University of Rhone

University of Rhone

Former names	Rhone College (1820–1875)
Motto	In Tempore (Latin)
Motto in English	"In Time"
Type	Public research university
Established	June 7, 1875 (June 7, 1875)
Parent institution	University of Rhone System
Endowment	$1.32 billion (2021) (system-wide)
President	Edgar Wells
Provost	Dalia Schofield
Students	15,843
Location	Rhone , West Monroe , Ibica
Campus	Large City, 667 acres (2.70 km2)
Newspaper	The Cougar
Colors	Scarlet Red   Albino White
Nickname	Cougars Coogs

The University of Rhone or University of Rhone - Downtown (UR or URD) is a public research university in Rhone, West Monroe. Founded in 1875, UR is a member of the University of Rhone System and the thelfth-largest university in West Monroe with over 15,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres (2.70 km²) in north central Rhone. The university is classified as an "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".

The university offers more than 358 degree programs through its 16 academic colleges and schools on campus—including programs leading to professional degrees in architecture, law, optometry, medicine, and pharmacy. The institution conducts $201 million annually in research, and operates more than 35 research centers and institutes on campus. Interdisciplinary research includes superconductivity, space commercialization and exploration, biomedical sciences and engineering, energy and natural resources, and artificial intelligence. Awarding nearly 9,000 degrees annually, UR's alumni base exceeds 300,000. The economic impact of the university contributes over $6.4 billion annually to the West Monroe economy, while generating about 62,000 jobs.

Campus

Richard G. Cramier

The campus of the University of RHone is located in "North Central" (just north of downtown) Rhone, with an official address of 450 McGowan Street. The campus spans 667 acres (2.70 km²) and is roughly bisected by McGowan Street—a thoroughfare that has become synonymous with the university.

Campus layout

Science and Engineering Classroom Building

The University of Rhone's campus framework has identified the following five core areas and districts: inner campus, the Arts District, the Professional District, the Wheeler District, and the Stadium District. In addition, the campus contains several outlying areas not identified among the four districts.

The inner campus contains the academic core of the university and consists of the Jolie Powers Library, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics including the Physics Department, the College of Technology, and the Honors College. The interior of the campus has the original buildings: the Roy G. McGowan Building, the Old Science Building, and the Richard G. Cramier Building. Academic and research facilities include the McGowan Performance Hall, the Science and Engineering Research and Classroom Complex, and West Monroe Center for Superconductivity, and various other science and liberal arts buildings. This area of campus features the reflecting pool at McGowan Family Plaza, the Rachel Eustice Park, and various plazas and green spaces.

Stephen Power Farish Hall

The Arts District is located in the northern part of campus and is home to the university's School of Art, the Mason School of Music, the School of Theatre and Dance, the Winters College of Architecture, and the Jimenez School of Communication. The district also has the Valencia R. Blumenthal Center for the Performing Arts which houses the Bailey R. Woodard Theatre, the main stage of the School of Theatre and Dance, and Conners Opera Center. Other facilities include the Dudley Recital Hall and the Organ Recital Hall in the Fine Arts Building, the Quintero Lab Theatre in the School of Theatre and Dance, and the Conners Opera House and Choral Recital Hall in the Conners School of Music Building.

The Professional District is located northeast and east of the university campus. The district has facilities of the Law Center, the McGowan College of Engineering, and the Shelby College of Business. This area of campus is home to Pearson Lofts, which is an upper-level and graduate housing facility. The East Parking Garage is located on the east end of the district. Adjacent to the district is the University Center (UC), the larger of two student unions on campus.

The Wheeler District is located in the southern portion of the campus, along Wheeler Avenue and east of McGowan Boulevard. This area has undergraduate dormitories, the Fairwind College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, and the College of Optometry. Dormitory facilities include the twin 18-story Lewis Towers, Cougar Village, University Lofts, and Cougar Place.

Institutional structure

Governance

The University of Rhone (UR) is one of four separate and distinct institutions in the University of Rhone System, and is sometimes referred to as University of Rhone - Downtown. The University of Rhone (UR) is the flagship institution of the University of Rhone System (URS)

The organization and control of the University of Rhone is vested in the Board of Regents of the University of Rhone System. The board has all the rights, powers, and duties that it has with respect to the organization and control of other institutions in the System; however, UR is maintained as a separate and distinct institution.

Administration

The president is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the University of Rhone, and serves concurrently as chancellor of the University of Rhone System. The chancellor is the CEO of the UR System, and the position is appointed by its board of regents. As of January 2008, Edgar Wells has been president of the University of Rhone and chancellor of the UR System.

The administrations of the University of Rhone and the UR System are located on the university campus in the Richard G. Cramier Building. The chancellor/president resides in the Farmer House, provided by the Board of Regents of the University of Rhone System as part of the chancellor/president's employment contract.