Though the LSU Board of Supervisors’ January meeting has already made headlines over its upcoming decision to approve new coaching contracts, the meeting is set to have big implications for the academic side of campus.
Up for debate are several items under the consent agenda.
The University has requested conditional approval to establish the Transformational Technologies and Cyber Research Center.
Gov. Bobby Jindal and LSU President F. King Alexander announced the creation of the center in August.
The project hopes to secure $30 million in research contracts within the first three years of operation and will be funded in part by the state and the University. For every $10 in funds attracted from research, the state will provide $1, and the University will provide 50 cents.
Jeff Moulton of the Georgia Tech Research Institute was appointed the center’s first director, subject to Board approval.
Also on the agenda are requests for the establishment of four Graduate Certificate Programs: Fisheries Science and Assessment, Geographic Information Science, School Librarianship and Workforce Development.
If approved, the programs will join four other added degrees from December’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Those eight still need approval from the Board of Regents before they can be implemented.
The University currently offers 19 certificate programs.
The Finance, Infrastructure and Core Development Committee under chairman Scott Ballard will advise the Board on two agenda items.
The first will be to approve or deny a request by the University to authorize the Board to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement with Shorelight Education, LLC. The agreement could expand the University’s influence abroad by increasing its international recruiting.
Agencies used to enroll international students have come under scrutiny in some higher education circles, according to a story published in The New York Times.
The practice of paying agents by the number of students signed was outlawed in the U.S. more than twenty years ago, after representatives abused the system by signing students regardless of academic potential. Using companies to recruit international students abroad has raised ethical questions and remain a debated subject in academia.
Shorelight Education “funds and manages the global aspirations of leading universities to drive institutional growth, create new revenue streams and expand options for students,” according to its website.
The agreement with Shorelight could grow the University’s global program both by bringing international students to the main campus and delivering programs to locations abroad.
The University has also requested the Board seek approval from the Louisiana State Bond Commission to continue issuing bonds on the University’s behalf. If approved, the Board will continue to issue auxiliary revenue and refunding bonds, not to exceed $175 million in one or more series.