HR 75

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 75
BY REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER
  A RESOLUTION
To recognize Tuesday, March 31, 2026, as Southern University Day at the Capitol and to
       commend Southern University for one hundred forty-six years of commitment to
       impact and excellence in industry, research, and public service.
       WHEREAS, the Southern University System is the nation's only historically Black
university system and is comprised of five campuses that collectively advance academic
excellence, research, and community engagement: Southern University and A&M College,
the Southern University Law Center, and the Southern University Agricultural Research and
Extension Center in Baton Rouge; Southern University at New Orleans; and Southern
University at Shreveport; and
       WHEREAS, Southern University and A&M College, the flagship of the Southern
University System and a Carnegie Research 2 institution, is opening a $48M state-of-the-art
complex to enhance STEM education and collaboration with academic and industry partners
and a Global Innovation and Welcome Center; the university celebrates the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the Southern University Museum of Art, Southern University "Human
Jukebox" Marching Band's selection as ESPN's 2025 Band of the Year, and the School of
Nursing's selection as the best nursing school in the U.S. by Nurse.org for the second
consecutive year; and
       WHEREAS, Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) celebrates seventy years
of excellence, access, and service to the Greater New Orleans community; SUNO has
expanded its cultural      and   academic impact by hosting the first-ever live
Egyptian-commissioned replica King Tutankhamun exhibition at an HBCU, and the
university celebrates the SUNO Men's Basketball Team for capturing the 2026 HBCUAC
Tournament Championship and bringing the title home for the first time since 2012; and
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HR NO. 75  ENROLLED
       WHEREAS, Southern University Law Center is constructing a new Clinical Legal
Education Building, which marks the beginning of a state-of-the-art facility designed to
expand hands-on training opportunities for students while strengthening access to justice for
individuals and families throughout the Baton Rouge community, and renovating its Oliver
B. Spellman Law library; and
       WHEREAS, Southern University at Shreveport continues to strengthen workforce
development and community impact in North Louisiana through the Aerospace Technology
Center and serves as the region's premier training hub for aviation technicians; it is
advancing entrepreneurship through the Roy Griggs School of Business and expanding
community partnerships, including a re-entry workforce training initiative with the Caddo
Parish Sheriff's Office; the university also facilitates a Mobile Health Unit that delivers
critical preventive care, screenings, and dental services to underserved communities across
Northwest Louisiana, while providing students with invaluable hands-on clinical training;
and
       WHEREAS, the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center,
which celebrated its 83rd Annual Livestock and Poultry Show, continues to advance
agricultural innovation and workforce development as the only historically black college or
university selected as a site for the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural
Research Service laboratory; the center established a flourishing demonstration and research
vineyard through its Viticulture and Enology Program, which provides hands-on experience
for grape growers and vintners throughout Louisiana, and it aims to increase the number of
students entering the field of veterinary medicine by filling critical gaps in access, contact
hours, and hands-on exposure for high school and undergraduate students; and
       WHEREAS, the Southern University Laboratory School, serving students pre-K
through high school, continues its mission of providing a nationally-competitive college
preparatory education to each of its students; the school's Lady Kittens basketball team
secured their third-consecutive Louisiana High School Athletic Association Division IV
Select State Championship; and
       WHEREAS, Southern University Day at the Capitol is a powerful gathering of
legislators, community members, students, and alumni that celebrates the system's enduring
legacy and continued impact on education, leadership, and community advancement.
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HR NO. 75  ENROLLED
       THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the Southern University System on the
occasion of its one hundred forty-sixth anniversary and does hereby recognize Tuesday,
March 31, 2026, as Southern University Day at the Capitol.
  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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