SLS 17RS-422 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 88
BY SENATOR MILKOVICH
COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES. Requests the Board of Regents to study the benefits of
consolidating academic and research programs and disciplines in and among public colleges
and universities.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request the Board of Regents to study the benefits of consolidating academic
3 programs and disciplines and research activities and programs in and among the
4 state's public colleges and universities, and report its findings, including any
5 potential savings to the state, to the Senate and House committees on education no
6 later than January 1, 2018.
7 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 provides that the Board of Regents
8 shall plan, coordinate, and have budgetary responsibility for all public postsecondary
9 education; and
10 WHEREAS, the state constitution also provides that the Board of Regents shall have
11 the power, duty, and responsibility to revise or eliminate an existing degree program,
12 department of instruction, division, or similar subdivision; as well as the power, duty and
13 responsibility to approve, disapprove, or modify such programs, departments, and divisions;
14 and
15 WHEREAS, R.S. 17:3126 provides that the Board of Regents shall evaluate the
16 instructional and physical resources of the institutions within each region of the state to
17 create efficiencies, increase student access, and enhance academic quality to advance
Page 1 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SCR NO. 88
SLS 17RS-422 ORIGINAL
1 postsecondary education in each region and the state as a whole; and
2 WHEREAS, R.S. 17:3126 further provides that the Board of Regents shall adopt
3 policies and take actions deemed appropriate and necessary to maximize all resources
4 available to support and promote postsecondary education in the state; and
5 WHEREAS, continual budgetary shortfalls underscore the need for postsecondary
6 education to maximize efficiencies; and
7 WHEREAS, the Board of Regents reviews every request for new academic programs
8 and biennially conducts a low-completer program review, at which time institutions are
9 encouraged to self-evaluate their entire academic inventory to restructure and redesign any
10 programs in need of change; and
11 WHEREAS, a systematic, statewide review of all academic programs and disciplines
12 and research programs and activities in and among public colleges and universities could
13 prove beneficial by increasing efficiencies in postsecondary education.
14 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
15 urge and request the Board of Regents to study the benefits of consolidating academic
16 programs and disciplines and research activities and programs in and among the state's
17 public colleges and universities, and report its findings, including any potential savings to
18 the state, to the Senate and House committees on education no later than January 1, 2018.
19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
20 chairman of the Board of Regents and the commissioner of higher education.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Serrett.
DIGEST
SCR 88 Original 2017 Regular Session Milkovich
Requests the Board of Regents to study the benefits of consolidating academic programs and
disciplines and research activities and programs in and among the state's public colleges and
universities, and report its findings, including any potential savings to the state, to the Senate
and House committees on education no later than January 1, 2018.
Page 2 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.