SLS 16RS-1048 REENGROSSED
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 conduct a comprehensive review and
12 evaluation of the educational demands of the state and its workforce
13 development areas as provided in R.S. 23:2192. The board shall review all
14 aspects of the state's public postsecondary education enterprise in order to
15 ensure it is operating in a comprehensive, efficient, cost-effective, and integrated
16 manner that best meets the academic needs of the state's citizenry, and meets
17 the state's short-term and long-term workforce and economic development
Page 1 of 7
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 446
SLS 16RS-1048 REENGROSSED
1 needs as forecasted through the Comprehensive Labor Market Information
2 System as provided in R.S. 23:71, et seq. and that considers the needs of
3 targeted cluster industries as provided in R.S. 23:76. Every public
4 postsecondary educational asset, including credit and noncredit academic
5 programs, facilities and properties, faculties, and fiscal resources shall be
6 reviewed in light of the state's current and forecasted educational needs. The
7 board shall identify all gaps and barriers to achieving a comprehensive,
8 efficient, cost-effective and integrated postsecondary education system that
9 produces an educated citizenry that is capable of fulfilling the state's workforce
10 and economic development needs, by region.
11 B. The board shall submit a written report detailing its findings and
12 recommendations relative to the assets, needs, gaps and barriers to the Senate
13 and House committees on education by no later than forty-five days before the
14 2017 Legislative Session. The report shall include the following:
15 (1) A description of assets, including:
16 (a) The role, scope and mission of each institution of public
17 postsecondary education in the state.
18 (b) Academic and non-academic programs, including those below the
19 certificate level and non-credit technical skills courses, offered at each public
20 postsecondary education institution and enrollment and completion data for
21 each program for the last five years. The average program cost per student for
22 the current year at 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:
Page 2 of 7
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 446
SLS 16RS-1048 REENGROSSED
1 (i) Age of the facility.
2 (ii) Square footage.
3 (iii) Usage purpose.
4 (iv) Space utilization and the methodology utilized to determine space
5 utilization.
6 (v) Condition of the facility.
7 (vi) Fitness for prescribed use.
8 (vii) Building defect data, including code violations for the most recent
9 twelve-month period.
10 (viii) Bonded indebtedness and contractual obligations.
11 (ix) Prioritized list of capital outlay needs for both new construction and
12 deferred maintenance, with costs estimates where available.
13 (e) Institutional data as provided pursuant to R.S. 17:3139.2(5), and the
14 following:
15 (i) Amount of institutional financial aid provided to students.
16 (ii) Faculty information including total faculty and percent by full-time
17 and part-time status; student-to-faculty ratios; percentage distribution of
18 full-time instructional faculty by rank; full-time instructional average salary by
19 rank; part-time faculty and assistants as a percent of total instructional faculty;
20 number of full-time administrators; and number of full-time staff.
21 (iii) Percentage of lower-level classes taught by teaching and research
22 assistants.
23 (iv) Percentage of students enrolled in remedial courses.
24 (v) Percentage of students admitted by exception to admission standards.
25 (vi) Job placement or rates by program.
26 (2) Description of needs, including:
27 (a) Current and forecasted educational demands by each region and the
28 state as a whole. Educational demand shall take into account, the forecasted
29 occupational demand for current, emerging, and targeted cluster industries.
Page 3 of 7
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 446
SLS 16RS-1048 REENGROSSED
1 The report shall also include any issues related to accurately forecasting
2 educational demand.
3 (3) Description of gaps, which for the purpose of this Section, are defined
4 as either needs that exceed assets, or assets that exceed needs.
5 (4) Recommendations regarding how to efficiently and cost-effectively
6 close the gaps to deliver postsecondary education by each region in order to
7 meet the forecasted educational demand. The recommendations shall include
8 whether any of the following are needed:
9 (a) Merging of two or more existing postsecondary institutions.
10 (b) Converting a non-degree granting postsecondary institution to an
11 institution which grants degrees.
12 (c) Converting a college or university which is limited to offering degrees
13 of a lower rank than baccalaureate to a college or university that offers
14 baccalaureate degrees.
15 (d) Converting a college or university which offers baccalaureate degrees
16 to a college or university that is limited to offering degrees of a lower rank.
17 (e) Transferring a college or university from one postsecondary
18 management board to another.
19 (f) Closing a postsecondary educational institution.
20 (g) Donating a college or university to a private entity or creating a
21 private entity to receive such donation.
22 (h) Closing or consolidating any program at an institution or
23 coordinating any program across certain institutions.
24 (i) Adding a center of excellence to an institution, shifting a center of
25 excellence to a different institution, or coordinating resources between
26 institutions to develop a joint center of excellence.
27 (j) Maximizing utilization of all facilities in each region, including
28 sharing facilities between institutions in a region, closing or demolishing certain
29 facilities.
Page 4 of 7
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 446
SLS 16RS-1048 REENGROSSED
1 (k) Centralizing administrative services.
2 (5) Description of barriers, including:
3 (a) Bonded indebtedness, contractual obligations, and fitness of facilities.
4 (b) Accreditation issues.
5 (c) Compatibility of administrative services.
6 (d) Funding.
7 (e) Staffing.
8 (f) Regional economic impacts.
9 (g) Financial impact on the institutions.
10 (h) Culture and tradition.
11 (6) An executive summary of recommendations to ensure that the state's
12 public postsecondary education enterprise is operating in a comprehensive,
13 efficient, cost-effective, and integrated manner that best meets the academic
14 needs of the state's citizenry and meets the state's short-term and long-term
15 workforce and economic development needs.
16 C. The Department of Economic Development, the Louisiana Workforce
17 Commission, and each public postsecondary institution, management board,
18 and system shall fully cooperate with the Board of Regents and shall provide
19 such data and assistance as the board may request.
20 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
21 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
22 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
23 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
24 effective on the day following such approval.
The original instrument was prepared by Cheryl M. Serrett. The following
digest, which does not constitute a part of the legislative instrument, was
prepared by Ann S. Brown.
DIGEST
SB 446 Reengrossed 2016 Regular Session Hewitt
Proposed law requires the Board of Regents to conduct a comprehensive review and
evaluation of the educational demand of the state and its regions and provide a report to the
Page 5 of 7
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 446
SLS 16RS-1048 REENGROSSED
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 cost-effectively close the gaps.
(5)A discussion of the barriers to developing an integrated public postsecondary
education enterprise.
(6)An executive summary of recommendations to ensure the state's public
postsecondary education system is operating in a comprehensive, efficient, cost-
effective and integrated manner.
Proposed law provides that the Department of Economic Development, the Louisiana
Workforce Commission, and each public postsecondary institution, management board, and
system must 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)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Senate Floor Amendments to engrossed bill
1. Changes the provision from requiring the Department of Economic
Development and the Louisiana Workforce Commission to conduct the study
to providing data and assistance to the Board of Regents in producing the
report.
2. Requires the Board of Regents to include in its report the following
information relative to a description of the state's educational assets:
(a) Information on programs offered including those below the certificate
level and noncredit technical skills courses.
(b) Reduces from 10 years to five years the amount of information to be
included in the report about each academic and nonacademic program
including the enrollment and completion data for each. Provides that the
average program cost per student for the current year at each institution must
be included in the report.
(c) Specifics that the building defect data, including code violations, will be
only for the most recent twelve-month period.
(d) Adds the requirement that a prioritized list of capital outlay needs for
both new construction and deferred maintenance, with costs estimates where
available be included in the report.
(e) Changes the information to be included in the report regarding the
Page 6 of 7
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 446
SLS 16RS-1048 REENGROSSED
percentage of lower-level classes taught by full-time faculty to classes taught
by teaching and research assistants.
3. Requires the Board of Regents to include in its recommendation on closing
the gaps an option for privatizing higher education.
4. Requires the Board of Regents to include data on the financial impact of
institutions in the description of barriers in the report.
5. Technical corrections.
Page 7 of 7
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.