Sowela Technical Community College kicked off its 85th anniversary celebrations Monday with the unveiling of the new History Wall.

Housed in the Arts and Humanities Building lobby, the History Wall commemorates over eight decades of the college’s history and evolution.

Sowela Chancellor Neil Aspinwall said that the wall was inspired by both the need to visually memorialize history and decorate the walls of the recently rebuilt Arts and Humanities building, which was leveled by Hurricane Laura in 2020.

He and his team realized that prior to the installation of the History Wall, there was no place on campus for faculty, staff, students or guests to inform themselves on how Sowela has benefited Southwest Louisiana.

“Sowela is 85 years old, the name is well known, but what still surprises me is the number of people that have no idea what we do or what we’ve done. … It is good to keep the history alive and well.”

Sowela, established in 1938, is the oldest higher educational institution in Southwest Louisiana and the second oldest in Louisiana. This and other key events are included on the History Wall. Including how the college’s original name was Southwest Louisiana Trade School and has undergone at least four name changes over the years, or how from 1941 to 1945, Sowela was opened for 24 hours a day and used as a training facility for workers during World War II at the request of the U.S. government.

Sowela is part of a 12 part community college system that was established in 1999 – the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. This system is the youngest in the nation, and one of the fastest growing, Aspinwall said.

The creation of the system consolidated over 40 campuses in Louisiana into the 12 main campuses, with the smaller sites being assumed under larger campuses. Sowela’s four sites include Lake Charles, Jennings, Oakdale and Lamar Salter.

Aspinwall stated that Sowela is a “strong player in Louisiana” for keeping local industry employed, and believes that the college’s ability to quickly develop certification-based curriculum makes it a key player in Southwest Louisiana.

Unlike four-year universities that use credit-based curriculum, Sowela is not restricted by strict requirements. This gives the college an edge in training and educating future industry workers.

The certification-based training and curriculum also helps the school efficiently generate revenue. The state provides approximately 48 percent of Sowela’s revenue. The other 52 percent is self-generated through tuition fees and contract training, he said.

After 85 years, Sowela has developed a strong, long lasting reputation, which is vital to form relationships with new industry leaders in the area.

“We have been here so long, everyone knows the name, and many of the business and industry, especially petro-chemical, they’ve come to rely on us. For any type of new training, update training, they come to Sowela. … “When they talk about training programs, they call us to the table so that they know we’re part of the process.”