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Regular Session, 2011
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 182
BY REPRESENTATIVE NOWLIN AND SENATOR LONG
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the Board of Regents to work with the Board of Supervisors of
Community and Technical Colleges, the Board of Supervisors for the University of
Louisiana System, and Northwestern State University to study the feasibility of
offering community college services to the Greater Natchitoches Region and to
determine how the state can best meet the educational needs of students and the
economic and workforce development needs of this region of the state.
WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 5(D)(2) of the Constitution of Louisiana provides,
relative to public institutions of postsecondary education, that it is a power, duty, and
responsibility of the Board of Regents to approve a proposed degree program, department
of instruction, division, or similar subdivision; and
WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 5(D)(3)(a) of the constitution further provides that
it also is a power, duty, and responsibility of the board to study the need for and feasibility
of creating a new institution of postsecondary education, which includes establishing a
branch of such an institution or converting any nondegree granting institution to an
institution which grants degrees; and
WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 5(D)(3)(b) of the constitution specifies that if the
creation of a new institution is proposed, the Board of Regents shall report its written
findings and recommendations to the legislature within one year and specifies further that
only after the report has been filed, or after one year from the receipt of a request for a report
from the legislature if no report is filed, may the legislature take affirmative action on such
a proposal and then only by law enacted by two-thirds of the elected members of each house;
and
WHEREAS, community college services, provided through the Louisiana
Community and Technical College System, have proven effective in serving individuals and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 182
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communities by offering targeted academic programs, technical education, and occupational
training programs designed to meet the state's workforce and economic development needs;
and
WHEREAS, there is a need for increased access to public postsecondary education
two-year academic degree programs that meet the educational needs of students and the
economic and workforce development needs in the Greater Natchitoches Region; and
WHEREAS, the availability of community college services in the Greater
Natchitoches Region would provide access to these educational opportunities in an
underserved area of the state; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Regents has adopted a policy under which all associate
degree and certificate programs are to be removed from the four-year public institutions of
postsecondary education in the state; and
WHEREAS, the capital outlay requirements of the state are such that the funds for
the design and construction of a new community college are not available now nor are they
expected to be in the foreseeable future; and
WHEREAS, it is critically important to maximize the cost-effectiveness of the
proposed community college services, especially during this period of economic recession
that is placing extreme pressure on the operating and capital outlay budgets of the state.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request that the Board of Regents work with the Board of Supervisors of
Community and Technical Colleges, the Board of Supervisors for the University of
Louisiana System, and Northwestern State University to study the feasibility of offering
community college services to the Greater Natchitoches Region and to determine how the
state can best meet the educational needs of students and the economic and workforce
development needs of this region of the state.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study shall include but not be limited to
consideration of the potential use of physical facilities and other resources of Northwestern
State University in the provision of the proposed community college services and
identification of the role, scope, and authority of Northwestern State University in the
planning and operation of the proposed community college if the resources of Northwestern ENROLLEDHCR NO. 182
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State University are to be utilized in the development and operation of the proposed
community college.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana further requests the
Board of Regents to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the
Senate Committee on Education, the House Committee on Education, the member of the
Senate representing Senate District 31, and the member of the House of Representatives
representing House District 23 not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2012
Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
commissioner of higher education, the chairman of the Board of Regents, the president of
the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, the president of the University of
Louisiana System, the president of Northwestern State University, and the regional director
of the Northwest Louisiana Technical College.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE