As the ongoing Louisiana legislative session continues, the Senate Education Committee has approved Senate Bill 117.
The bill calls for the formation of a 15-member task force, which would create a funding system based on the performance of a particular university. Accordingly, the Board of Regents would approve the funding plan under the senate bill, a major change from current law that keeps higher education in the hands of legislators.
“The big thing that Senate Bill 117 does is that it takes control over higher education out of the hands of the legislators and gives it to the Board of Regents,” said Dr. Ronald Traylor, history and political science professor. “Louisiana, I think, is the only state of the fifty where the legislator still makes those higher education decisions like that. The other states, much more sane, have said to higher education administrators ‘This is your area of expertise.'”
University performance levels would be based on student retention rates, timely progression toward degree completion, certificate and degree production, alignment with projected workforce needs and potential earning power of graduates.
Executive Director of Public and Governmental Affairs, Erin Cowser, explained the university’s support for the plan.
“We are all for anything that’s going to improve our efficiency and productivity,” said Cowser. “There are already some tweaks being made to the funding formula this year that are going into effect and are heading in this direction. The fact that it’s going to allow for comparable rankings as related to peers groups, we think, would be a positive change.”
Co-sponsored by two Republican forces, Sen. Conrad Appel and Rep. Steve Carter of Baton Rouge, the bill would allow for students to more clearly understand whether their major is in high demand before graduating.
“I think anything that’s going to help a perspective student make a rational, realistic decision is good,” said Cowser. “The sooner you decide where you want to get to, the faster you can plot that course to get there. It’s difficult whenever you come in and have so many hours towards one degree then decide that you don’t want to do that and change.”
Dr. Traylor said “in theory it’s a great idea, but implementing it, I don’t know if that would ever be really possible.”
Because of the high demand for science, technology, engineering and math majors, universities who qualify as having a STEM program would automatically receive additional funding. While Southeastern offers some STEM-related degrees, the university is not classified as having a focus in STEM, therefore would receive no further funding for this specific factor.
Similar to Governor Jindal’s education overhaul which grades public schools and their teachers based on performance levels, the bill’s formation of a 15-member task force would include bureaucrats appointed by the Governor, and in turn keep observers concerned over the efficiency of large committees.
“My experience is, the larger a committee gets, the less it accomplishes,” said Traylor. “We’re talking about a fifteen man panel composed of educators and businessman, and I think two of them would be appointed by the governor. I can’t get fifteen of my students to agree on what their favorite ice cream is.”
The bill is currently awaiting passage in the State Senate and if passed, would call for the first committee meeting on Sept. 1, 2013 while a funding system would have to be sent to the Board of Regents by Jan. 15, 2014.