The Jesuits' passion for education led to the establishment of Loyola College in 1904. The institution grew steadily, and on July 10, 1912, it was chartered as a university.
During its first decade, Loyola added law, dentistry, music and pharmacy programs to its growing liberal arts curriculum. Today, with a combined enrollment of 4,982 students and 71 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, Loyola is one of the largest and most prominent Jesuit universities in the South.
The Jesuits opened a combined high school and college on Baronne and Common streets in 1850. But they soon outgrew their space. The Rev, Albert Biever, S.J., traveled Uptown, where he learned that a large plantation directly across from Audubon Park was available. In 1886, a section of the Foucher Plantation was sold to the Jesuits for $22,500, and in 1904, Biever opened Loyola College, becoming its first president.
WWL began in 1922 on Loyola's campus as a 10-watt radio station, transmitting the first broadcast in the Deep South. WWL-AM became famous for its live broadcasts of Dixieland jazz bands from the 1940s to the 1960s. The station's television partner, WWL-TV, was introduced in 1957. Loyola sold WWL radio and TV in 1989.
In 1952, Norman Francis, later to become the president of Xavier University, became the first African-American admitted to Loyola University. He received his law degree in 1955. In 1954, Loyola integrated its athletic complex and began holding interracial sporting events. Loyola had completely integrated its undergraduate programs by 1962. Today, minorities represent more than 35 percent of the undergraduate student body.
In the 1970s, reflecting Vatican II's reforms, Loyola shifted authority over the university from a Jesuit-regulated Board of Regents to a Board of Trustees. It also put in a common curriculum to educate students in core areas, including science, history, English and math, as well as specialty areas, such as journalism and dentistry.
Hurricane Katrina forced the closure of Loyola in August 2005, but the campus sustained minimal damage. Classes resumed on Jan. 9, 2006, with 91 percent of students returning. On April 10, 2006, President Kevin Wildes announced PATHWAYS, Loyola's post-Katrina plan to reduce operating costs by restructuring colleges and eliminating academic programs and faculty positions. Since the storm, Loyola has gradually increased its enrollment and will celebrate its centennial anniversary in April 2012.
Tomorrow, 1913: Wood-screw pumps reduce flooding in new Orleans.