125 Celebration : Arbor Day Tree Planting

How does the University of Louisiana at Lafayette celebrate its 125th birthday – and continued growth? By planting live oak trees of course!

Administrators, alumni, faculty, staff, students, community members and local officials gathered Jan. 1 for one of the University’s oldest – and rarest – traditions, marking New Year’s Day by planting the first new 5 Live Oak trees on the Health Sciences Campus. Only twice before in its history has the University opened the new year in similar fashion – in 1901 and 2001. The trees planted this year are descendants of the Century Oaks planted in 1901 by founding president Dr. Edwin Lewis Stephens and symbolically link the main campus to the Health Sciences Campus that opened in 2023. 50 saplings of the century oaks were passed out to participants. 

In addition to the Arbor Day Celebration, the University named and inducted the Savoie Family Oak into the Live Oak Society. The magnificent Live Oak was acquired in the purchase of the new Health Sciences Campus. A new memorial plaque was installed under this large Live Oak with a bench. 

UL Lafayette is a proud Tree Campus USA University and has earned consecutive Tree Campus titles since 2008.