Tentative plans are for the Shreveport branch of the Southern University Law Center (SULC) to kick off with a spring semester in 2022 and 2023 on the top two floors of the downtown Shreve Memorial Library.
These semesters will be for third-year law students finishing up their legal education.
A maximum of 16 hours can be earned at the Shreveport campus during these semesters.
John Tuggle, executive director of the Shreve Memorial Library (SML), advises that the Texas Street building will need substantial labor to accommodate the satellite campus.
Tuggle says that the library board has been in the process of allocating funds for a much-needed new roof for several years. In the interim, roof leaks are plugged periodically.
Another issue to be resolved is the removal of asbestos. A low-end estimate of this cost is $300,000.
Whether or not SULC will assist in funding the roof replacement and/or asbestos removal is, at this juncture, an open question.
SULC has asked SML to leave the furniture on the third and fourth floors, which consist primarily of existing shelving, tables, chairs and desks that are not currently needed by SML.
Another issue to be resolved is ownership, maintenance and expansion of SML’s law collection. SML is currently maintaining it for public use, and it will want that to continue if the law school opens in this location.
The expenditures for keeping the collection up to date and adding additional resources is an open subject, as well as possible joint ownership of the law library resources.
The Texas Street building is owned by Caddo Parish. Thus, the Caddo Commission must approval final plans for the satellite center at that location.
Needless to say, dollars will be a driving factor for the establishment of this satellite campus.
John came to Shreveport in January of 1977 when he was transferred to Barksdale AFB.
He’s been active in Shreveport politics since deciding to make Shreveport his home.
John practiced law for 40 years and he now monitors local politics. He regularly attends Shreveport City Council and Caddo Parish Commission meetings.
John is published weekly in The Inquisitor, bi-monthly in The Forum News, and frequently in the Shreveport Times.
He enjoys addressing civic groups on local government issues and elections.