History ==
Hammond Junior College was created in 1925. It was managed by the Tangipahoa Parish School Board and initially offered only a teaching certificate. The college moved to the Hunter Leake estate in north Hammond in 1927 to accommodate more students. The following year, its name changed to Southeastern Louisiana College and it joined the state's educational system under the state's board of education. The campus grew in the late 1920s and 1930s with the purchase of 60 acres (240,000 m2) and the construction of McGehee Hall and a gymnasium.
Lucius McGehee Hall was built in 1935. As of 2009, it is the oldest building constructed by the university. McGehee Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The college's curricular offerings increased significantly in 1937 when the college received approval to offer bachelor's degrees. The first ones were awarded two years later.
Although Act 388 in 1938, an amendment to the 1920 Louisiana Constitution, granted the college the same legal status as other …
