LSU’s School of the Coast & Environment was created
in 1991 as the Center for Coastal, Energy, and Environmental
Resources, or CCEER. In 2001 the CCEER name was changed
to SC&E to better reflect the school’s function
as both an academic and research entity.
Many of the units that make up SC&E have been at LSU
for decades. The Department of Environmental Sciences traces
its origins to the Salt Dome Research Institute started
in the 1930s. The Coastal Studies Institute began in the
early 1950s, and the Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute in
1977. Detailed histories of SC&E units can be found
on their Web sites. LSU, Louisiana’s Flagship University,
was founded in 1860 and is one of only 25 universities nationwide
to hold both land– and sea-grant status.
Because SC&E brought together existing research institutes
and related academic programs, providing an organizational
framework for interdisciplinary research, for the first
decade of its existence its component units were spread
out over 15 locations on LSU’s campus. In 2003, SC&E
moved into the new Energy, Coast & Environment Building,
uniting the SC&E administration with its academic programs
and most of the research institutes. The beautiful new state-of-the-art
building underscores LSU’s commitment to SC&E
and their recognition of the paramount importance of coastal
and environmental studies to the community, the future of
Louisiana, and the world.
