The Louisiana Board of Regents approved Wednesday the final stages of the LA GRAD Act agreement.
The comprehensive improvement plan is designed to increase performance, efficiency and accountability for higher education institutions statewide starting this year.
With approval by the Management Board and in concurrence with the LA GRAD Act, institutions raised their tuitions by 5 percent this fall, and the money collected from the increase has been held in escrow while awaiting today’s approval.
The LA GRAD Act, which was signed by Gov. Bobby Jindal in June, is a six-year voluntary program that includes four key performance objectives for the participating institutions — student success, transfer and articulation, workforce and economic development, and efficiency and accountability.
Specific productivity goals have been set by each institution and will be evaluated by the Board annually, resulting in overall improvements throughout the six-year period.
The Board will then submit a report to the Legislature and governor.
All institutions are participating except the Health Science Centers, which will join in the spring.
Chief of Staff Kim Hunter-Reed said the Board held individual meetings with each participating campus to “drive the importance of an effective launch.”
Hunter-Reed said the baseline of the act is focused first on student success, aiming to increase educational attainment, completor percentage and graduation rates.
“There is a push nationally to increase attainment and find better ways to measure complete student flow,” said Tom Layzell, part-time Board adviser. “This is a well thought-out piece of legislation that will help move Louisiana in the direction it needs to move.”
Fifty-two total measures will be tracked and evaluated, and institutions that demonstrate progress will be able to raise tuition by 10 percent annually.
In other action, the Board approved the 2011-12 budget request using the funding formula, a method that will be under review within the next few months.
 
—-
Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]