{{short description|Community college in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States}} {{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox university | name = SOWELA Technical Community College | type = [[Public college|Public]] [[community college]] | established = 1938 | chancellor = Neil Aspinwall | students = 4,000<ref>{{cite web|title=SOWELA Technical Community College |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=sowela&s=all&id=160579 |website=College Navigator |access-date=19 March 2021}}</ref> | city = [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]] | state = [[Louisiana]] | country = United States | mascot = Flying Tigers<ref>{{cite web|title=Flying Tigers Mascot |url=https://www.sowela.edu/about/flying-tigers-mascot/ |website=SOWELA Technical Community College |access-date=March 19, 2021}}</ref> | website = {{URL|www.sowela.edu}} | coordinates = {{Coord|format=dms|display=inline,title}} }}
'''SOWELA Technical Community College''' is a [[Public college|public]] [[community college]] in [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]], with an additional instruction site in [[Jennings, Louisiana|Jennings]] and [[Oakdale, Louisiana|Oakdale]]. The school's mascot is the Flying Tigers, named for [[Flying Tigers|World War II General Clair Chennault's 1st American Volunteer Group]] and their P-40 aircraft adorned with a shark-faced motif. SOWELA's Lake Charles campus was developed on property formerly used as [[Chennault Air Force Base]].
Its service area includes [[Allen Parish, Louisiana|Allen]], [[Beauregard Parish, Louisiana|Beauregard]], [[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu]], [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron]], and [[Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jefferson Davis]] parishes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lctcs.edu/our-colleges|title=Our Colleges|publisher=[[Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges]]|accessdate=2021-06-03}}</ref>
==History== * In 1938, the Louisiana Legislature establishes the Southwest Louisiana Trade School. * In 1952, the name was changed to Sowela Vocational Technical School, recognizing it as a technical school rather than a trade institute. * In 1962, it was renamed as SOWELA (Southwest Louisiana) Technical Institute. * In 1971, the institute received accreditation from the Commission on Occupational Education (COE) of the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]]. * In January 1980, the institute moved to its present location near [[Chennault International Airport]] on the east side of [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]]. * In March 1990, the institute was renamed SOWELA Regional Technical Institute. * On July 27, 1995, the institute was renamed to Louisiana Technical College – SOWELA Campus. * In 2003, the [[Louisiana Community and Technical College System]] (LCTCS) Board of Supervisors changed the name and status of the institute – renaming it to SOWELA Technical Community College and giving it the status of a technical community college.
Following damage by [[Hurricane Rita]] in 2005, the Lake Charles campus was repaired and added four new buildings – the Phillips 66 Process Technology building, Arts and Humanities building, Nursing and Allied Health building, and Regional Training Center. An $8 million Student Services building is to be completed on the Lake Charles campus by mid-2017. Replacing the Morgan Smith Instructional Site in Jennings, a $10 million facility will be built in 2017 adjacent to the Jennings High School in Jefferson Davis Parish.
==Academics== The College offers [[associate degree]]s, [[technical diploma]]s, or certificates in 23 different programs. In the summer of 2014, SOWELA introduced the 16-week Fast Track Process Technology (PTEC) program, which provides a compressed pathway to an [[Associate of Applied Science]] in [[Process Technology]] to qualified students who already hold an Associate or higher-level degree.
==Notable alumni==
*[[E. Holman Jones]], former member of the [[Louisiana House of Representatives]] from [[Oakdale, Louisiana|Oakdale]] in [[Allen Parish, Louisiana|Allen Parish]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.sowela.edu Official website]
{{Education in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana}} {{Public universities and colleges in Louisiana}} {{Education in Cameron Parish, Louisiana}} {{authority control}}
[[Category:Community colleges in Louisiana]] [[Category:Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Lake Charles, Louisiana]] [[Category:Education in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana]] [[Category:Educational institutions accredited by the Council on Occupational Education]] [[Category:Two-year colleges in the United States]] [[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1938]] [[Category:1938 establishments in Louisiana]]