Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Conrad Appel, introduced a bill in the state Senate that would base funding of Louisiana Universities on key performance measures.
Senate Bill 377 would compare Louisiana Universities, such as LSU, to others in the South, such as Florida State University and the University of Alabama.
This bill would set up a committee to create an equation that would dictate how state funds are allocated to Universities. This equation would include factors such as retention rate, graduation rate, number of degrees produced and workforce development.
Kevin Cope, President of the LSU Senate, explained that this bill would prevent universities from developing well-rounded individuals which, according to Cope, is the purpose of a University.
This bill states that a Universities’ course offerings should produce students that can better satisfy the state’s economic and workforce needs, meaning that Louisiana Universities should strive to produce students who will be suited to work in a Louisiana profession.
Cope is concerned about this practice, stating that this would create a surplus in the workforce in Louisiana while not preparing students to work outside the state.
This bill would have Universities focus on increasing the degree rate in fields such as technology, science, engineering, mathematics and other fields that are in high demand.
Cope fears that this focus on math and science will reduce the options students have when entering college, as well as funding for other degree programs. He explains that by funneling money into math and science degrees, other degree programs such as Humanities, Art, etc., will be reduced and make LSU, in particular, suffer in national rankings.
The major debate is not over the intent of the bill, but its focus on workforce development. Legislatures and education professionals are concerned that such a focus will reduce the quality of a University as a whole.
This bill was introduced and rejected during the last legislative session.