From student-powered lawsuits to a widespread program evaluation, the Board of Regents has had a busy spring semester.
The Regents started the year by approving a handful of new members to the Board after Gov. Bobby Jindal selected the appointments to the Board in December. The members included Scott Ballard of Covington; Joe Wiley of Gonzales; Chris Gorman of Shreveport; and Joe Farr of Monroe. Ed Antie of Lafayette was the only re-appointed member.
The appointments, which consisted of all white males, resulted in a lawsuit that called the Board’s makeup “unconstitutional.”
The suit was filed by former Congressman Cleo Fields on Feb. 14 on behalf of seven Southern University students who said the composition of the Board did not represent the minority populations of the state.
The controversial suit also put a halt on the Regents’ study of higher education in the New Orleans area. The study, which was called for by Jindal in January, evaluated the feasibility of merging the University of New Orleans and Southern University-New Orleans.
A long-winded court hearing on the matter was held on Feb. 24 and Judge Timothy Kelley of the 19th Judicial District Court denied the injunction. Fields, along with the students, were angered over the ruling and filed an appeal weeks later. The appeal was overruled on April 14.
The Regents’ merger study continued after the initial court hearing, and on March 15 the Board recommended an alternative merger.
In other action, the Regents unanimously approved the Academic Program Review results, which terminated 109 degree programs statewide. Of the University’s 31 programs under evaluation, four will be terminated and three will be consolidated.
Students currently enrolled in the programs will have the opportunity to complete their degree or transfer to a new curriculum, Karen Denby, Regents associate commissioner for Academic Affairs, said April 27.
The programs were identified as “at-risk” because of low graduation and retention rates.
Commissioner of Higher Education Jim Purcell, who was hired in February, said on April 27 that “higher education has to morph over time.”
 
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]