LASAL Overview

What is LASAL?

LASAL - Louisiana Service and Leadership - is an Honors College program designed to produce leaders who are ready to use their knowledge and experience to help change Louisiana. No other college or university in the state has a program like LASAL. If you want to make a difference, if you want to work, live, and study with a group of students who care about the future of Louisiana, then apply to become a LASAL Scholar.

What is a LASAL Scholar?

LASAL Scholars are a select group of students who are passionate about solving Louisiana's problems, from coastal erosion to poverty, education to health care. This past year, LASAL Scholars met with state and community leaders like Jason El Koubi, Louisiana's Director of State Economic Competitiveness; Debi Faucette, Louisiana's Director of Family Services and Dropout Prevention; Dr. Stewart Gordon, Chief of Pediatrics, Earl K. Long Hospital; Stephanie Desselle, Vice President for Public Policy, Council for a Better Louisiana; and the Honorable Pat Smith, Louisiana State Representative, District 67.  

LASAL Scholars interacted with researchers like Dr. Pam Monroe, head of LSU's Poverty Center; Dr. Matt Lee, co-founder of LSU's Crime and Policy Prevention Group (CAPER); Dr. Naci Mocan, Ourso Distinguished Chair of Economics, LSU College of Business; and Dr. Cecile Guin, director of the Office of Social Service  Research and Development, LSU School of Social Work.

LASAL Scholars also took a field trip to LUMCON (Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium) in Cocodrie, Louisiana, where they spent a day on Trinity Island studying the effects of erosion on a barrier island. LASAL Scholars also worked with local organizations to renovate homes and tutor at-risk children.

The Program

LASAL Scholars may pursue any major they choose. In addition to the specific requirements of their majors, Scholars follow a curriculum that emphasizes leadership, research, and practical experience.Students who complete the program will earn a Leadership Development Minor and their LASAL Thesis will contribute to Upper Division Honors Distinction. Students are required to live in Blake Hall during their first year in the program. The table below shows the classes LASAL Scholars take each semester. If you are interested in becoming a LASAL Scholar, please contact Dr. Granger Babcock at fbabco1@lsu.edu. 

*Indicates courses for Leadership Development minor