/Institutions/Southern-University-System/json/2020-2021/Southern-University-and-A-and-M-College-Academic-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/Southern-University-System/json/2020-2021/Southern-University-and-A-and-M-College-Academic-Catalog.json

Southern University and A&M College Academic Catalog > Office of Research and Strategic Initiatives (ORSI) > Research Centers and Institutes

Research Centers and Institutes

Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southern University (Est. 1986)

The Louisiana Small Business Development Center (Capital SBDC) is a public service unit of the Office of Research at Southern University at Baton Rouge. The LSBDC is one of twelve (12) university sub-centers and is affiliated with the Louisiana Small Business Development Consortium (LSBC). The purpose of the LSBDC is to provide basic counseling services, training programs and seminars, and information assistance to potential and existing small businesses in a nine (9) parish area of South Louisiana. The counseling services include but are not limited to, business transfer, minority business development, productivity improvement analysis, economic and financial analysis, and business management acumen. The workshops and seminars, offered by the center, cover a myriad of business owners and managers. In addition to the counseling and training services, the LSBDC maintains a resource library that contains business publications and general readings on starting and managing a small business.

Health Research Center (Est. 1960)

The Health Research Center (HRC) was established at the Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge. This was possible through a matching grant from the Health Research Facilities of the Division of Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This particular NIH grant covered the cost of construction and equipped health research centers at public and non-public institutions that had demonstrated the capability to perform health research or research in the basic sciences related to health. Its faculty members are research investigators drawn from different research-oriented departments of the University with special emphasis on biomedical and/or related research projects. The major purpose of the center is to conduct basic and applied research in biomedical sciences and to promote and encourage productive research. The Center is focused on advancing research in the areas of environmental toxicology with emphasis on molecular, reproductive, nutritional and immune-toxicology. Typically, students are trained according to their individual interests and career choices. Among others, the activities of the center strengthen, enrich, and promote the academic programs of participating departments of the University through scholarly and productive research efforts, seminars, presentations, symposia, and community services.

Further, HRC also assists faculty in securing funding support for research and facilitates the training of students in the basic biomedical sciences. Overall, the HRC is a University-wide entity with participation from other departments in its role and functions. Over the years, the HRC has sponsored numerous seminars and workshops on subjects of special interest to the University and the surrounding community.

Center for Rural and Small Business Development

The Center for Rural and Small Business Development operates as the result of a contractual agreement between Southern University and A&M College and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business- Cooperative Service. The center provides management and technical assistance to persons in the parishes of East (northern section) and West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, Point Coupee, St. Helena and Iberville. The scope of work at the center, in general, is to provide business counseling and assistance to rural businesses and persons interested in expanding and/or starting a business venture. Specifically, the center offers support in areas such as personnel, management, fiscal management, loan packaging, procurement, certification, construction, bonding, marketing, public relations, etc.

Additionally, BISNet (Business Information System Network) is an electronic telecommunications initiative that allows rural areas access to the Internet and is jointly sponsored by Rural Development and Southern University. BISNet enables community leaders to share successful business development concepts. It also links leaders to a network of corporate, government, and private entities. Visit the website at http://bisnet.cmps.subr.edu.

Center for Social Research (Est. 1969)

The Center for Social Research was established to conduct interdisciplinary research and to implement programs that address the needs of African Americans. Studies are conducted on experiences and conditions of Blacks in the Southern region with emphasis on Blacks in the State of Louisiana. The goals of the center include: conducting research on the attitudes and behaviors of African Americans; developing and implementing interdisciplinary applied research programs; targeting social problems in minority and disadvantaged communities; providing a mechanism by which students and faculty have increased participation in developing strategies and implementing programs which address the issues and concerns of the community. The center’s research focuses on social, economic and demographic analysis, as well as, comparative studies of political behavior and attitudes of African Americans. Research areas include studies on HIV/AIDS, Community Healing, domestic violence, housing conditions, crime and delinquency, school dropout and literacy concerns, environmental justice, and health-related issues.