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2016 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 446
BY SENATOR HEWITT
POSTSECONDARY ED. Requires the Board of Regents to conduct a comprehensive
review of the postsecondary needs of the state and each of its regions. (gov sig)
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 17:3140, relative to postsecondary education; to provide relative to a
3 comprehensive review of the educational demands of the state and its regions; to
4 provide for an evaluation of the state's postsecondary education assets, needs, gaps
5 and barriers; to provide for a report of the findings and recommendations; and to
6 provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 17:3140 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
9 ยง3140. Evaluation of the state's delivery of public postsecondary education
10 delivery system
11 A. The Board of Regents shall, in collaboration with the Department of
12 Economic Development and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, conduct a
13 comprehensive review and evaluation of the educational demands of the state
14 and its workforce development areas as provided in R.S. 23:2192. The board
15 shall review all aspects of the state's public postsecondary education enterprise
16 in order to ensure it is operating in a comprehensive, efficient, cost-effective,
17 and integrated manner that best meets the academic needs of the state's
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1 citizenry, and meets the state's short-term and long-term workforce and
2 economic development needs as forecasted through the Comprehensive Labor
3 Market Information System as provided in R.S. 23:71, et seq. and that considers
4 the needs of targeted cluster industries as provided in R.S. 23:76. Every public
5 postsecondary educational asset, including credit and noncredit academic
6 programs, facilities and properties, faculties, and fiscal resources shall be
7 reviewed in light of the state's current and forecasted educational needs. The
8 board shall identify all gaps and barriers to achieving a comprehensive,
9 efficient, cost-effective and integrated postsecondary education system that
10 produces an educated citizenry that is capable of fulfilling the state's workforce
11 and economic development needs, by region.
12 B. The board shall submit a written report detailing its findings and
13 recommendations relative to the assets, needs, gaps and barriers to the Senate
14 and House Committees on Education by no later than forty-five days before the
15 2017 Legislative Session. The report shall include the following:
16 (1) A description of assets, including:
17 (a) The role, scope and mission of each institution of public
18 postsecondary education in the state.
19 (b) Academic and non-academic programs offered at each public
20 postsecondary education institution and enrollment and completion data for
21 each program for the last ten years. The current program cost per student at
22 each institution shall also be reported.
23 (c) Current centers of excellence, as defined by the Board of Regents, in
24 each institution, with explanation of how each center fits into the institution's
25 role, scope and mission and aids in meeting the workforce and economic
26 development needs of the region or the state as a whole.
27 (d) A list of all immovable property owned or leased by the state's public
28 postsecondary institutions. The list shall also include a description of each
29 facility as follows:
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1 (i) Age of the facility.
2 (ii) Square footage.
3 (iii) Usage purpose.
4 (iv) Space utilization assessment and the methodology utilized to
5 determine space utilization.
6 (v) Condition of the facility.
7 (vi) Fitness for prescribed use.
8 (vii) Building defect data, including code violations.
9 (viii) Bonded indebtedness and contractual obligations.
10 (e) Institutional data as provided pursuant to R.S. 17:3139.2(5), and the
11 following:
12 (i) Amount of institutional financial aid provided to students.
13 (ii) Faculty information including total faculty and percent by full-time
14 and part-time status; student-to-faculty ratios; percentage distribution of
15 full-time instructional faculty by rank; full-time instructional average salary by
16 rank; part-time faculty and assistants as a percent of total instructional faculty;
17 number of full-time administrators; and number of full-time staff.
18 (iii) Percentage of lower-level classes taught by full-time faculty.
19 (iv) Percentage of students enrolled in remedial courses.
20 (v) Percentage of students admitted by exception to admission standards.
21 (vi) Job placement or rates by program.
22 (2) Description of needs, including:
23 (a) Current and forecasted educational demands by each region and the
24 state as a whole. Educational demand shall take into account, the forecasted
25 occupational demand for current, emerging, and targeted cluster industries.
26 The report shall also include any issues related to accurately forecasting
27 educational demand.
28 (3) Description of gaps, which for the purpose of this Section, are defined
29 as either needs that exceed assets, or assets that exceed needs.
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1 (4) Recommendations regarding how to efficiently and cost-effectively
2 close the gaps to deliver postsecondary education by each region in order to
3 meet the forecasted educational demand. The recommendations shall include
4 whether any of the following are needed:
5 (a) Merging of two or more existing postsecondary institutions.
6 (b) Converting a non-degree granting postsecondary institution to an
7 institution which grants degrees.
8 (c) Converting a college or university which is limited to offering degrees
9 of a lower rank than baccalaureate to a college or university that offers
10 baccalaureate degrees.
11 (d) Converting a college or university which offers baccalaureate degrees
12 to a college or university that is limited to offering degrees of a lower rank.
13 (e) Transferring a college or university from one postsecondary
14 management board to another.
15 (f) Closing a postsecondary educational institution.
16 (g) Closing or consolidating any program at an institution or
17 coordinating any program across certain institutions.
18 (h) Adding a center of excellence to an institution, shifting a center of
19 excellence to a different institution, or coordinating resources between
20 institutions to develop a joint center of excellence.
21 (i) Maximizing utilization of all facilities in each region, including
22 sharing facilities between institutions in a region, closing or demolishing certain
23 facilities.
24 (j) Centralizing administrative services.
25 (5) Description of barriers, including:
26 (a) Bonded indebtedness, contractual obligations, and fitness of facilities.
27 (b) Accreditation issues.
28 (c) Compatibility of administrative services.
29 (d) Funding.
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1 (e) Staffing.
2 (f) Regional economic impacts.
3 (g) Culture and tradition.
4 (6) An executive summary of recommendations to ensure that the state's
5 public postsecondary education enterprise is operating in a comprehensive,
6 efficient, cost-effective, and integrated manner that best meets the academic
7 needs of the state's citizenry and meets the state's short-term and long-term
8 workforce and economic development needs.
9 C. Each public postsecondary institution, management board, and
10 system shall fully cooperate with the Board of Regents and shall provide such
11 data and assistance as the board may request.
12 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
13 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
14 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
15 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
16 effective on the day following such approval.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Serrett.
DIGEST
SB 446 Engrossed 2016 Regular Session Hewitt
Proposed law requires the Board of Regents, in collaboration with the Department of
Economic Development and the Louisiana Workforce Commission, to conduct a
comprehensive review and evaluation of the educational demand of the state and its regions
and provide a report to the Senate and House Committees on Education prior to the start of
the 2017 Regular Session.
Proposed law requires that the report shall include the following:
(1)A description of the state's educational assets.
(2)A description of the educational demands.
(3) A description of the gaps.
(4)Recommendations on how to efficiently and effectively close the gaps.
(5)A discussion of the barriers to developing an integrated public postsecondary
education enterprise.
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(6)An executive summary of recommendations to ensure the state's public
postsecondary education system is operating in an efficient, cost-effective and
integrated manner.
Proposed law provides that each public postsecondary institution, management board , and
system shall fully cooperate with the Board of Regents and provide data and assistance as
requested.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Adds R.S. 17:3140)
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words in boldface type and underscored are additions.