In its second and final meeting for the month, members of the Louisiana Postsecondary Education Review Commission approved four recommendations regarding academic programs in the state.The Louisiana Board of Regents presented information on the number of students in certain degree programs across the state to the Commission on Tuesday. The Board of Regents eliminated 100 programs last year because of low completion levels, said Commissioner of Higher Education Sally Clausen, and 30 more programs are on the chopping block next month. The Commission is charged with evaluating the efficiency of public colleges and universities in Louisiana after a rocky 2009 legislative session left institutions battling for state funds, and the Commission report with its recommendations is due to the Board of Regents by February. The Commission is studying ways to ease budget strains because higher education cuts are expected to total about $150 million next fiscal year. “We have 3,000 programs [in the state], and we’re going to be looking at every one of them,” Clausen said. “We are not here to make ourselves popular.” The Board of Regents, in consultation with management boards, will review academic programs statewide for unnecessary duplication of efforts and excess hours required for degree completion, according to the Commission’s first recommendation. The Board will then, according to the resolution, eliminate such duplications and excess hours accordingly. James Wharton, former University chancellor and Commission member, suggested the recommendation. He said the recommendation will look specifically at courses and not at restructuring, merging or eliminating campuses. “I’m not thinking mergers or closures at this time,” Wharton said. “I am thinking in terms of schools working more closely together.” Wharton also suggested the second recommendation, which charges the Board of Regents, along with colleges, universities and their individual management boards — like the LSU Board of Supervisors — to evaluate each institution’s role, scope and mission. The review will allow the different institutions to better define themselves and the purposes they serve, Wharton said. The Commission also recommended the Board of Regents continue to conduct regular reviews of degree programs, taking into consideration cost effectiveness, program quality and other factors. The fourth recommendation charged the Board of Regents to establish a funding formula for all associate degree programs in the state and to have that formula in place by the beginning of the 2010-11 academic year. The next Commission meeting is Dec. 14 and 15 to cover higher education finance.—-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]
Commission examines, may cut programs
November 18, 2009