LSU New Orleans (LSUNO), known from 1974 to 2026 as the University of New Orleans (UNO), is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. First opened in 1958 as Louisiana State University in New Orleans (LSUNO), it was renamed the University of New Orleans in 1974 until reverting to its LSU name in 2026. It is the largest public university and one of two doctoral research universities in the Greater New Orleans region. LSUNO is a member of the Louisiana State University System and is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university consists of eight schools and colleges offering 46 bachelor's, 40 master's and 17 doctoral degree programs. Among its academic offerings are the only mechanical and electrical engineering undergraduate programs in New Orleans, the only graduate hospitality and tourism program and PAB-accredited urban planning program in the state of Louisiana, and one of the few schools of naval architecture and marine engineering in the United States.
LSUNO's 195-acre main campus is located on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain in Gentilly, New Orleans. The university's East Campus houses athletic facilities including Maestri Field and the UNO Lakefront Arena. LSUNO also owns and operates a research and technology park adjacent to its main campus.
The university's athletic teams are the Privateers. A total of 14 Privateer teams compete in the NCAA Division I Southland Conference.
History State Senator Theodore M. Hickey of New Orleans in 1956 authored the act which established the University of New Orleans. At the time New Orleans was the largest metropolitan area in the United States without a public university though it had several private universities, such as Tulane (which was originally a state-supported university before being privatized in 1884), Loyola, and Dillard. The institution was a branch of Louisiana State University, and as such was originally named "Louisiana State University in New Orleans." The UNO University Ballroom was named in Hickey's honor late in 2014, more than two decades after his death.
The university was built on the New Orleans Lakefront when the United States Navy relocated Naval Air Station New Orleans. The Orleans Levee Board leased the closed base to the LSU Board of Supervisors. The renovation went quicker than expected. LSUNO opened for classes in 1958, two years ahead of schedule. It was one of the first racially integrated public universities in the South, trailing the 1954 desegregation of the Southwestern Louisiana Institute. For its first five years, it was reckoned as an offsite department of the main campus in Baton Rouge, and as such its chief administrative officer was originally called a dean (1958–1961), then a vice president in charge (1961–1962) who reported to LSU's president. In 1962, the LSU System of Higher Education was established, and LSUNO became a separate campus in that system. To signify that it was now a co-equal institution with LSU, its chief executive's title was changed from "vice president in charge" to "chancellor." After a decade of growth, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved a name change to the current "University of New Orleans." Nearly fifty years later, in 2011, the University of New Orleans was transferred from LSU to the University of Louisiana system, and its chief executive's title was changed to "president."
In 2025, state lawmakers voted to return UNO to the LSU system in July 2026. At that time, the university was renamed "LSU New Orleans."
Hurricane Katrina On August 29, 2005, the university suffered damage due to Hurricane Katrina. The main campus is on relatively high ground, so the damage was caused mostly by winds, rain-driven-water, and human activity during the storm. The university was used as an evacuation point and staging area by the National Guard. A levee breach on the London Avenue Canal occurred just a few blocks south of the main campus and caused the flooding of the first floor of the Bienville Hall dormitories, the Lafitte Village couples apartments, and the Engineering Building.
UNO was the first of the large, damaged universities in New Orleans to re-open, albeit virtually, by using web-based courses starting in October 2005. The university was able to offer classes in the fall semester immediately following Hurricane Katrina at satellite campuses; the main campus re-opened in December 2005.
Hurricane Katrina reduced enrollments at all colleges in New Orleans, but the University of New Orleans was particularly hard hit. This echoed the damage to New Orleans as a whole, since UNO serves as a leader in educating students from New Orleans. Since the hurricane, the student enrollment is on a steady increase toward pre-Katrina numbers.
Impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic While the COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop in enrollment at universities across the United States, the University of New Orleans was particularly hard hit for a variety of reasons. Partially due to a large portion of UNO's non-traditional student base seeking education at non-traditional online universities, a failure to truly have in-person classes for traditional students in the years following COVID, and subsequent hurricanes the years following, UNO's enrollment hit record lows, close to its post-Katrina numbers. Because of this, less than a year after her appointment to the position, President Kathy Johnson laid off numerous employees and shrunk budgets by over 15% during the summer of 2024. The following year, university administrators announced a $10 million budget deficit and began mandatory furloughs for university employees.
Transition to LSU New Orleans Following a March 2025 recommendation by the Louisiana Board of Regents to address a growing $30 million budget deficit and declining enrollment, state leaders approved transferring the University of New Orleans back to the Louisiana State University System. On July 1, 2026, the institution officially returned to its founding parent system and was rebranded as LSU New Orleans. The transition aimed to resolve the university's fiscal crisis, leverage LSU's broader resources, and revitalize the Lakefront campus and surrounding areas.
Chief executives Homer L. Hitt (dean, 1958–59; VP in charge, 1959–1963, chancellor, 1963–1980) Leon J. Richelle (chancellor, 1980–1983) Cooper Mackin (chancellor, 1983–1987; acting to 1984) Gregory M. St. L. O'Brien (chancellor, 1987–2003) Timothy P. Ryan (chancellor, 2003–2010) Joe King (acting chancellor, 2010–2012) Peter J. Fos (president, 2012–2016) John W. Nicklow (president, 2016–2023) Jeannine O'Rourke (interim president, May 2023–October 2023) Kathy Johnson (president, November 2023–June 2026) Jeanette R. Weiland (interim chancellor, July 2026–Present)
Student life Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023 Race and ethnicityTotal White Black Hispanic Asian Two or more races International student Unknown Economic diversity Low-income Affluent Organizations There are more than 120 registered clubs and organizations active at LSUNO, including roughly 15 fraternities and sororities. LSUNO Student Government is the official student government association. Registered organizations are separated into categories of either religious, honorary, political, professional, social, service, organizations, or special interests.
Media The Driftwood was the LSUNO weekly newspaper and was published every Thursday. LSUNO also owns and operates WWNO, a local radio station. WWNO began transmitting in 1972.
Greek life The Greek community at the University of New Orleans is composed of about 15 fraternities and sororities.
Colleges
LSU New Orleans has four colleges: College of Business Administration, College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development, College of Engineering, and College of Sciences. The university also offers a bachelor's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.
Campus
The university's campus is located in the New Orleans metropolitan area, sitting on Lake Pontchartrain at the end of Elysian Fields Avenue and on the former site of NAS New Orleans. The LSUNO Research and Technology Park, referred to as "The Beach" is located adjacent to campus on the former site of the Pontchartrain Beach amusement park. The Kiefer LSUNO Lakefront Arena and Maestri Field at Privateer Park, LSUNO's basketball and baseball facilities, are located at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Leon C. Simon Boulevard.
LSUNO's classes were originally housed in the remaining buildings following the closure of NAS New Orleans at that site. As a nod to campus' time as a Naval base, the oldest lecture buildings completed in 1960, the Liberal Arts Building and the Science Building, are both numbered and laid-out like a ship with Liberal Arts featuring exterior balconies for access to the classrooms as opposed to interior hallways, and both Liberal Arts and Science featuring two central courtyards in each building.
Throughout the years, additional permanent buildings were built to accommodate a larger student body. These include Milneburg Hall (1969), the University Center (1969), the Human Performance Center (1969), the Earl K. Long Library (1970), the Geology/Psychology Building (1972), the Bicentennial Education Building (1976), the Engineering Building (1987), the Life Sciences Complex (Phase 1: the Computer Center, Phase 2: the Biology Building, and Phase 3: the Mathematics Building; All completed between 1979 and 1984), the Chemical-Sciences Annex (1997), and Kirschman Hall (2004).
The College of Engineering building is the tallest building on campus. It has nine floors and is home to the university's Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) Program, among other engineering programs.
Two buildings on campus feature atrium designs as opposed to hallways. Kirschman Hall, the newest lecture building on campus and home of the College of Business Administration, features a large atrium in the center with a few satellite hallways connecting to it. It is considered to be the second largest lecture building on campus (after the engineering building).
Due to the impacts of low enrollment and chronic maintenance issues in these buildings, the university has officially decommissioned two campus buildings, Milneburg Hall and the Liberal Arts Building. These buildings had the most significant deferred maintenance challenges on campus, and significant asbestos mitigation projects would have been required. The buildings are currently vacant on the campus with future plans to demolish Milneburg Hall.
In addition to the closures of these buildings, the University decided to enter a long-term lease with Benjamin Franklin High School to convert the Human Performance Center (the former home of athletics) to a satellite building for Franklin. This helps reduce LSUNO's footprint as Franklin was using classrooms in the Bicentennial Education Building across campus, which is housing various departments from Milneburg and Liberal Arts. This building is also much closer to the main Franklin campus.
Campus life centers The University of New Orleans features three buildings that are considered to be the centers of campus life:
Earl K. Long Library