# Sowela Technical Community College > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sowela_Technical_Community_College > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sowela_Technical_Community_College.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowela_Technical_Community_College > Source revision: 1333625781 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Community college in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States SOWELA Technical Community College Type Public community college Established 1938 Chancellor Neil Aspinwall Students 4,000[1] Location Lake Charles , Louisiana , United States 30°13′03″N 93°09′46″W / 30.21739°N 93.16283°W / 30.21739; -93.16283 Mascot Flying Tigers[2] Website www.sowela.edu **SOWELA Technical Community College** is a [public](/source/Public_college) [community college](/source/Community_college) in [Lake Charles, Louisiana](/source/Lake_Charles%2C_Louisiana), with an additional instruction site in [Jennings](/source/Jennings%2C_Louisiana) and [Oakdale](/source/Oakdale%2C_Louisiana). The school's mascot is the Flying Tigers, named for [World War II General Clair Chennault's 1st American Volunteer Group](/source/Flying_Tigers) 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](/source/Chennault_Air_Force_Base). Its service area includes [Allen](/source/Allen_Parish%2C_Louisiana), [Beauregard](/source/Beauregard_Parish%2C_Louisiana), [Calcasieu](/source/Calcasieu_Parish%2C_Louisiana), [Cameron](/source/Cameron_Parish%2C_Louisiana), and [Jefferson Davis](/source/Jefferson_Davis_Parish%2C_Louisiana) parishes.[3] ## 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](/source/Southern_Association_of_Colleges_and_Schools). - In January 1980, the institute moved to its present location near [Chennault International Airport](/source/Chennault_International_Airport) on the east side of [Lake Charles, Louisiana](/source/Lake_Charles%2C_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](/source/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](/source/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 degrees](/source/Associate_degree), [technical diplomas](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Technical_diploma&action=edit&redlink=1), 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](/source/Associate_of_Applied_Science) in [Process Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Process_Technology&action=edit&redlink=1) to qualified students who already hold an Associate or higher-level degree. ## Notable alumni - [E. Holman Jones](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=E._Holman_Jones&action=edit&redlink=1), former member of the [Louisiana House of Representatives](/source/Louisiana_House_of_Representatives) from [Oakdale](/source/Oakdale%2C_Louisiana) in [Allen Parish](/source/Allen_Parish%2C_Louisiana) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["SOWELA Technical Community College"](https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=sowela&s=all&id=160579). *College Navigator*. Retrieved 19 March 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Flying Tigers Mascot"](https://www.sowela.edu/about/flying-tigers-mascot/). *SOWELA Technical Community College*. Retrieved March 19, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Our Colleges"](https://www.lctcs.edu/our-colleges). [Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges](/source/Louisiana's_Technical_and_Community_Colleges). Retrieved 2021-06-03. ## External links - [Official website](http://www.sowela.edu) v t e Education in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana Calcasieu Parish Public Schools K-12 schools Bell City HS Starks HS 6-12 schools Iowa H/MS High schools A. M. Barbe HS DeQuincy HS Sam Houston HS LaGrange HS Sulphur HS Vinton HS Westlake HS Washington-Marion Magnet HS Private schools High schools Lake Charles College Prep St. Louis Catholic HS K-12 schools Hamilton Christian Academy Tertiary Public universities McNeese State University (Template) Private colleges Delta School of Business and Technology Community colleges Sowela Technical Community College Other Libraries Calcasieu Parish Public Library This list is incomplete. v t e Public colleges and universities in Louisiana Research universities Louisiana State University Louisiana Tech University University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Louisiana at Monroe University of New Orleans Comprehensive universities Grambling State University Louisiana State University of Alexandria Louisiana State University Shreveport McNeese State University Nicholls State University Northwestern State University Southeastern Louisiana University Southern University Southern University at New Orleans Specialized centers LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport Paul M. Hebert Law Center Southern University Law Center Community and technical colleges Baton Rouge Community College Bossier Parish Community College Delgado Community College L. E. Fletcher Technical Community College Louisiana Delta Community College Louisiana State University at Eunice Louisiana Technical College Northwest Louisiana Technical College Nunez Community College River Parishes Community College South Louisiana Community College Southern University at Shreveport Sowela Technical Community College v t e Education in Cameron Parish, Louisiana Cameron Parish School Board (Public K-12) Grand Lake HS (7-12) Hackberry HS (PK-12) Johnson Bayou HS (PK-12) South Cameron HS (PK-12) Tertiary Sowela Technical Community College (Cameron Parish is in the service area but no campuses are in Cameron Parish) This list is incomplete. Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF National United States --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sowela Technical Community College](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowela_Technical_Community_College) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowela_Technical_Community_College?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.