Sowela Technical Community College
Type | Public technical and community college |
---|---|
Established | 1938 |
Chancellor | Dr. Neil Aspinwall |
Students | 4000[1] |
Location | , , United States |
Mascot | Flying Tigers[2] |
Website | www |
SOWELA Technical Community College is a public community college in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with an additional instruction site in Jennings, Louisiana and Oakdale, Louisiana. The school's mascot is the Flying Tigers, named for the World War II General Clair Chennault's 1st American Volunteer Group and their P-40 aircraft adorned with a shark-faced motif. SOWELA's Lake Charles campus was developed on property formerly used as Chennault Air Force Base.
Its service area includes Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis parishes.[3]
History[]
- In 1962, it was renamed as SOWELA (Southwest Louisiana) Technical Institute.
- In 1971, the institute received accreditation from the Commission on Occupational Education (COE) of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
- In January 1980, the institute moved to its present location near Chennault International Airport on the east side of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
- In March 1990, the institute was renamed SOWELA Regional Technical Institute.
- On July 27, 1995, the institute was renamed to Louisiana Technical College – SOWELA Campus.
- In 2003, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Board of Supervisors changed the name and status of the institute – renaming it to SOWELA Technical Community College and giving it the status of a technical community college.
Following damage by Hurricane Rita in 2005, the Lake Charles campus was repaired and added four new buildings – the Phillips 66 Process Technology building, Arts and Humanities building, Nursing and Allied Health building, and Regional Training Center. An $8 million Student Services building is to be completed on the Lake Charles campus by mid-2017. Replacing the Morgan Smith Instructional Site in Jennings, a $10 million facility will be built in 2017 adjacent to the Jennings High School in Jefferson Davis Parish.
Academics[]
The College offers associate degrees, , or certificates in 23 different programs. In the summer of 2014, SOWELA introduced the 16-week Fast Track Process Technology (PTEC) program, which provides a compressed pathway to an Associate of Applied Science in to qualified students who already hold an Associate or higher-level degree.
Notable alumni[]
- , former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Oakdale in Allen Parish
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Universities and colleges in Louisiana. |
- ^ "SOWELA Technical Community College". College Navigator. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ "Flying Tigers Mascot". SOWELA Technical Community College. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ "Our Colleges". Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
External links[]
- Community colleges in Louisiana
- Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Buildings and structures in Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Education in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
- Educational institutions accredited by the Council on Occupational Education
- Two-year colleges in the United States