LSUA Breaks Ground on Campus Edge Project, Launching New On-Campus Apartments to Meet Record Growth

ALEXANDRIA, La. - Louisiana State University of Alexandria (LSUA) celebrated a major milestone this week with the groundbreaking of its new on-campus apartment complex, the opening phase of the transformative Campus Edge Project. In partnership with Durand Construction, LLC, the 176-unit residential development will provide modern living options for students, faculty, and staff, while catalyzing future growth that will bring new businesses and amenities to LSUA's growing campus.

This bold initiative addresses the urgent housing demand created by LSUA's record-setting enrollment growth. By utilizing a public-private partnership model, the university is expanding its campus footprint without direct financial expenditure while supporting its strategic goal to recruit and retain top-tier students, faculty, and staff. The project is also expected to stimulate local economic activity, enhance regional amenities, and reinforce LSUA's commitment to building a vibrant university community at the heart of central Louisiana.

"With LSUA's record enrollment and as the fastest-growing four-year university in the state of Louisiana, additional residential housing has become crucial and desperately needed," said LSUA Chancellor Paul Coreil. "With this groundbreaking, we are officially kicking off our long-awaited Campus Edge Project, utilizing a public/private development partnership that will provide student and employee housing on campus. This is a major step forward for LSUA as it continues to evolve into a major four-year university currently serving almost 8,000 students."

LSU Interim President Matt Lee praised LSUA's extraordinary trajectory, contrasting its success with the national trend of enrollment decline and campus closures. "Students vote with their feet and parents vote with their pocketbooks-and they're choosing LSUA because it delivers excellence," Lee said. "LSUA is an outlier, and that's a credit to its culture of excellence and strong community support."

Abbey Bain, Vice Chancellor for Student Engagement, noted the development addresses years of unmet housing demand: "For the past five years, we have had a housing waitlist that reflects our tremendous growth and the strong demand for the LSUA experience. This new campus edge development not only helps meet that need but also sparks new energy and momentum around our university. It represents an investment in our students, our campus, and our community's future."

Dallas Hixon, central Louisiana's representative on the Louisiana Board of Regents, celebrated LSUA as a model of educational excellence and community-driven growth. Hixon praised LSUA's unprecedented twelve consecutive semesters of enrollment growth, noting that few institutions nationwide can match its trajectory. He highlighted the powerful combination of visionary leadership, passionate faculty, and strong community support as the driving forces behind LSUA's success.

Chancellor Coreil and the entire LSUA leadership team is thankful for the support of the many state and community partners in attendence, including: Governor Landry's representative Azar Kayal, Louisiana Board of Regents member Dallas Hixon; LSU Interim President Matt Lee, LSU Board of Supervisors Rebecca Boniol and Pat Morrow, LSUA Foundation Board Chair Michael Crowell and immediate past chair Glenda Stock Smith, Tommie Seaton from US Senator Bill Cassidy's office, State Representative Jason DeWitt, Rapides Parish Sheriff Mark Wood, Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy, Pineville Mayor Joe Bishop, Woodworth Mayor David Butler, and those directly involved with the construction project including Matt Ritchie of Ritchie Real Estate, and JD Durand and David Moses of Durand Construction, LLC.

This groundbreaking represents a ground-floor opportunity for developers to invest in a high-traffic corridor on a thriving college campus, with direct daily access to 500+ residents, 2,000 students, 300+ employees, and a 17,000-car daily traffic count at the intersection of Hwy 71 and Hwy 3170. LSUA is actively seeking partners to bring dining, retail, entertainment, and other amenities to the adjacent development zones, creating a dynamic destination at the heart of central Louisiana.