HLS 15RS-2230 ENGROSSED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 200
BY REPRESENTATIVE WESLEY BISHOP
HIGHER ED/BD REGENTS: Requests the Board of Regents to review and consider
revising its master plan relative to the plan's goal of increasing postsecondary
educational attainment
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the Board of Regents, in consultation with the public postsecondary
3 education management boards, to review and consider revising the Master Plan for
4 Postsecondary Education relative to meeting the plan's goal of increasing educational
5 attainment.
6 WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 5(D) of the Constitution of Louisiana provides for
7the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Board of Regents, including the requirement
8that the board formulate and make timely revision of a master plan for postsecondary
9education; and
10 WHEREAS, the Board of Regents, through the development and implementation of
11the Master Plan for Postsecondary Education: 2011, advanced its vision for the future of
12postsecondary education by adopting several broad goals, one of which is increasing the
13educational attainment of the state's adult population to reach the Southern Regional
14Education Board (SREB) states' average by 2025; and
15 WHEREAS, according to the third annual review of the master plan, which the Board
16of Regents published in August of 2014, the annual number of graduates is ultimately the
17most important measure of the state's progress toward the goal of reaching this average, and
18to reach this educational attainment goal by 2025, the state needs to increase its number of
19graduates significantly; and
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HCR NO. 200
1 WHEREAS, according to a 2013 American Community Survey, United States
2Census figures show that only 29.6% of Louisiana's 2.4 million adults ages twenty-five to
3sixty-four hold a two-year or four-year college degree, and the state's rate of postsecondary
4educational attainment is well below the national average of 40%; and
5 WHEREAS, research shows that attainment rates across the country vary
6significantly based on race and ethnicity, geography, and other factors; while overall
7attainment is increasing, the gaps in attainment linked to race and ethnicity are not narrowing
8significantly and deserve special scrutiny; and
9 WHEREAS, successfully educating veterans and returning adults would assist the
10state of Louisiana in meeting its goal of increasing educational attainment; and
11 WHEREAS, the Lumina Foundation, like the Board of Regents, considers increasing
12educational attainment a major priority; the foundation is an independent, private foundation
13committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates,
14and other credentials to 60% by 2025, known as "Goal 2025"; this goal is a national priority
15because postsecondary education is a prerequisite to success in a knowledge-based society
16and economy; and
17 WHEREAS, the Lumina Foundation, while acknowledging that there are obstacles,
18asserts that America can increase educational attainment with a three-pronged approach:
19improving student enrollment, persistence, and completion, particularly by underrepresented
20students; supporting adults' efforts to return to college; and recognizing all forms of
21high-quality postsecondary credentials; and
22 WHEREAS, the legislature recognizes the importance of increasing postsecondary
23educational attainment and closing achievement gaps in Louisiana.
24 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
25request the Board of Regents, in consultation with the public postsecondary education
26management boards, to review and consider revising the Master Plan for Postsecondary
27Education relative to meeting the plan's goal of increasing educational attainment.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting such review and possible revision,
29the board should focus on improving student enrollment, persistence, and completion,
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HCR NO. 200
1particularly by underrepresented students, including minorities, returning adults, and
2veterans.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
4to the chairman of the Board of Regents and the commissioner of higher education.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 200 Engrossed 2015 Regular Session Wesley Bishop
Requests that the Bd. of Regents, in consultation with the public postsecondary education
management boards, review and consider revising the Master Plan for Postsecondary
Education relative to meeting the plan's goal of increasing educational attainment, focusing
on improving student enrollment, persistence, and completion, particularly by
underrepresented students, including minorities, returning adults, and veterans.
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