Gov. Bobby Jindal responded via Facebook on Thursday to comments about how state officials are handling higher education.
“This conversation has been very helpful to me, and I hope I can keep your attention a little longer, because I believe this is a very important discussion to have,” Jindal’s post said.
The post comes in response to a flood of comments on a previous post written last Tuesday seeking input from students about how to get better value out of higher education.
“To Louisiana College Students: Our government is spending more than we can afford, and I believe our universities are delivering less value than you deserve,” Jindal wrote in that post.
The post elicited more than 200 responses as of Sunday.
Comments ran the gamut from harsh criticism of Jindal’s leadership and out-of-state travels to criticisms of higher education officials for huge salaries and inefficient leadership.
Commentors proposed a wide array of solutions, including cutting administrative salaries, eliminating underperforming programs and institutions, focusing on online degrees and increasing admission standards and TOPS standards.
Most of the comments complained about cuts to higher education.
In his response, Jindal thanked the commentors for their input. “There were several very good ideas, such as, cutting administrative costs and salaries, requiring professors to spend more time in the classrooms, protecting centers of excellence,” the post said.
No comment in the original thread focused on requiring professors to spend more time in the classroom.
The response did not mention a constitutional amendment that would allow removal of restrictions on other parts of the budget to relieve some pressure to higher education.
The post also said the higher education budget crisis is being blown out of proportion.
“Even though it is common to hear that higher education has already received massive budget cuts, it’s not entirely accurate,” the post said.
Jindal said higher education — and LSU — were not facing catastrophic losses.
“Higher education’s total budget has decreased by 4.57 percent since the beginning of 2008, while the state’s overall budget has decreased by almost 26 percent – nearly six times as much. LSU’s main campus, in fact, has seen a reduction of 1.5 percent in funding.”
The post also criticized higher education institutions for spending too little time on instruction and for poor graduation rates.
Jindal’s original post came the day after LSU Student Government President J Hudson made national news by sending letters to papers where Jindal was traveling. Those letters criticized Jindal for taking several out-of-state trips while higher education suffered drastic cuts in Louisiana.
Hudson responded to Jindal’s post, disagreeing vehemently with the assertion that LSU might not be delivering value to its students.
“First off, I have received a quality education from LSU A&M,” Hudson said. “But now that the 32 percent budget cut may be implemented in fiscal year 2012, I do not believe that statement will be upheld by students for years to come.”
Hudson specifically stood up for the main LSU campus in Baton Rouge, arguing it was a “superior University.”
“Please create a plan that will save the flagship university,” Hudson posted. “I understand that you may not be able to fix it all with a snap of your fingers, but we need you to put your foot down and say no more cuts to higher education and health care.”
 
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Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]