The University of New Orleans
The Urban University of the State of Louisiana

The University of New Orleans (UNO), the urban university of the Louisiana State University System, provides essential support for the development of the cultural, economic, educational, and social well being of the New Orleans metropolitan region. Located in an international city, UNO serves as an important link between Louisiana and the rest of the world. UNO promotes partnerships with public and private enterprise to support, enrich and extend its mission of learning, discovery and community engagement.

UNO provides members of the communities it serves affordable access to comprehensive higher education, thereby sustaining economic growth, stimulating technological innovation, preserving New Orleans’s heritage of creativity in the living arts, and expanding the life choices available to those served through undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education.

UNO is a SREB Doctoral II selective admissions institution, drawing its student body (more than 17,000 full- and part-time students) primarily from the surrounding seven-parish area, though with broad and growing representation from the fifty states and from dozens of nations across the globe. Nearly three-fourths of UNO’s students are undergraduates, and about a fourth are graduate students at the magistral or doctoral levels. From its founding in 1958 as the first fully integrated public institution in Louisiana to the present, the University takes pride in the racially and ethnically diverse student body. The University serves students of traditional age and older students whose experience and motivation prepare them for programs of study leading to degrees as well as to professional and personal advancement.

UNO recruits and retains faculty with terminal degrees. The faculty are committed to research activity, a high level of service to students, use of technology and interdisciplinary modes of teaching, and alignment with community needs and aspirations. Faculty grow and change with the institution and its community.

The purposes of UNO’s educational programs include preparation for immediate employment, for career advancement, for further education, for the enhancement of personal intellect and for education in civic responsibility. These purposes are met through: general education requirements at the undergraduate level, comprehensive undergraduate programs including more than 49 majors, 39 masters and 11 doctoral programs; professional/executive education which emphasizes UNO’s connection to the economic well-being of the Greater New Orleans community and other constituencies; and lifelong-learning programs. The University continues to develop new academic programs to meet emerging student and community needs.

The educational programs of UNO are carefully linked to the institution’s commitment to research and discovery. More than 19 centers and institutes connect graduate students and research projects to both faculty interests and the curriculum. The university promotes discovery through the individual research projects of faculty, through interdisciplinary projects that transcend traditional departmental boundaries, through research enhancements to undergraduate, graduate and professional education, and through applications in a broad array of community engagements.

The use of strategic partnerships with community institutions and businesses is a central part of the university mission. Focused local partnerships with public schools, governments, foundations, business, and civic groups enrich opportunities for learning, creative discovery, and community engagement. This partnership approach brings to the university community a diverse set of facilities and technologies that adds to the university experience and creates expanded career and professional opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the metropolitan region. In particular, partnerships with area schools, neighboring colleges and universities enhance the strength of the region through improved student achievement and a more attractive and competitive economic environment. The UNO Research and Technology Park is an important source of partnerships in all facets of university activity.

As a member of the Louisiana State University System, UNO affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunity. UNO has been singled out for national recognition as one of a select number of universities in the country that are highly supportive of diversity. Student life and the academic experience at UNO are alike enlivened and enriched by the diverse backgrounds brought to campus and classrooms.

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