaines, author of “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” and “A Lesson Before Dying,” is writer-in‐residence emeritus.