Louisiana Two-Year Degrees Up...Most Places

 "In fall 1999, the Louisiana Community & Technical College System awarded 44% of all associate degrees in Louisiana. By fall 2008-09, LCTCS was awarding 64% of associate degrees."--Council for a Better Louisiana

With a budget sword the size of Alaska hanging over us, Louisiana will now redesign higher education in the state. The commission charged with making recommendations to the governor and legislature is hearing a broad mix of ideas. LSU, for example, has two different recommendations regarding the TOPS program--one from its system President and another from the Chancellor of LSU-Baton Rouge. Many education leaders would like to see the legislature release its hold on tuition pricing and allow the schools (and the market) to make those decisions. Some say LSU should be able to assess a "flagship fee" on top of the cost of tuition.

A potentially productive conversation about the role of community and technical colleges in undergraduate education is building momentum. Many leaders see both an educational and budgetary opportunity in having more of our young people earning associate degrees from the LCTCS system. The above-mentioned increase in the percentage of associate degrees awarded by LCTCS shows that some progress is already being made in this direction.

For those of us in Central Louisiana, there's just this one little problem with that. Not a single one of that higher number of associate degrees was earned in a Cenla-based component of the LCTCS system. Not one.*

Why? Central Louisiana is the only region in the state without a community and technical college, and one of the largest regions in the nation without such a school. This remains true even though a study performed for The Rapides Foundation demonstrated that the Cenla economy creates far more jobs requiring more than a high school degree but less than a baccalaureate than the number of associate degrees and certificates we can provide.

I believe that the commission and others who are pushing the conversation on rebalancing higher education in Louisiana is on the right track. I want them to succeed. This could be a very good thing for all of Louisiana, IF all of Louisiana is supported in the implementation of the recommendations.

That means opening a comprehensive community and technical college here--sooner, not later.

*It should be noted that the Bossier Parish Community College offers classes leading to an associate degree in respiratory therapy through the Learning Center of Rapides Parish. The Learning Center works hard at addressing this gap and others.