ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 200
BY REPRESENTATIVE WESLEY BISHOP
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Board of Regents, in consultation with the public postsecondary
education management boards, to review and consider revising the Master Plan for
Postsecondary Education relative to meeting the plan's goal of increasing educational
attainment.
WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 5(D) of the Constitution of Louisiana provides for
the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Board of Regents, including the requirement
that the board formulate and make timely revision of a master plan for postsecondary
education; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Regents, through the development and implementation of
the Master Plan for Postsecondary Education: 2011, advanced its vision for the future of
postsecondary education by adopting several broad goals, one of which is increasing the
educational attainment of the state's adult population to reach the Southern Regional
Education Board (SREB) states' average by 2025; and
WHEREAS, according to the third annual review of the master plan, which the Board
of Regents published in August of 2014, the annual number of graduates is ultimately the
most important measure of the state's progress toward the goal of reaching this average, and
to reach this educational attainment goal by 2025, the state needs to increase its number of
graduates significantly; and
WHEREAS, according to a 2013 American Community Survey, United States
Census figures show that only 29.6% of Louisiana's 2.4 million adults ages twenty-five to
sixty-four hold a two-year or four-year college degree, and the state's rate of postsecondary
educational attainment is well below the national average of 40%; and
WHEREAS, research shows that attainment rates across the country vary
significantly based on race and ethnicity, geography, and other factors; while overall
attainment is increasing, the gaps in attainment linked to race and ethnicity are not narrowing
significantly and deserve special scrutiny; and
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WHEREAS, successfully educating veterans and returning adults would assist the
state of Louisiana in meeting its goal of increasing educational attainment; and
WHEREAS, the Lumina Foundation, like the Board of Regents, considers increasing
educational attainment a major priority; the foundation is an independent, private foundation
committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates,
and other credentials to 60% by 2025, known as "Goal 2025"; this goal is a national priority
because postsecondary education is a prerequisite to success in a knowledge-based society
and economy; and
WHEREAS, the Lumina Foundation, while acknowledging that there are obstacles,
asserts that America can increase educational attainment with a three-pronged approach:
improving student enrollment, persistence, and completion, particularly by underrepresented
students; supporting adults' efforts to return to college; and recognizing all forms of
high-quality postsecondary credentials; and
WHEREAS, the legislature recognizes the importance of increasing postsecondary
educational attainment and closing achievement gaps in Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
request the Board of Regents, in consultation with the public postsecondary education
management boards, to review and consider revising the Master Plan for Postsecondary
Education relative to meeting the plan's goal of increasing educational attainment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting such review and possible revision,
the board should focus on improving student enrollment, persistence, and completion,
particularly by underrepresented students, including minorities, returning adults, and
veterans.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the chairman of the Board of Regents and the commissioner of higher education.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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