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Higher Education Governance Narrative Analysis of Louisiana

Crystal Nikki Simpson

EDLD 8433-Summer 2014

Dr. Jenson

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Higher Education Governance Narrative Analysis of Louisiana

This paper will explore the higher education governance system of Louisiana. The

Louisiana system consists of a Board of Regents and four management boards. This paper will

explain how this governance model was created and the responsibilities of the boards. The

Louisiana Constitution Article VII states, The goal of the public educational system is to

provide learning environments and experiences, at all stages of human development, that are

humane, just, and designed to promote excellence in order that every individual may be afforded

an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential. This paper will also look at how the

governance system was evaluated to determine if this goal was being met and other current

issues regarding the governance of Louisiana.

Board of Regents

In 1920, Louisiana held a constitutional convention and two governing boards were

created to govern higher education in the state: the State Board of Education and the Louisiana

University Board of Supervisors (Louisiana Board of Regents, n.d.). The Coordinating Council

for Higher Education was created in 1968 to coordinate higher education in Louisiana, while the

Louisiana University Board of Supervisors and the State Board of Education would govern

higher education (Serrett, 2009)

In 1974, the Board of Regents was created to coordinate all public higher education in

Louisiana and replaced the Coordinating Council (Regents, n.d., para.1). At this time three

management boards were also created to manage higher education institutions (Serrett, 2009).

These were the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University System (LSU), the Board of

Supervisors of Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College System (SU), what

would eventually become the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System (UL)

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(Serrett, 2009). Serrett (2009) noted that at this time two-year institutions were assigned to

different management boards and the same board that coordinated elementary and secondary

education oversaw technical colleges. In 1998, the Louisiana Community and Technical College

System (LCTCS) was created with the purpose of overseeing the technical colleges and two-year

institutions in the state (Serrett, 2009).

Responsibilities of the Boards

This organizational model is known as a coordinating system. A coordinating system is

characterized by a statewide board with planning and regulatory responsibility, plus institutional

or sub-system boards that manage all activities of the institutions such as administering

personnel and day-to-day activities (Serrett, 2009, p. 4). The powers of the Board of Regents

are enumerated in Article VIII D of the Louisiana Constitution. According to 5(E) of Article

VIII of the Constitution, powers of management not specifically given to the Board of Regents

are reserved for the management boards. Ultimately, the Board of Regents is responsible for the

planning and regulatory actions and the management boards are in charge of the day-to-day

management of the institutions that fall under their supervision. There is some ambiguity

regarding the Board of Regents powers which has led to debate over what issues fall under the

Board of Regents and what issues fall under then management boards (Serrett, 2009).

Current Issues

There have been many different current issues in regards to the governance in the state of

Louisiana. Three of these that will be covered are the Board of Regents Master Plan for higher

education in the state and a program to help students transfer from two-year colleges to four-year

public institutions. The Master Plan covers the visions of higher education in the state which is

aimed toward educating the citizens of Louisiana so they can live better lives (Board of Regents,

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2012). The Transfer Degree Guarantee is one way that Louisiana is working toward reaching this

goal by providing a way to help student easily transfer to four-year schools. The third program is

the GRAD Act, which is an agreement between institutions and the state that rewards institutions

for meeting performance goals. The last current issue that will be discussed is a recent

Governance Commission report that explores the governance structure of the state.

The Master Plan

The Board of Regents is authorized by Article VIII of the Constitution to create a master

plan of higher education in the state (Board of Regents, 2012). According to the Board of

Regents (2012) the Master Plan provides a broad vision for the States higher education system

and acknowledges its interdependence with the economy and its many contributions towards

better lives for Louisianas citizenry (p. 5). The Master Plan of 2001 focused on student access

and success (Board of Regents, 2012, p. 6). The Master Plan of 2011 has three goals:

1. Increase the educational attainment of the States adult population to the Southern

Regional Education Board (SREB) States average by 2025;

2. Invest strategically in university research; and

3. Achieve greater efficiency and accountability in the postsecondary education system.

(Board of Regents, 2012, p. 14).

Louisiana Transfer Degree Guarantee

Another way that state is working to benefit students is the Louisiana Transfer Associate

Degree. This program provides a way for students to transfer from a two-year college to a four-

year public university within the state (Transfer Degree Guarantee, n.d.). If students meet the

minimum requirements while completing a prescribed program of study, all sixty hours of

coursework will transfer to the university (Transfer Degree Guarantee, n.d.).

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The GRAD Act

The GRAD act was established to improve performance at Louisianas colleges and

universities and make more Louisiana students graduates of their programs (Office of the

Governor, 2010). In exchange for a commitment to The LA GRAD Act allows flexibility within

universities in exchange for commitment to meet statewide performance goals over a six-year

agreement (Office of the Governor, 2010). This is one piece of legislation created to help

improve higher education in the state.

Governance Commission

A Governance Commission was created to explore the governance structure of Louisiana

and to create a reorganization plan utilizing a single governance board (Governance

Commission, 2012). The commission found that what is needed today is not a new board

structure, but rather increased clarity, both in law and policy, delineating each boards

responsibility and strengthening accountability within the current structure to drive improvement

in overall educational attainment in the state (Governance Commission, 2012). Anderson

(2012) wrote that the board recommended, enhancing the role of the Board of Regents which

would most likely require an amendment to the Constitution (para.2).

Part of the reasoning for looking at the role of the Board of Regents probably stems from

instances of the authority of the Board of Regents not being respected. This is not a new

development. Ducote (2001) wrote about thirteen budget cuts that occurred over a ten-year time

span and that individual institutions and management boards began fighting for their own

survival by lobbying the legislature to get resources for their schools, thus bypassing and

undermining the authority of the Board of Regents (p. 123). Serrett (2009) discussed this

deterioration of the Board of Regents authority by citing times that management boards and

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institutions have bypassed the Board of Regents and how these maneuvers continue to frustrate

statewide strategic planning and provide the impetus for consideration of a reorganization of the

governance structure (p.1). Serretts work (2009) noted, The lines of authority need to be made

clear and indisputable. The Board of Regents should be authorized as the clear lead agency for

higher education with the responsibility to establish policies and make tough decisions even

when consensus is not forthcoming (p.16). This recommendation is in agreement with the

Governance Commissions recommendation.

There are currently three governance structures in use in the United States, most states

are split equally between consolidated or coordinated structures, with two using and planning

structure and one state having no official governance structure (Serrett, 2009). Every state needs

to find a structure that works well for that state. The Governance Commission did a thorough job

in examining the structure of Louisiana and the issues that specifically affect Louisiana in order

to make valuable recommendations.

Conclusion

Governance structures vary greatly across the United States and internationally. It is

important for states to find a structure that will benefit that states goals. The coordinated system

of Louisiana is beneficial due to the number of colleges and universities in the state and the

different types of institutions within the state. As with any organization or structure, there are

difficulties. However, by evaluating the outcomes of the current structure and policies, changes

can be made to strengthen the current system using the best of current practice and

supplementing in weak areas. Louisiana is focused on educating its citizens and is implementing

programs to help achieve this goal.

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References

Board of Regents. (2012). Master plan for public postsecondary education in Louisiana: 2011.

Retrieved from http://regents.louisiana.gov/wp-

content/uploads/2013/03/MasterPlan_Revised_04-12.pdf

Ducote, J. (2001). The education article of the Louisiana constitution. Louisiana Law Review,

62(1). 117-135.

Governance Commission. (2012). Response to house concurrent resolution 184 2011 regular

session of the Louisiana legislature.

Louisiana Board of Regents. (n.d.) Higher education in Louisiana. Retrieved from

http://www.lsusystem.edu/overview/higherEd-history.shtml

Louisiana Const. art. VIII, 5

Office of the Governor. (2010). Governor Jindal announces LA GRAD act. Retrieved from

http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&articleID=1915

Regents. (n.d.). Master plan for public postsecondary education in Louisiana. Retrieved from

http://regents.louisiana.gov/planning-research-amp-performance/master-plan-for-public-

postsecondary-education-in-louisiana/

Serrett, C. (2009). Higher education governance structure: Louisianas options for keeping pace

(Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, Inc. Publication 319). Baton Rouge, LA:

Patrick F. Taylor Foundation.

Transfer Degree Guarantee. (n.d.) What is TDG? Retrieved from

http://latransferdegree.org/what-is-tdg/