Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) is a state-funded public university located in Hammond, Louisiana. Apart from its main campus, the university has satellite campuses in Slidell, Covington, Walker, Denham Springs and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. SLU was founded in 1925 as Hammond Junior College. It gained university status in 1970. Since then, SLU has expanded to become the fourth-largest university in the state, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Among state universities, the school is ranked second-largest provider of distance education. Southeastern Louisiana University’s three master's degree programs — integrated science and technology, organizational communication, and applied sociology — are unique in the state of Louisiana. Its honors program offers an alternative academic track in all departments and majors, while the study-abroad program allows its students an opportunity to explore other nations around the globe. SLU’s enrollment stands at more than 16,000, with students from more than 30 states and 50 nations. Residential communities include Southeastern Oaks, Greek Village, and the New Residence Halls. A well-stocked library caters to the academic needs of students and research scholars. The SLU campus offers a unique textbook rental system — the only university in Louisiana to offer it — whereby students can rent textbooks for a nominal fee, instead of buying them. The historic Colombia Theater is a regular venue for plays, concerts, and lectures, while the university-owned Southeastern Channel offers university-sponsored television programs, providing both fun and on-the-job experience for interested students. Other facilities on the SLU campus include the bookstore, health center, swimming pool, tennis courts, student activity center, and a student union with a game room, snack bars, and post office. Southeastern Louisiana University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, to award the associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees.